Galatians 6:1-2

Galatians 6 

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.

2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Think of times in your past when you were living in sin- A huge mistake that you made that you wish you hadn’t fallen into. If you’re like me, looking back at these times, I just wish there had been someone there, asking the tough questions, encouraging me to do the right thing. I didn’t have that accountability in my life.

In this passage, it talks about this type of accountability. As believers, we have a responsibility when those who are close to us fall into sin. We must carefully (so that we too do not fall into sin) call out the sin and help them move past it, so their spiritual walk can be restored.

Typically, we do the opposite of this- we know a friend is in sin, and we turn a blind eye.  Maybe we think we are doing them a favor by not calling them out, exposing their sin, or bruising their pride. Maybe its just easier not to get involved. But what about when they are reaping the consequence of the sin? When they are battered and beat up by their mistakes, and sorry for what they have done; are you ready for them to turn to you and say, ‘you knew, but you did nothing to help?’

I know this process isn’t easy. Sometimes you might lose a friend over it for a time. But done in gentleness as commanded in this passage, it can help keep you and those close to you accountable in your walks with God. As verse 2 says, bear each other’s burdens. Find people you are real with that can be real with you. Encourage each other in your spiritual walks and call each other out in love when its needed. As Proverbs 27:17 says, just as iron sharpens iron, so can one person sharpen the character of another.