Galatians 6:1 (ESV)—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.
I love experimenting with my camera, especially using long exposure with waterfalls. Usually, though, I’m somewhere midday when it’s too bright outside for this type of photography. The photo becomes overexposed, and no amount of photo editing can fix it.
The risk of overexposure comes with a person caught in sin, too. Paul did not suggest yelling at them in public or ignoring the sin out of love. He suggested gently restoring the person.
How do we do this? We act on God’s Word. We allow our actions to shine the light on God and not on the person’s sin. Our goal is to restore with grace and not judgment.
One way to achieve this is to carry the burden of our fellow sinners—a great example of loving your neighbor as yourself. For instance, offers of forgiveness and comfort can balance critical comments from others and can enhance the person’s mental health.
Above all, a show of “love [that] binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14, ESV) brings God into focus for the person we are helping as well as for ourselves.