CONTROVERSY XIV: What about Restoring the Fallen Brother?

(This is a new article series that I am "trying out" with my readers. These are intended to be thought-provoking. Please see their Intro Article: Jan. 26, 2008)

“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. Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (Gal. 6:1-3 NASB)

Paul had just spent the majority of his letter passionately reprimanding this Galatian church for allowing the Judaizers, a sect of “Jewish Christians” who taught that salvation comes only with circumcision, to undermine the Gospel of grace, which he had taught when he was present with them. He explained that Christ’s salvation is a gift of His grace, which is not dependent upon the religious works of men. However, knowing the tendency of human nature to flee from one extreme to adopt the other, Paul states that Christ’s freedom does not infer succumbing to carnality either.

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh…” (5:13)

Following this statement, Paul details the difference between a spiritual life of freedom and a life of the flesh (5:20-25). He closes this account with the statement, “Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another,” (vs. 26) to ensure that when one does walk in the spirit, he is not to look down upon those who are not.

Now we come to the selected text of chapter 6. The main point of the three verses is verse two, exonerating the believers to bear one another’s burdens according to the law of Christ. The key words of the passage are the following:

· “trespass”: paraptoma-to fall beside or near something a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness a sin, misdeed
· “spiritual”: pneumatiko-one who is filled with and governed by the Spirit of God
· “restore”: katartizo-ethically: to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be
· “gentleness”: prautes-mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness, consideration, humility
· “bear”: bastazo-to sustain, i.e. uphold, support; to take up in order to carry or bear, to put upon one's self (something) to be carried
· “burdens”: baros-heaviness, weight, burden, trouble

Paul is speaking to the Church about how one should “deal” with a brother, who has fallen into sin or is living according to the flesh, as he had described in the previous chapter. Those, who are living according to the Spirit, are not to chide or reject the fallen brother; they are to restore him, strengthen that, which is spiritual within his being. The manner, by which they are to do this, is in the manner of the fruit of the Spirit gentleness (5:23), in a meek and humble spirit, recognizing that they too, are not immune to the carnal nature, as Paul had described in chapter 5:17, 24:

“17For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please…24Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Moreover, the members of the church are exonerated to “bear” or “uphold and take on” the “burdens” or “weights and troubles” of their brethren, for this fulfills/completes the law of Christ, which was detailed also in chapter 5:14:

“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’” (ref. Matt. 22:39; Jn. 15:17)

This concept is related to Paul’s description of the body of believers as being apart of the Body of Christ. He wrote to the Corinthian Church a more detailed account of this concept, prohibiting any member to reject another for its weakness or “fallenness”:

“But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you;’ or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary…so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. 12:20-22; 25-26)

All are apart of a body, a family of believers, and all should take the viewpoint to ensure the wholeness and health of all members of the body. Furthermore, Paul denounces any self-righteousness or haughtiness of perspective from the “spiritual” brothers of the Lord, for they too may find themselves in such a predicament, a potentiality that Paul states in another letter:

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23)

How is this applied to today? It is not uncommon for Church members of the present day to quickly judge and criticize the fallen among the congregation. Gossip, rejection, and self-righteousness seem to characterize the majority of congregations across the nation today. However, Paul is imploring the Church to reach out to those within her family and restore, not reject, those, who are trapped in carnality, recognizing that no one is invincible to the temptations of the flesh. This fulfills the second Greatest Commandment, and one of the only commandments Christ gave to His disciples:

“‘This I command you, that you love one another.’” (Jn. 15:17)

If one has fallen, the others who are stronger are to “… to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please (them)selves.” (Rom. 15:1) How does one bear with another? Meeting with them, praying with and for them, counseling them, and walking the road of discipleship, i.e. “doing life” with them, challenging them to put off the old man and put on the new (ref. Eph. 4:22-24). This is fulfilling the law of Christ, to love others as one would have others love them. This is dying to selfish desires so that Christ may be preached.

CONTROVERSY XIII: What about War?

(This is a new article series that I am "trying out" with my readers. These are intended to be thought-provoking. Please see their Intro Article: Jan. 26, 2008)

When can Christians feel that war is justified? Is the war in Iraq “just”?

This is another very sensitive issue, and many Christians have varying opinions. Some would say that war is only justified when it is in “self-defense;” but is this the only justification for battle?

Then why would the Lord say in His word (through Solomon) “There is a time for war and a time for peace…” (Ecc. 3:8b). Why would the Lord charge His people to completely destroy the peoples in the Promised Land when the Canaanites were not “hurting anyone” yet…in fact, if you think about it, the people of Israel were the ones attacking them! If anything, according to the “self-defense” ideology, the Israelites were wrong and the Palestinians were in the “right.” (Now, I am NOT implying that there was anything wrong with these tactics for war…God knows what He’s doing and I would never question His judgment).

I agree and disagree with the idea of war being just only if it’s out of self-protection. Sometime wars have to be fought because there is injustice going on in the world…and if nothing is done about it, it will eventually affect us sooner or later.

Take WWII-nothing was being done about the persecution of the Jews and the spread of the Nazi regime; and the U.S. didn’t get involved because it had nothing to do with them…yet. Then the Japanese joined forces with Germany, and we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. Then, we got involved out of “self-protection,” but we could have gotten involved a lot sooner, and who knows how the war would have turned out then or how many Jewish and/or European lives could have been saved.

The war which the U.S. is in is a "just war" in the sense that we have liberated people, real people, from lives of torment and injustice. Nobody else was stepping out and defending the defenseless, which is one of God’s roles (Defender of the Defenseless), Who uses people to do His work (He could intervene supernaturally, but He doesn’t always). Moreover, God has blessed us. the U.S. with so much and he expects those with more to use it to help others-to him whom much is given, much is required (ref. Lk. 12:48).

I think that a lot of us really don’ have a fair idea of what exactly is going on in the War on Terror, nor the true reasons for why we are over there…because the majority of our media is spinning it one way or another. Yet, if you talk to the majority of veterans (there are the few exceptions who think otherwise) who have fought over there-you would definitely come away with a more positive perspective on the war.

The truth is we don’t know all the reasons why we went to Iraq, maybe some but not all. The truth is we don’t know what happened to the WMDs, if they were or were not there. The truth is that a Hitler type figure, Saddam Hussein, was removed from power and from his oppressive position. The truth is you can’t leave a job until it is 100% completed or as much completed as possible, ethically speaking-that is integrity. And if we are a nation that stands for honor, righteousness, valor, whatever, then we have to finish what we started...and finish it well.

CONTROVERSY XII: What about Tithing?

(This is a new article series that I am "trying out" with my readers. These are intended to be thought-provoking. Please see their Intro Article: Jan. 26, 2008)

Some have thought that the promise of material blessings for Israel if she tithes (Mal.3:8-12) applied to that nation, not to other nations today. They have argued that the principle for the Church is that she should given generously to God as He leads, which would incur a reward from Him, BUT, that the “tithe” is a different issue. In other words, God will not withhold financial blessings from the Church for “not tithing.”

Yes, God does appreciate and desires a cheerful giver (ref. 2 Cor. 9:7), but the principle of the tithe is prevalent throughout Scripture. God desires to be the first in our lives; we are to love the Lord with all of our hearts, minds, bodies, and strengths.(Deut. 6:5) We cannot serve two masters; we cannot love God and money (ref. Matt. 6:24)...but how do we know we love God first or over something (like money) if we are not willing to give Him our firsts (like a tithe)?

God established the principle of a tithe in the Garden of Eden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the one tree that God designated as "off-limits" to Adam. Adam could eat of everything else, just not what God designated as His. When Adam partook of the tree, sin entered into the world.

Samuel was Hannah's tithe to the Lord of her first-born. She dedicated this "first fruit" of her womb to God, and God blessed her with five additional children. (1 Sam 2:21)

Jesus was, in a sense, God's tithe. He was the First born of many brethren (ref. Rom. 8:29) and He was sacrificed as an offering for the atonement of sin.

The principle in Mal.3 is to put God first in our lives, including our pocketbooks. God commands that we serve Him and Him alone, and there's no greater indicator of our faithful service than to give Him that, which is so precious or useful to us; in this case, the first fruits of our labor.

I have learned that Tithing is a very sensitive issue in the Church because it involves money. There is nothing wrong with having money, but if it begins to take precedence over God, that's when it becomes an issue. Our God loves us so much and is jealous for us (ref. Ex. 20:5; 34:14) and He will do anything to prevent His relationship with us from losing its fire and intimacy. If that means financial blessing when we tithe or financial withholding when we don't, then you can bet that God will do that. It's a promise in His Word. (Mal. 3:8-12)