Week of March 16

The timeworn statement heard throughout my lifetime in ministry has been that the Christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded. Sadly, this maxim holds true in too many cases. In my mind, we need strong arms to lift up, not shove down, fellow believers who fail. We have before us today a wonderful passage that teaches us the correct way to handle moral failure in the church.

I believe the great 19th-century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, points us in the right direction today. He once said, “It is a blessing for us that, as sin lives, and the flesh lives, and the devil lives, so Jesus lives” (Charles Spurgeon). True! Paul knew the importance of “Jesus living in us” when he wrote of new life and the Spirit’s fruit (2:20; 5:22-23). He had good reason for it. Galatians 6:1-10 provides us with his critical “how to” section on the Spirit-led life as outlined in chapter 5. So, let’s get our “fruit on” (5:22-23) and see how we may apply the truth to the specific circumstance of moral failure.

Being accountable in community. There certainly are more than enough contemporary examples of sinful disaster to go around! Paul uses this focal verse as a way to introduce us to an almost unheard of element in our modern churches— “congregational discipline.” Notice the steps to success. First, he addresses the Galatians as “brothers.” This brotherly affection goes a long way toward setting people in the right frame of mind to handle a sudden moral collapse in a constructive way. He can do this because he knows that they were true followers of Christ (see 5:10; cf. NAC). This was not a superficial fraternal plea for their sympathy, but a paternal entreaty based upon a “family of faith” relationship. Sweet empathy, not bitter rivalry, was to be a hallmark of Galatian church community (cf. 5:25-26). We could foster the same in our own churches.

Leaders who act spiritually and responsibly. Secondly, notice that Paul calls to the forefront the fact that someone had been “caught” or “taken by surprise” in some sin. We’d say, “It wasn’t pretty,” and I do not need to illustrate it for any of us, do I? The suddenness and surprise by the person who failed morally and the church membership is evident. Paul does not go into detail about the sin. Many high profile moral failures are in the media in recent years, so Paul’s counsel is important. Keep in mind, too, that he did not mention a transgression of the law which would call for engaging the proper authorities (*see footnote below).

The benefit is found in the moral guideline he lays down for dealing with such a collapse. He knew how disruptive this situation could be for their relationship with God and for their church fellowship. C. S. Lewis has said, “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” Paul knew this reality, so he starts by calling for those who are “spiritual” to act “spiritually” in a responsible and loving manner with the fallen brother and/or sister in Christ (NAC). He did not counsel the Galatian churches to cover up the issue, but rather to have qualified Christians to handle the concern. We will often notice these spiritually mature people in our churches. They are nurtured in their actions by the Spirit’s fruit. Paul had written of these fruit in the previous chapter—for example, love, peace, goodness, and kindness. These members should take the lead in modeling the proper response to spiritual failure. How is the fruit applied?

Healthy growth of Christian virtue. We hear often of “growing” churches, which often means adding people to the roll rather than developing disciples. Both are important. Paul writes that these spiritual folks are to restore the fallen gently. The word restore means “to put in order” or, in medical terms, “to set a fractured or dislocated bone.” Fishermen used the expression to mean “mending or overhauling fish nets” (NAC). I believe we do well when we “mend hearts” in our churches. The person who failed morally and the church membership will be “mending.” Recall, for example, the fractured relationships in Corinth and Paul’s use of the same term to call the church there to lay aside its dissensions so that they might be “restored” to unity and purpose. He shows us that the goal of church discipline should be restorative and not punitive (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:5). We can do this when we realize that we, too, may fall into some sin (6:1b; “Keep watch”).

I recall the time an elderly woman stumbled and fell during a worship service I was attending. Church members raced to render aid, and no one, in that moment, paused to point out the importance of watching one’s step! There was no scolding her for not being more aware of her surroundings. All raced to give aid to her in that moment. Tender care was provided to ensure that she had not suffered some physical harm. That memory is priceless in my mind. Our goal was to guard her well-being and to restore her to the fellowship.

The same holds true for church members who have suffered moral missteps. A recent painful report reached me of a punitive response to a Christian who had stumbled into a sin. I cringed at both the sadness of the sin and the harshness with which it was addressed. Three phrases come to my mind: seriousness of the sin, sanctity of another human life, and Spirit-guided leadership. Paul has taught us a better way. I love what Theodore Epp has said: “What God forgives, He at once restores.” In other words, we all need to be taught how to “mend the nets” when Christian brothers and sisters fail. The beginning of healing in the Church today starts here.

1. Read again the root that bears the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Spirit enables all the fruit to nourish our lives and to enable His Body to flourish. Seek the Spirit’s help to display the fruit of the Spirit in your life.

2. Church discipline fails miserably when the Spirit is not the “One” leading. The Spirit aims toward forgiveness of sin and restoration. You, who are spiritual, will want to take the lead in this effort.

3. For Families: Normally, our children are not part of the intentional restoration and forgiveness team that aids a fellow repentant church member, but maybe your whole family could be an intentional touch of grace.

When folks stumble into sin in our churches or in families we know about, the situation often affects many other people, and their children are sometimes part of this equation. If there is a leader in your church, or another lay family going through the restoration process, your family can be part of the healing as well. Invite the children of the hurting family to your home for a play date, or the whole family to a meal. Let the children find some “normalcy,” for they often do not understand what has happened, and yet sense the tension. Your peaceful home, full of joy and acceptance, may be just what they all need, as the Spirit guides your care of them.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock

*There have been a number of high profile moral church leadership collapses in the media in recent years. Several of these cases have included serious breaches of the law. In no way do I condone minimizing the severity of sexual abuse and protecting the offending pastor or church leader. Sexual abuse requires immediate attention. Church leaders must contact the proper authorities and report the offender and offense. Furthermore, there have been other instances where the transgressor lied to police or stole church funds. These situations also call for legal action to be pursued. The guidelines mentioned above still apply but with the involvement of the proper authorities. I have written a chapter in a book on this topic (See Pastor, Staff, and Congregational Relationships: Through Servant Leadership and Quality Administration, Chapter 11, “Leading a Church when Moral Failure Occurs”).