How Should We Deal With SIn WITHIN the Church? - Galatians 6

 Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

Paul described in chapter 5 the difference between a life lived by the Spirit, and a life driven by the flesh.  Paul knew that there would be those in the church who got caught up in a life characterized by the sins of the flesh i.e. sexual immorality, idolatry, drunknenness, anger, discord and the list goes on.  Realizing that we prone to wandering away from life in the Spirit, Paul gives instruction on how to treat a wayward brother or sister in the body of Christ.  

Paul gives the following principles for how the church should confront such situations as they arise.  

1.  Someone who demonstrates spiritual maturity, perhaps a pastor or elder, should restore the person gently.  The person shouldn't be shamed publicly, or beaten down or berated unnecessarily.  They should be afforded the same grace we would all want in such a situation. 

2. None of us is above temptation or falling.  Even the person administering the restoration to a wayward member of the flock should be careful to not get caught up in the sordid details of that person's sin as it could lead them into sin.  

3. When someone is caught in a sin instead of barring them from the fellowship, we should walk alongside of them.  We bear it with them.  We empathize with their situation. Though we don't condone the sin, we don't condemn the person.  There is no condemnation in Christ.  To come alongside a struggling person Paul says, "fulfills the law of Christ".  As always the goal is to bring the person back into fellowship with God and the others they may have hurt by their behavior. I.e. Friends or Family

4. Rather than judging others we would do well to keep our eye looking in the mirror at our own behavior.  Judging others causes pride, and before pride cometh before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Do you see the balance here between grace and truth?  Most churches gravitate to one side or the other, but we must all seek to be Jesus was "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).  Complete honesty as he confronted the sin, but unconditional love for the sinner (see the story about the woman caught in adultery in John 8 to see Jesus living out thse two beautifully) 

Do you have people in your life or in your church that care enough about you and your walk with Christ that they would be able to restore you gently when stray from God?  Is it easy for you to get prideful judging others' sinful ways rather than starting with yourself?   As you look at the list of sins in chapter 5, note that we might tend to focus on some sins, like sexual immorality, more than others; but sins like jealousy and envy make the list too.  The bottom line is we all fall far short of God's glory, so our words and actions should always be seasoned with the same grace we would want given to us.  Restoration to a right relationship with Christ is beautiful thing when done right, and has led to the avoidance of a lot of carnage in the body of Christ.