“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).
Note that when a man is overtaken in a fault, the only thing that the Scripture commands the Christians to do is to “restore such an one.” There is no commandment to condemn him, to set him at naught, to ostracize him, to talk about either him or his fault; but only to “restore” him.
This is the only spirit that there is in Christianity; for “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Condemnation is not what anybody needs in this world; for everybody is already condemned over and over, by his own sins, and by his own knowledge of his own faults. And, surely, it could be nothing but an essentially vindictive spirit that would crowd more condemnation upon a person who is, already, and many times, doubly condemned. And Christianity is not of such spirit: Christianity is the spirit of love, of the very love of God; and God’s love is manifest in his sending of Christ, not to condemn the world, but to save it. Such alone is the spirit of Christianity, everywhere, and forever.
This is shown also in the text, in directing that “ye that are spiritual restore such a one.” There is no direction to anyone who is not spiritual to make any attempt to restore such a one. The first consideration, therefore, when the Christian receives the knowledge that one is overtaken in a fault, is that that one is to be restored. The next is, “Am I spiritual, so that I can hope to restore him?” This brings the one who is to attempt the restoring, face to face with himself and God, in an examination of his own standing before God, as to whether he is truly spiritual.
And when this is found to be so, when one has found himself truly spiritual, then, in the spirit of meekness, which is only the spirit of Christ, and which can be only in him who is truly spiritual, seek to restore the one overtaken in the fault: at the same time “considering thyself, lest you also be tempted;” putting yourself in his place, asking yourself how you would like to be approached, how you would like to be treated, if you were in the fault in which the brother has been overtaken.
Bear in mind also that it is the man who is “overtaken” in the fault who is to be restored—not one whom you imagine to have committed a fault; not one whom you think has done what you think to be a fault. This word gives no countenance whatever to any spirit of faultfinding, or of searching for faults in a brother. It is counsel to be followed and applied only when one is “overtaken in a fault;” when it has become apparent that there is actually a fault. Then, and only then, is the matter to be touched; and then only “ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest you also be tempted.”