Brethren, if even a man be taken in some fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest *thou* also be tempted.
A believer is caught out by a sudden sin. This verse says who should step in, what the work aims at, and what state of heart keeps the rescuer safe.
The kind of failure in view
One writer says the word "fault" is too weak for the case Paul describes:
"Fault" is, we judge, a very poor rendering of the original word in this passage. The same word appears as "offences" in Romans 4:25, "sins" in Ephesians 1:7, and "trespasses" in Ephesians 2:1... Another thing to keep in mind: in the case Paul supposes in Galatians, he is not describing a state or condition. He is describing someone taken, or overtaken, by an offence — someone surprised by a sudden temptation into which he has fallen. It is not a course of sin, but an act, a failure under some seduction or enticement of the flesh through not watching.
Another writer sets this case beside the previous chapter:
A contrast seems to be implied between verse 21 of chapter 5 and the first verse of chapter 6. The former has in view those who are characterised by doing certain evil things. The latter speaks of a man being overtaken in an offence. Those who are characterised by evil will never enter the kingdom of God. The man overtaken in evil, on the other hand, is to be restored. It is taken for granted that he is a true believer.
What "restore" means
The word behind "restore" is a repair word, taken from fishing and from medicine:
The word "set to rights" first appears in the New Testament in Matthew 4:21. There the Lord found James and John in a boat with their father, mending their nets — putting them right. In Hebrews 11:3 we read that the worlds were "set to rights" by the Word of God. It is also used for setting a broken bone, putting it right.
The mending puts a person back in his proper place:
They are to bring him back into communion with God, and into happy working with the saints. I take this to be the force of the word (katartizo) used here... The broken ends of a net are joined and restored to their proper place and function in the whole. So it is with the failing saint as a member of the body of Christ.
Why only the spiritual can do this work
Paul hands them a test they cannot fake:
The Galatians boasted about their spirituality. It is the same today: people who put themselves under law, and try to put others under law, always feel they are holier than others... That is God's test of whether a man is spiritual or not. Are you someone God can use to set the fallen right? If not, you are not a spiritual man in God's sight.
Meekness is not optional. It shows whether the spirituality is real:
To approach a fallen brother in the spirit of vainglory would be bound to stir up all that is worst in him. To approach him in a spirit of meekness would help him. Let us note that a spirit of meekness must go with spirituality. There is a false spirituality, met with all too often, that goes hand in hand with a self-conscious assertiveness. That is the very opposite of meekness. A truly spiritual man is ruled and controlled by the Spirit of God who lives in him, and so is marked by "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1). But even such a man can fall when temptation comes.
Watching yourself
Meekness grows out of watching yourself. The spirit of the law works the other way:
The spirit of the law leads to righteousness, and then to hardness towards another who is overtaken in a fault. It makes us forget our own weakness. This was plainly seen in the Pharisees, and is found among Christians too... The sense of one's own weakness makes us meek towards others.
The responsibility of the spiritual
Others put the duty plainly:
With these words before us, we can safely say that a direct responsibility rests on the people of God for those who may have been "overtaken in a fault"... For an unspiritual man to deal with a fallen brother would be almost a mockery. Such a service needs communion with the heart of Christ. In this sense, at least, the spiritual are their brothers' keepers.
It also rules out haste:
A man may be "overtaken in a fault," as in Galatians 6... Should such a person be hastily thrust out of the assembly? Certainly not. He should be lovingly and tenderly warned by "the spiritual," who alone know how to do it. He should be carefully looked after. The aim is not to find accusation against him, but to "restore" him and free him fully from the effect of his "fault."
Summary
- Overtaken — a believer is caught by a sudden temptation. It is one act, not a settled course of sin.
- Restore — the word covers mending nets and setting a bone. The aim is a brother back in working order, not a case closed.
- Spiritual — this work belongs to those the Spirit controls. Willingness to restore the fallen is the test of who they are.
- Meekness — remember your own weakness. That keeps the rescue from turning into the hardness law breeds.
- Responsibility — the spiritual do not thrust anyone out in haste. They watch over the fallen brother until he is fully back.