Restoration is the process of bringing someone or something back to a previous state. Many of us know what restoring a piece of furniture is like. It can be a long, tedious process. It requires time, patience, and the right products. Humans are no different. It may only take a few seconds for them to be restored to a right relationship with God. I John 1:9 assures us of restoration if we are earnestly repenting. It is immediate. However, depending on the individual, it will take time, patience, and loving help to gain complete freedom from the sin that broke their relationship with God.
I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In Galatians 6:1, Paul teaches the church in Galatia to restore those overtaken in a fault. Our response should be in a spirit of meekness. We must look at others who are in sin and understand that, but for the grace of God, it could be us. None of us are immune to the temptations of sin. Satan knows our weaknesses from watching us in the past, and he knows when to pounce like a lion on its prey.
Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
In Matthew 18:15 – 17, Jesus teaches the biblical principle of church discipline and restoration. If a church member is living a lifestyle contrary to the teaching of God’s word, they are to be confronted. First, if a person has sinned against the body of believers or you as an individual, you are to go and talk with them alone. If we speak to them in love and concern, and they respond with repentance, their conversation should go no further. No one else needs to know. At this point, Jesus says we have gained a brother. If they do not respond in repentance, we must take two or three Christian brothers or sisters from the church and speak with them again. This time, in love, you are to plead with them and explain that if they do not repent, it will be told to the church. If they still refuse to repent, their membership will be removed, and they are no longer counted as a brother, but as a heathen. They are to be treated as one who does not believe.
In Hebrews 12:6, the bible teaches us that God disciplines those he loves. Sometimes, it is painful, but it stems from a heart of love. God desires for all of His children to live and grow in holiness. We are to seek to please Him and be like Jesus. The goal of any church discipline or confrontation is to restore one to a right relationship with God and God’s people. It is restoration, not punishment. It is about bringing the family back together and keeping it pure. We must point others and ourselves to be holy as God is holy. If we are a body of believers who live the way God teaches us to live, we will be a clear witness to the world. However, if we do not, they will see us as hypocrites, and we will have a negative effect on those who are lost.
Matthew 18:15-17 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”
Today, most churches do not practice church discipline. Some are afraid they will offend someone, and they will leave. Some have chosen the easy path and will avoid confrontation at all costs. Some think it is unloving, but it is just the opposite. If you see someone going down a pathway to destruction and you do not warn or try to stop them, you are the most unloving of all. True love wants what is best for the person. True love will risk one’s own comfort for the good of another. True love will seek to restore a person to a right relationship with God before the person makes shipwreck of their faith.
I Timothy 1:19 “Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:”
The goal for any Christian living a lifestyle of sin is restoration. We are to aid those who have stumbled and fallen. If someone refuses, we are to still seek after them. Restoration takes time—time for the offender to come to grips with their need to repent. It takes patience on our part, and it can be time-consuming as we pray and work with the person to help them. Just like furniture, it takes the right products. The Bible is our product manual. Any other method or reasoning will not be acceptable to God. God’s goal in any discipline or confrontation is always restoration.
