“Rules for Restoration”
“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.” (Galatians 6:10)
After giving one of the most detailed
passages on the battle between the flesh and the Spirit, Paul begins a short but
very pointed application section directed to those “Brethren…which are spiritual”. The “man
overtaken in a fault” is a believer who is fallen into a specific sin or
transgression which may be caused by the “flesh”
controlling their appetites and subsequently their will instead of the Holy
Spirit.
He calls upon those who are spiritual or
those who are controlled by the Spirit and will apply the wisdom and power of
the Holy Spirit to address the situation at hand. There is a believer who is “overtaken” which is a compound Greek
word used only here in the N.T. indicating the transgression had completely
taken over their life.
Paul tells those who walk in the Spirit to
“restore” which means to put in
order, to mend, to make complete the believer who has fallen into this controlling
sin pattern or transgression. He
includes the manner in which this restoration must take place, “in the spirit of meekness” which
focuses upon gentleness, humility and compassionate, loving consideration.
In addition Paul gives an admonition to
those who are spiritual telling them that they must take into consideration
when dealing with sin there is the possibility that they could also be tempted
or drawn into the trap of allowing temptation to turn into a situation where
the sin of the one who has fallen effects the one who is attempting to provide
restoration.
The key phrase in this verse is “ye which are spiritual”. Those who walk
in the Spirit and consistently apply the wisdom of God through the Holy Spirit
of God are exactly who are indicated here. Therefore, if the sin is dealt with
according to Scripture the plan must be found in the Word of God to bring this
one back into fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In recent days the Lord has brought a
believer to me who is dealing with a very complex family situation involving
his wife, his sons and their wives. They are all believers, but, his wife has
been dealing with multiple issues which has caused her life to be completely
overtake by certain sinful habits which have completely deadened her
relationship with the Lord.
Therefore, the usual blessings of family
fellowship in the Lord have been hindered greatly as she refuses to
acknowledge, confess and repent of her sin which in turn causes serious
conflicts throughout the extended family. She is in great need of restoration
to fellowship, but all outward appearances look very bleak…but God looks on the
heart…with God nothing is impossible…have faith in God the Scripture
admonishes!! The inward man in tune with God is unstoppable!!
He has the solution and it is found in His
Word! Application of His power through “ye
that are spiritual” is how He can and will accomplish miracles. The first
step is to determine the source of her sin. Is it her desires for the world? Is
it her lust of the flesh? Or, is it the wiles of the devil? Which enemy are we
dealing with must be answered before accurate application of the Word of God
can be accomplished! But first the heart of the spiritual must be examined and
prepared for battle.
What did Jesus do when confronted with
those who had tortured and crucified Him? He simply said: “Father forgive them for they not what they do.” If the one who is
spiritual does not completely forgive the offender there will never be any
power from God applied in their life. The unconditional love of Christ must be the
driving force for (the) love never fails!
In order to restore someone there first
must be the “spirit of meekness”, the
spirit of controlled strength, controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. Unless
there is this humble, meek, compassionate and loving spirit controlling the one
who is attempting restoration there will never be any progress.
Until we clearly see with the Holy
Spirit’s eye, the struggle, the situation, the bondage of the one who is
overtaken, understanding the empty and miserable life that they are leading and
apply the compassionate love of Christ toward them there will be nothing
accomplished for the glory of God. This can only be accomplished through
soul-rending prayer for the fallen!!
Then, we must discern who is the specific
enemy and exactly how to successfully attack with the full force of the power
of God. In the situation mentioned above it was clear from the husband that we
are dealing with the real possibility of the devil’s working in his wife’s
life. So, we decided to utilize God’s whole armor which must be applied daily
with soul-rending prayer!
When the Lord gave the armor in Ephesians
6:10-18 He gave us five defensive pieces of armor and two offensive weapons,
the Word of God and prayer. While all are necessary for successful spiritual
warfare it is the Word of God and Spirit-filled prayer for the fallen believer
that are the keys to victory for the Spirit feeds off of the precious and
miraculous Word of God.
This is where the victory is found. Holy
Spirit led prayer by “ye that are
spiritual” will supply the Lord with the ability to send avenues of grace to the one who is
held captive by the devil at his own will. (II Timothy 2:24-26). This passage
of Scripture must be clearly understood:
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all
men, apt to teach, patient
(forbearing), In meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves: if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth: And that they may recover
themselves out of the snare (trap) of the devil who are taken captive by him at
his will.”
When a believer “opposes themself” by resisting the clear and certain authority of
God they will lay themselves open to the binding control of the devil himself!!
The grammar in these verses teach that the one overtaken and held captive must
have outside assistance in order to be freed from the devil’s trap…”Ye that are spiritual”!
So, the recommendation to the believer
with the complex family issues was clear. If he and his family are willing to prayerfully
as a group apply the principles of the above specific warfare passages in the
Bible they can have faith in God that He will do exceeding abundantly above all
that they ask or think…according to the power that works within them…that is
the supernatural power of God found in His indwelling Holy Spirit empowered through
His Word!!
Eight Recommendations for Restoration:
- Must be initiated by “ye that are spiritual/Spirit-filled”
- Full forgiveness for past offences must be at the forefront
- Spirit of meekness energized by and bathed in (the) love of Christ which never fails
- Recognize: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood” [Your wife, mother, mother-in-law is not the enemy]
- Recognize: If you are aware of a problem in another believer’s life you are obligated by the law of Christ to restore
- Recognize: Spiritual warfare can only be victorious in the power of the Holy Spirit energized by the Word of God
- Recommendation: Memorize both passages Ephesians 6:10-18 and II Timothy 2:24-26
- Realize: Your faith in God by expecting Him to get the victory and all the glory will bring His will to pass
Are you facing a situation that calls for
your participation in the restoration of another believer? The very first step
is to give the whole situation to the Lord and allow His love for the one who
is overtaken in a fault to be the guiding emphasis. Because He loves the one
who is overtaken, we as His servants must emulate His actions. When He was
offended He forgave…first!
Secondly, He became through His sacrifice
on the Cross our Great High Priest. He is now continually interceding on our
behalf before the throne of God in heaven. Therefore, we as believer-priests
unto God must also take this same position and pray for the one who has fallen
allowing the Lord to intervene pouring out His avenues of grace toward this one
who is overtaken.
The third action on our part is confident
expectation that He will get the desired result. Regardless of what it takes on
our part we must understand that whatever we do to further the kingdom of God it is the Lord’s job to take care of
the consequences and the results.
This attitude of expectation based upon
the promises of God is in essence our faith in His ability to answer our
prayers on behalf of the one who is overtaken. Remember, without faith it is impossible
to please God and faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So,
the central focus in restoration must be the application of the all-powerful
Word of God!
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