1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
We have the responsibility to intervene when someone is being pulled under by sin. But we must be very careful that we don’t get sucked under as well. One of the rules of lifesaving is not to allow the drowning person to push you under. The person drowning has the instinct to use you to push themselves up out of the water. That can result in both of you drowning. Sometimes the rescuer must wait until the drowning person goes under before they can be safely rescued. Rescuing can be dangerous. The same is true when someone is caught in a sin. It is all too easy to get tangled up in their sin while you are trying to help them escape. The first caution deals with our readiness to rescue. We must be spiritually mature, able to care for our own spiritual needs. If we are weak in our faith, we certainly can’t help someone else. We get dragged under the current of sin. If we are recently removed from a sinful lifestyle, it is better that we not try to help others caught in that lifestyle. It is too easy to get drawn back into that sin. We must become more mature in our faith, further removed from the sin ourselves. Then we can be effective at restoring them and remaining strong ourselves. Our tendency is to get delivered from a sin and then turn and offer a hand to those around us who are also caught in that sin. But this can be dangerous. We must be standing on firm spiritual ground before we attempt to rescue. That is why Paul writes that we must watch ourselves. The solution is for us to become spiritually mature and be connected to others who are spiritually mature. Then as a group we can restore a believer who has slipped into sin.
The Arnold Journey 