Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

What a far distance from this Scriptures so many people live today!  Not that this isn’t done, but that there are so few that can do it, or seem to, at the very least!  It happens for sure, but we could be further along.

Consider this.  If someone who is caught in a trespass, the one who is spiritual should restore the other in gentleness.  That is, the person who is not caught in sin should restore the person who is.  While it is obvious that a person here is caught in a trespass, let us not miss the obvious that there is someone in this picture who isn’t!

This is in no way to put a false spirit of striving or of perfectionism, but just as God disciplines those He loves, even though in His sight they are holy, blameless, and free from all accusation (Colossians 1:22), He must discipline for our mistakes and things we do wrong.  To say otherwise would contradict the scriptures concerning His discipline and the call to holiness.  It is not that we aren’t holy in His sight, but, as the Apostle Paul wrote, it was because of mistakes in judgement that people were making that many were sick and had fallen asleep among them.  This was a punishment, but not in a wrath sense, but it was very real nonetheless.

But, the point is this.

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

1 John 5:18

Paul was concerned about praying for his spiritual children “until Christ was formed in them.” (Galatians 4:19).  This was his labor in prayer before the Throne.

The weight of responsibility comes with the addition of a thousand cares of other people.  The call of intimacy always begs that we shut the door to all of these, focus our gaze upon the One, the True, the Holy, and heed not any other voice.

In fact, this is what Jesus requires for fellowship, that we do the will of His Father (Matthew 12:50).

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Proverbs 25:28

The city of our hearts must be defended and guarded against.  While not a complete picture by any means, one large segment of our walk could be likened to getting the bad stuff out.  This is called repentance.  Another part is to get the good in, this is called Faith.  A third component in the midst of this could be considered “self-control”, which is the rule over one’s own spirit.  Without this, it is hard to keep the bad out and hence the good in.

Imagine you could get all the sin out of your life.  You may stumble from time to time, as we do, but, we have an intercessor. Repentance and forgiveness by His blood for our mistake removes it from us.  We begin to progress more towards 2 Peter 1:10, where we no longer stumble, living up to what we have already attained (Philippians 3:16).  Imagine a life where the passions of the flesh no longer ruled you, where the ungodly influences of the flesh have been put off in the recognition of our being crucified and raised with Christ, and we are free to live out of the Christ within us.

This is the place of Galatians 6:1, if someone is caught in a fault.  If we stumble again, or get snared, one who is spiritual, who isn’t, can simply restore us gently.

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

If one falls into a ditch or elsewhere, the other can pick him up and help him along.  This is God’s desire for us, that we walk along the road as brothers, united in love, and seeking a common purpose.

The glory of the Gospel is that it restores the heart to do this.

He keeps in perfect peace the man whose mind is fixed upon Him (Isaiah 26:3).  As we have and continue to allow the truth to cleanse and purify our souls, we find ourselves stayed upon Him.  As we accept the world as being crucified to us, and us to it, so that we do not crave its delicacies as the Israelites did coming out of Egypt, we find ourselves loving Him, and hating the world (instead of the other way around).  We actually find that we are living out of Christ’s life within us, and there becomes less and less struggle to live solely as He does (Galatians 2:20, not disrespecting the struggles that every Christian must face, but where holiness becomes a joy, and not a burden, and even if we do have days of trial, the whole of our life is from glory to glory).

The greatest thing for a person to be in this life is free.  Debt is bondage, servitude is bondage, a work job can be bondage.  Just trying to stay fed can be a chain.  But, for the person who has died to this world, and no longer lives for it, where there is nothing in this life that can be stolen from them, for their true treasure is in heaven, there is nothing else that this world can threaten with.  Freedom in Christ is within our Spirit, and as we live in that, it sets us free to keep our eyes first upon the Lord, and then to be His servants, loving one another with the love of Christ.

The walls of our heart are His walls, and lamp of our eyes is His light.  When our eyes are fixed upon Him, lose or win, sink or swim, we reign in this life.  And, though it may not be perceived, and may not be understood, we reign in this life, we rule in His Kingdom, and we conquer and pull down Kingdoms.

For, lest we forget, in the same way, those who have gone before us conquered Rome.  Not them, but the Christ within them. For, those who are poor in Spirit and are persecuted for righteousness sake possess the Kingdom.  And, when the cry of the righteous reached God’s ears, He acted, and crushed that serpent under their feet.

Better to be the lowest in the Kingdom than to be the greatest conquerer in this life.  Better, also, to be the servant of all, than to be that, but first things first.

For, when you have spent your last, and you’ve run out, His strength is made perfect in you.  When lose it all, and stand with nothing, and you’re alive….  You’re alive.  And you’re free.