Watch Yourself

Watch Yourself

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

This passage gives us a very serious warning. It’s meant to restrain the severity of those who don’t help or console those who have fallen into sin. Augustine says, “There is no sin committed by a person which could not also be committed by someone else.” We are always walking on a slippery path. It’s very easy to fall off if we become proud or get out of line. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

David was a holy man, full of faith and of the Spirit of God. He received glorious promises from God and did great things for God. But he fell in such a shameful way. After successfully enduring many trials that God used to test him, and even though he was advanced in age, he was carried away by the passion of youth. If this could happen to such a man as David, how can we ever take for granted our own ability to remain steady? Through this example, God shows us our own weakness so that we will not exalt ourselves but stand in fear. God also shows us his judgment. He finds nothing more intolerable than pride, whether against him or against a brother or sister. So Paul does not uselessly say, “Watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”

Those who have faced temptations know how important this is. Some haven’t, so they don’t understand what Paul is saying, and they lack compassion for those who have fallen.