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. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
This passage of scripture is one of the most important written in the Bible, as it pertains to dealing with brethren and sisters in the faith, who err or have fallen into sin. The attitude of meekness when displayed toward the erring one, has a lot to do with their recovery, and therefore it is essential that great care and tact be exercised when dealing with such situations. The "Faults" here mentioned, cover the entire spectrum of public sins which come to the notice of the body of believers, and when they do, the tendency to gossip and spread rumors about the person's weakness, motive, or actions should be strictly avoided, for when rumors start flying, the recovery process becomes all the more difficult for the person in question.
An excellent example of how this can be done is manifested in the way that Christ restored Peter to full fellowship after his public denial of Christ. When Peter committed the sin of denying Jesus publicly, by swearing and cursing, it was indeed a very grievous "Fault",for the curse words he then used would have been the equivalent of foul language that is currently banned from most television and media networks, and thus, not only Peter, but the other disciples and the cause of Christ was brought into disrepute, on account of his angry outbursts.
However, in the restoration process, Christ manifested that wisdom that is born from above, and by His actions and words, facilitated and sped up the healing process. Jesus did not remind Peter of his sin, neither did he remove him from office, but rather forgave and reinstated him by giving him even greater responsibilities in God's kingdom of grace. Let's read:
John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
The manner in which erring brethren are dealt with has a lot to do with the fostering of strong, unbreakable bonds of fellowship, which should always be the hallmark of the followers of Christ. Kindness, forbearance, respect, love, assistance, and encouragement should all be brought to bear in the administration of of the healing process, for when this is done by the grace of God, we are then able to present to the world a united front that can withstand the advances of satanic agencies, and the spirit of love and brotherly kindness effectively erases to a large extent, the wrong that was done.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that encourages us to exercise that wisdom and forbearance that was manifested in our Savior, for most, if not all of us, were at one time or another, overtaken in a "Fault". Let's read:
James 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Let us continually look to Christ as our Example in these things, for it is the will of God that His character be duplicated in the lives of His children. "Good night" and God bless!