Men and Women Restoring Men and Women, Galatians 6:1
I restored my first car when I was sixteen years old.
I cut away the rust and pop-riveted steel-sheets to replace the holes caused by rust. Then, I filled in the gaps with bondo, sanded the area smooth, and finally, after priming the area, painted the entire car ticket, cherry red.
Underneath, I added cherry bomb mufflers and dual steel pipes for the exhaust. I redid the entire interior with new seat covers and fresh interior paint on the dash and door panels.
To say the least, I did not know what I was doing. I flew by the seat of my pants. Looking back, all I can do is laugh at what I called a “restoration”. But it felt good to improve the sight and sound of the car.
My friends all wanted a ride in it, that is, until they experienced sheer terror as I raced any driver on the street who challenged me. Small car with a V-8 motor with a big sound. That combo boosts the adrenalin and translates into fast mover. I almost outran a local County Sheriff, but, alas, lost the race and ended up paying a hefty-sized ticket. There’s always a next time…
Since then, I’ve restored many cars, primarily classic Ford Mustangs and Thunderbirds. In each case, I carefully followed the instruction manuals.
Manuals of Restoration
There are manuals for painting, rust-removal, re-doing interiors, rebuilding carburetors, engine and transmission overhauls, detailing engine bays, changing out the cooling systems, air conditioning, suspension (shocks, springs, power steering gear boxes, etc.), exhaust, electronics, and tires and wheels. The list seems endless.
The Men and Women Who are Spiritual
The apostle Paul calls on the men and women who are governed by the Holy Spirit to restore people who have been overtaken in a transgression.
Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Galatians 6:1
It is normal for people in Jesus’ church to fall into sin. Paul understands this reality. And to make it worse, our 21st century culture encourages self-indulgence and desires without restraint. So, it is normal to observe addictions increasing year-by-year: enslavement to alcohol, porn, food, sugar, drugs, tobacco, TV, entertainment, gambling, lying, stealing, sports, pain, entitlement, hero-syndrome, shoplifting, success, weightlifting, nose-drops, risk, anger, work, etc. These addictions or enslavements are all forms of idolatry. Rather than devoting oneself to the triune God, the substance becomes the god who controls the person’s life.
Spirit-filled Men and Women are to Restore Men and Women
So, after comparing the differences between the actions spawned by the flesh and the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5), Paul teaches the men and women in the congregation who display the characteristics of the Holy Spirit to get involved in the lives of those who have been tripped up by sin. These men and women are to restore such people.
Spirit-filled women are to restore men and women. Spirit-filled men are to restore men and women. Paul does not add restrictions as to who can restore who. The single qualification is that such a man or woman be one who is spiritual, one controlled by the Spirit, showing the fruit that the Spirit produces.
Restore: To Bring People to their Proper Condition
The idea of the verb “restore” is to bring people to their proper condition. The same Greek verb is used of mending fishermen’s nets (bring the fishing nets to their proper condition), and setting a broken bone (bringing the arm or leg to its proper condition).
So, to recap, Spirit-controlled men and women (not necessarily the professionals or the clergy) in the congregation are to bring God’s people back to their proper condition of walking with God and living in freedom from those craving and desires.
And, just as I use a manual to guide me in restoring Mustangs and Thunderbirds, men and women must also use God’s manual, the Scriptures, to bring enslaved people to their proper condition.
Men and Women Use the Manual of Restoration
But wait. Does Paul mean that women can use the manual, the Scriptures, to restore a man or a woman? Or, is she to lay aside the manual if she is involved in restoring a man? In other words, if a Spirit-filled woman is to restore a man to his proper condition, is she required to put her Bible away and just wing it like I did with my first car?
The question on the floor is not, can she use the Scriptures? She must use the manual, that is to say, the Scriptures. She must use the manual of restoration in the same way as the man must use the manual to restore others. She must use the Scriptures to restore men and women.
So, from a practical point of view, church leaders must, by example, first show others how to restore people. They also must provide opportunities (classes and real-life examples) for men and women to learn how to restore. God’s people need to be equipped to get involved in the lives of enslaved people and bring them to the condition Jesus designed for each of them. Paul expects this process of restoration to be ongoing in each congregation.
Who in the Church is to do the Restoring?
Our culture encourages self-indulgence on a broad scale and so we can expect to find addictions and enslavements just about everywhere, including inside the church. Who, then, is supposed to restore these men and women? The “Pastor.” Not necessarily. The Elders? Not necessarily.
I have found that with few exceptions, few Pastors or Elders even know how to restore a man or woman enslaved to gambling or alcohol or porn or the acquisition of material possessions. But in most cases, they were not taught to restore people because their college and seminary professors had no experience in this type of ministry. It’s a vicious cycle of failed priorities in Christian higher learning, but I digress. That is another story.
But according to Paul, it is the men and women in the congregation who are spiritually healthy who must do the restoring. And to bring men and women to their proper condition, they must use God’s manual.
Thank you for reading.