DISARM – Part 4 – Confronting the Wayward

Passage:
Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
We correct family, we don’t police the world
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression…”
  • The first thing Paul makes clear is who he is talking to. He starts the passage with the word “Brothers”. he leads with “brothers” or in other words, he is saying, I am talking to the family of God
if you look back at chapter 5 – Paul spent a lot of time describing two “operating systems”
  • he describes The flesh – which is our old nature before we knew Christ – which produces things like envy, impurity, lust, division and many others –
  • and he describes the spirit – which is our new nature we gain in Christ which produces, love, joy peace, and the rest of the fruit of the spirit
1 Corinthians 5:9-12 he says, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.”
We confront ourselves first:
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression…”You who are spiritual…”
when he says “you who are spiritual” he means “you who are walking by the spirit.”
  • What Paul is saying is before you can go confront someone else’s sin you need to make sure you have confronted your own.
you cannot call someone back to walk in the spirit if you yourself are walking in the flesh.
  • and this why Jesus talks about this in Matthew 7 – it will be on the screen here- Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye. Or how can you say to your brother, ‘let me take the speck out of of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matt. 7:3-7)
We Restore Gently:
“you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness
  • The word restore here is a medical term – The word means to reset a bone that has been broken. Confronting sin – is not about punishment – It is never about meaning to bring shame. It is always about restoration.
The purpose of confrontation is to restore what has been broken, specifically, Paul says, in a spirit of gentleness. Or done with utmost of care.
TIME:
you can say the right thing at the wrong time.
TONE:
And this is similar to time – you can say the right words – in the wrong font.
TACT:
Finally the last one here tact. In addition to waiting for the right time, and using the right tone – we have to approach it the right way.
So, we restore gently — with time, tone, and tact.
We Walk with Them:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
  • Paul closes this section with an important reminder. Confrontation is not only a conversation – it is a commitment.

 

  • if you have any questions as we are going through this series on conflict resolution – I would love if you would send us a message at ask@cornerbiblechurch.com.

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