Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭20‬
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Sin takes on many different shapes and forms. Some sin is overt, some covert. And as we live with each other in community, we are likely to see some of our brothers and sisters, at times, fall into sin. This is referring to not just one sin, but a lifestyle of unrepentant sin.

The Bible is full of such accounts. Men going to visit prostitutes, leaders oppressing and taking advantage of widows, government workers profiting from their position illegally or unethically, etc. And we see the same types of activity today.

So we are called to try and rescue these people, if we truly live by God’s Spirit. This tells us something about the character of God — he prefers rescuing us instead of judging us. And those who live by his Spirit will be found doing the same.

How can we become skilled at rescuing others? First, we must be gentle. We must build a rapport, with our actions of love towards them. We must then correct. It is a combination of boldness and meekness, of courage and grace.

When we act in the center of God’s heart, as a rescuer, we cover over a multitude of our own sins. Why? Because we please God and we are an agent of his, and we can receive his grace better when we empathize with and help others correct their course in life.

Lord, teach me to be an excellent rescuer. Help me to pay attention and purpose to act in bold and gracious ways alongside your Spirit. Help me reorder my schedule to focus more on your priorities.