The Fruit of Gentleness: Restoration
by Daniel Burton
In Nathaniel Hawthorn’s iconic 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is caught in the act of adultery and conceives a child out of her affair. As part of her punishment, the town forces her to wear a scarlet A, for “adulterer,” branding her as synonymous with her mistake. For a town that’s sought religious purity with supposed Judeo-Christian values through their Puritanism, they missed the entirety of the Gospel. While we may not literally sow giant scarlet letters into the clothes of sinners, in some Christian circles, this action is done figuratively. In the pursuit of our righteousness we forget that everyone is similarly on a path towards God but taking a different route. There is only one God, but we all struggle differently along the way. When a person sins and falls short of the glory of God, our actions must be marked with the gentleness that comes from God.
“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. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
– Galatians 6:1-2 ESV
Restore Them Gently
Society as a whole struggles with a sense of belonging and well-being, trying to find the thing that accepts and validates us. 
Yet, I firmly believe that, as individuals, in the safety of our own minds, we understand our sinfulness and our need of something greater than ourselves. This goes for the unchristian as well. Deep down, I truly believe people tend to understand when they do something wrong and their soul aches from the weight of sin. The Christian, then, should not respond with condemnation but rather with the grace that God first extended to us. This is the heart of Paul’s exhortation to restore them gently. Restoration involve some shining a light on the worst a person offers. It is a highly vulnerable process that calls attention to the sins of the individual. Yet, throughout this vulnerability, restoration in gentleness doesn’t exploit that weakness but takes up arms with the person, protecting our brother or sister in their weakness. It builds up rather than tears down.
Do not be mistaken, sin must be dealt with as sin, but people must be dealt with as people who bear the image of God. People need gentleness based on the hope that mankind can be renewed by the grace of God. When we have been forgiven by Jesus Christ, we no longer stand condemned by our actions but are renewed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We can communicate the Gospel better with gentleness and grace more than we can by heaping on the barriers of condemnation and judgment. In gentleness, we communicate that sin will not be the end for our brother or sister, but rather that God offers the forgiveness of sin and the restoration of the soul.
Coming To Terms With Our Own Sin
Paul’s exhortation to gently restore the person caught in sin immediately precedes a discussion of our own personal pride and sinfulness. 
This is no mistake. Confronting the sins of others can quickly lead a person down a path of pride in thinking that we have everything together. We tend to elevate our positive qualities to establish that we are “good enough” to point out the sins of others. Furthermore, we only see the worst they have to offer while downplaying the fullness of our sin and how its has ravaged our lives. If we are not careful, we can quickly puff ourselves up to feeling better than the world around us because of how we arbitrarily apply the standards of righteousness to others but not ourselves. We compare the sins of others with out best qualities, resulting in a self-righteousness that judges the struggles of others. The body of Christ should be a place where people can openly struggle finding the gentleness of support paired with strength and grace reigning down from the throne of God. The church should be a place where people can be honest about their struggles and sins in vulnerability because they know that their soul will be cared for with gentleness. Just as others around us need this frequently, we need this same restoration for our sins.
Most often, we hide this concept under the idea of a person being a “bad Christian.” Yet, to be completely honest, I have not met a “good Christian.” None of us can say that our obedience meets the standards of holiness that God has laid down for mankind. God sets the standard of righteousness at holiness whichever we are unable to independently achieved. Therefore, righteousness can only be imputed by God as we are entirely undeserving. This, then, fuels the gentleness of the fruit of gentleness in the lives of believers. Explore the depths of grace that God has already extended to you and you will find an endless well overflowing by the grace of God. There is grace for you and for others. The closer we come to grasping the depths of our depravity and the greatness of God’s grace, the more we treat one another with gentleness. Each of us work through our own sins. Each of us need the support of one another to gently restore us. We are all walking on the path that God has set for us to complete needing one another to restore us when we leave the path.
For more in this series, check out The Fruit of the Spirit
