Christian spirituality is not a flight from the world, but a deep dive into its brokenness.
“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” (Gal. 6:1).
When I was a young pastor, my father-in-law used to joke that I was going to be “too spiritual to be any earthly good.” Maybe you’ve heard that saying before. The idea is that someone is so concerned with the things of heaven—so focused on the next life—that they’re completely out of touch with this one. We all have a stereotype in our minds: a pastor who doesn’t know how to use a drill, a Christian who can’t hold a conversation about football, or a church-goer who is completely unaware of anything happening in pop culture.
The problem with this saying isn't its occasional accuracy (we all know someone like that, perhaps, like me, you even fit that description), but its definition of what it means to be “spiritual.” It paints a picture of spirituality as an ivory-tower concept, something ethereal and disconnected from the real world. Yet in reality, Christian spirituality is simply walking by the Spirit through faith in Christ. It’s the outworking reality of faith in Christ which opposes the desires of the flesh, meaning sin, but not our humanity itself (Galatians 5).
Thus, Christian spirituality is not a flight from the world, but a deep dive into its brokenness. It’s not about floating above the fray; it’s about getting your hands dirty in the nitty-gritty mess of human life. Christian spirituality brings hope to captives, peace to the anxious, and freedom to the broken and weary sinner. Biblical spirituality is not only “worldly,” it is exactly what this world desperately needs.
This seems to be how the Apostle Paul defines “spirituality” in Galatians 6:1 when he writes, “You who are spiritual should restore him.” How then, would you describe the "spiritual person" he has in mind? Is it someone who has a spirituality that doesn't make contact with the everyday world? Of course not. This “spiritual person” is doing the humbling, messy, real-world work of restoring everyday, broken sinners.
And you don't need to look far to find those broken sinners. There are two very important words in the beginning of this verse: “anyone” and “any.”
Who are the people the “spiritual" should be restoring? Paul says: Anyone. Which transgressions are they to be forgiven? Paul says: Any.
The sinners we are to restore are of all stripes and sorts. Not simply the ones who have made a slight misstep. Not simply those who have done a wrong for the first time. It’s anyone caught in any transgression. The lack of specificity is very purposeful. It removes the need for “sin grading.” This is not the work of the spiritual person. They have no need of a record book of past sins for this person nor a handy sin-severity scale (pocket addition, of course). They simply receive any sinner and restore them. It’s the spiritual person’s job to deliver the goods: the forgiveness of sin and righteousness found only in the death and resurrection of Christ. There is only one thing to do no matter who it is and no matter what they have done: restore them.
That brings us to our next question: How are they meant to go about this task? For that, Paul has another very important word in this verse: “gentleness.”
If you think restoration sounds like, “You’re forgiven this time, but you really need to get yourself together,” or, “I can’t believe you did this, you’re lucky God is so forgiving,” then you do not know restoration like Paul speaks of here in Galatians 6. Paul is speaking of a gentle restoration that comes from a place of compassion and identification with sinners.
Who, then, is the person best suited for such a task? Someone who has lived a life of perfect morality, untouched by sins temptation? The one who has always stood tall in the face of sin? Or perhaps, it’s a person well acquainted with sin in their own life. Someone who knows what it is to be fully dependent on the grace of God found in Christ.
The one best equipped to deliver this message is the person who has felt sin’s hopelessness and has had someone come to them and deliver the word of Christ: “You are forgiven.” They know the desperate need for that word and the overwhelming joy of receiving it - not once but many times over. And there is no greater joy than delivering that same word of freedom to others.
There is another way to describe this “spiritual person”: Christ-like.
After all, who is the one truly compassionate toward sinners? Who is the one who came to us “while we were still sinners” and restored us? Who is the one who does not hold our transgressions against us but instead showers us with love and forgiveness? Who is it that invites all those without sin to cast the first stone and then gently loves the broken and condemned sinner? Who is it that keeps no record of wrongs but removes our sins as far as the east is from the west?
Of course, this is our Christ.
So be a spiritual person, not because you are more righteous than your neighbor, but because you belong to Christ and his righteousness belongs to you (Gal. 5:24). Receive sinners of any stripe and gently restore them. After all, you are never more like Christ than when you are giving sinners his glorious words: “You are forgiven.”
Hallelujah. Amen.
This article was written by Ryan Stanley. Ryan was a church planter and pastor for 12 years in Ohio and Illinois but now resides in Charlotte, NC with his wife, Kate, and three teenage children. He has written articles for Mockingbird, Key Life, and theological training courses for local churches. He currently (and occasionally) writes about the sufficiency of the gospel at checkeredpresent.org. Ryan enjoys being with his family, good coffee, college football, and sitting at the beach.
