Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Erring from the truth means a brother wanders from the right path into sin and onto a path of ruin and death, and converting him means another person turns that straying soul back to Jesus and to truth and righteousness. The one who erred must humble the heart, face and confess faults openly, forsake sin, make restitution, and ask forgiveness of God and brethren, for pride that refuses to admit wrong keeps the soul from recovery. Turning the wanderer back is the duty of every Christian and of ministers and parents especially, reaching even those put outside the church or seemingly given over to Satan, and those who would do it must themselves be converted and sanctified by the truth. The work must be done with patient, meek, tender love and persistent personal effort and prayer, never by harsh censure, coldness, faultfinding, or condemning, which only drives the erring farther away. He who turns a sinner from the error of his way saves a soul from death and hides a multitude of sins, bringing joy in heaven and blessing to the worker himself, while to neglect the warning leaves souls to be lost.
Wandering from the Truth
Erring from the truth means a brother or believer wanders or turns away from the truth into a wrong course and into sin. To turn in that wrong direction is to leave the path of holiness for the path of ruin and destruction, becoming a perishing soul ready to perish and lost to the cause of God. Bringing such a one back matters greatly, for turning a soul away from the Word can cost eternal life, while converting him means winning him back to Christ and saving him from death and from sin. Misleading another person in this way brings grave loss, so the one who leads others astray must come to Christ with repentance and confession.
Erring happens when one is deceived and when one is overtaken in fault through weak points of character and special temptation, overcome in personal weakness and wrongdoing. It happens when one is weakened and taken captive by Satan in his snare, and when one falls through temptation. Such a fall can become the means of purification and vantage ground, for God permits His children to fall in order to purify them as fire purifies gold, and if the heart has not been hardened by disregard of great light, temptation and fall bring repentance that sets them on vantage ground as Peter became a better man after his fall. Even those who have erred through deception can still be converted and saved, because the Lord cares for His sheep and will not permit them to be deceived and destroyed when they make determined effort to save their souls instead of dwelling on errors. The soul in this captive condition should cast himself upon Christ, who alone has power to change the current of thought and transform heart and life.
Erring from the right path means standing opposed to the counsel of God. It means lacking heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment and lacking the deep Christian sympathy called for by great affliction. It means being blinded by Satan respecting one's own spiritual condition, yielding to a spirit of prejudice, and judging need by misapprehension of facts without inquiring as duty requires.
Erring can be provoked when a brother is treated with a severe, overbearing, rash and disrespectful ministry that embitters his spirit and turns him from the truth. One who has done wrong is in special danger of losing interest in the truth and losing hold on God, with the greatest danger being uniting with worldly men and thus losing interest in the truth. That danger calls for direct personal effort to reach him, trying for Christ's sake to help and save him if possible, with hope and prayer that he comes out of the experience without losing his hold on God.
Erring includes being led astray because one was deceived, so recovery work must seek both the church members who were led astray and those who deceived them because they were themselves deceived.
Turning the Wanderer Back
To convert him means that when a brother or believer strays or wanders from the truth, another person can turn that believer back from the error of his way. That turning is winning the soul who erred back to Jesus and to Christ, to truth and to righteousness and to holiness, bringing one burdened by sin and guilt to Christ to remain steadfast, turning sinners back from the path of destruction to the path of holiness, and gathering a straying lamb back to the fold. It is the diligent rescue of people from sin, done by followers who use their abilities for God in love and self-sacrifice to persuade people to leave sin and be converted to the truth, requiring personal, earnest and tender care. The heavenly Shepherd knows where to find the straying lambs and calls for uniting with Him in gathering them, so that through grace a believer becomes able to bring the wandering ones back, arousing to responsibility to encourage and help those sorely beset by temptation who know not which way to turn.
Conversion of the erring one requires the erring one to humble the heart, see oneself as one is, face errors, accept reproof with deep sorrow of heart, acknowledge mistakes and wrongdoing, confess sins and faults openly, forsake sin, make restitution to cover wrongdoing, ask forgiveness of God and of His people, and unite prayers with brethren so the wound sin made is healed. Pride and stubbornness that refuse to admit wrongdoing and seek forgiveness keep a soul from being recovered and converted. Erring from the right path means standing opposed to the counsel of God, lacking heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment and deep Christian sympathy, being blinded respecting one's own spiritual condition, yielding to prejudice, and judging need by misapprehension of facts without inquiring as duty requires, and being brought back from such error means accepting reproof, acknowledging the wrong, and asking forgiveness. True recovery is proved by seeing oneself as one is, acknowledging mistakes, showing transforming grace in the life, learning to stand not in own strength but in God's strength, and then uniting strength with brethren to save others from the same ground, bringing unity and a better and surer foundation so truth triumphs; and a fall through temptation can become the means of purification and vantage ground, as with Peter becoming a better man after his fall, if the heart has not been hardened by disregard of great light, with God permitting fall to purify as fire purifies gold and bringing repentance.
Converting does not mean sanctioning a wrong course, condemning the one in sin for being in sin, or concealing sin, but approaching with forgiving, pitying love and personal care. It means showing sympathy and tenderness, helping bear burdens and thus fulfilling the law of God, making allowance for infirmities since all have infirmities, and refusing fretful, impatient, wounding and bruising words and a critical spirit that magnifies mistakes; such love saves many who would otherwise be lost through criticism.
Converting is the work of the Holy Spirit accomplished by humble fervent prayer that rescues the soul from death, and by Christ alone who has power to change the current of thoughts and convert from the error of the way and to transform heart and life so word and deed carry proof of divine grace, with the soul casting itself upon Christ to be received. God has made men His agents to cooperate with Him in turning men from error to truth with hearts filled with the love of Jesus, angels cooperate in the work, and humble and unselfish efforts through the Holy Spirit win people from error to truth while filling the helper with the love of God. That labor is made effectual by Christ when the worker imitates Christ, laying aside lofty ideas of self, coming down in meekness, feeling nothingness without Christ, sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning of Him, even being willing to be a servant, with faith, devotion, good humble religion, transformation and disinterested benevolence, and then Christ is a very present help making labors effectual; meek reliance on God makes labors effectual. Those departed from the faith are to be given the truth of Scripture and strong evidence for the faith, and work for their recovery should continue because some can still be rescued from snares.
Those Called to Restore
Converting sinners from error to truth is the work and duty of every Christian, and no one lives to himself because all are the Lord's property with usefulness and responsibility in working out His purposes. It is personal work and missionary service, done by overcoming one's own faults and helping others overcome theirs, by using God-given abilities in love and willingness to sacrifice to persuade souls to leave sin and be converted to the truth. Sanctified love must reach beyond home and church to those outside the fold and those perishing, going among people in error to share received light, since failing to communicate truth leaves them in error while sharing it can bring them to serve God. The Lord has given to every man a message of power and calls each one to exercise it to turn those who err, while also selecting and qualifying men of His appointment for special service and placing yielded ones where wisdom increases capabilities for work that endures as eternity. This work requires strong faith, consistent zeal, fervent prayer, and faithful incessant admonition against all wrong taught in home and church, for mere profession without heartfelt piety is powerless while religion shining in good works emits a clear safe light that turns the erring back, and humble unselfish efforts through the Holy Spirit win from error to truth while filling the helper with the love of God.
Converting the erring is the work of a minister, which means more than giving discourses from the desk but living the gospel and working in its spirit. It means laboring for the good and spirituality of souls, hunting for the lost sheep and devising ways to bring sinners back to Christ, watching for souls as one that must give an account, so that through unselfish diligent labor lost perishing souls are saved and God glorified. When one who errs is converted a straying lamb is gathered back to the fold, and the heavenly Shepherd who knows where to find the straying lambs calls ministers and lay members to unite with Him in gathering them. Seeking and saving the lost is the special duty of Christians, who are to arouse to responsibility and encourage and help those sorely beset by temptation who know not which way to turn, until through grace a believer becomes able to bring wanderers back. That turning of souls from sin to righteousness is to be done before the world everywhere by canvassers with essential publications, by gospel ministry of the Word, and by praying for the sick, and physicians and ministers bound together by indissoluble ties are to lay hold of the reclaiming of backsliders as the Lord's work for this time with freshness and power through reconversion, reconsecration, oneness, wrestling prayer for the Holy Spirit, confession and repentance and humbling of proud hearts, becoming channels of light and grace.
When a son errs, father and mother must not withdraw love and sympathy but hold him fast by faith and love, guide his footsteps into safe paths with pitying tenderness, and help him recover himself from Satan's snare. They must not let cold looks, harsh comments, or pressure from those who think they are doing justice lead them to reject him or make him feel too mortifying and dishonoring ever to be taken back into confidence. They are to keep hope, forgive and forget his transgressions, and cling with him to the all-pitying Redeemer, because Jesus died to redeem him, he is the purchase of Christ's blood, and his soul is of value with God. Turning a sinner from the error of his ways in this way saves a soul from death, and it is a life-saving act calling for kindness and forgiveness.
Restoration extends even to one put outside the church, for God's servants should continue trying to lead such a one to repentance and not abandon the effort. When there is yielding to the Holy Spirit with confession and forsaking of sin and repentance, the one is to be forgiven, welcomed back, and encouraged, and fellow believers are to treat him with the care they would want for themselves under temptation. Students who have strayed are to be sought by personal effort and Christlike treatment to reclaim them for heaven, since unjust cutting reproof and refusal to admit wrongdoing can squander the opportunity, yet even those who seem hardened may be reached and saved from ruin. The search must include both church members led astray and those who deceived them because they were themselves deceived, and effort should continue even when a life appears beyond saving or wholly given over to Satan, since apparent hopelessness is no reason to give up and earnest effort may win the person to Christ.
Those who would convert others must themselves be genuinely converted with hearts sanctified by the truth, otherwise they hinder rather than help those they would lead. They must be sanctified through belief in the truth as God's light bearers and helping hands in recovery, possessing faith in God, devotion, humble religion, transformation, and the disinterested benevolence that characterized Christ's life. This means laying aside lofty ideas of self, coming down in meekness, feeling nothingness without Christ, sitting at Christ's feet to learn, and being willing even to be a servant as Christ though King of Glory was servant of fallen man, and then Christ makes labors effectual to convert souls from error to truth. It requires strong faith, consistent zeal, fervent prayer, heartfelt piety shining in good works, tenderness, kindness, courtesy and sympathy with the love of Jesus in the heart for teaching repentance, faith and humility, a clear conscience before God, avoidance of what tempts and dulls spiritual perception of Christlikeness, holding the standard firmly and high, and preparation of character with fitness to meet the Lord as the most important work.
How Restoration Is Done
Restoring one who has wandered from the truth is to be done patiently and meekly, with tender love for Christ's sake, gentleness, mercy, pity, tact, kindness, thoughtfulness, forbearance, courtesy, sympathy, and Christlike treatment. Private correction is to be guided by Christ, with loving help rather than rejection or harsh rebuke, opening the Bible with prayer and earnest interest to win the person back. The erring brother is to be approached kindly and prayed with and for, with personal concern that remembers the price paid to redeem him and remembers one's own weakness. Repentance, faith and humility are to be taught with the love of Jesus in the heart, so that when the person confesses the Lord pardons.
The work calls for continued, patient, persistent, personal effort with prayer, not neglecting opportunities to watch for straying souls. It means drawing near with help and instruction, acting with wisdom rather than condemnation, faithfully and tenderly drawing close, standing by and speaking words that lead back. This includes personal visits and books that strengthen, helping the discouraged find safe paths and showing concern for their souls. Effort is to continue even when earlier efforts following the Bible's rule have not brought reform, and even amid indifference, opposition, ridicule and setbacks, or when the life appears beyond saving.
Restoration must not accuse or condemn, but grieve and care for the wanderer as Christ does, loving, praying, and restoring with care. It must not leave the person out in the cold, censure him or call him dishonest, collect faults to spread to others, watch until he is in a tight place then push him to the wall, or use unadvised words and unchristlike methods without love and pity and grace. Cold looks, harsh comments, faultfinding, cutting reproof, harsh treatment, and not one word of accusation even when it seems deserved, are to have no place, nor is giving in to demands that sustain wrongdoing. Such ways never convert, they offend God, drive the erring farther away, give Satan opening, and give excuse to look to others for sympathy and comfort and attention.
The hand of hope is to be held out for the overtaken one to grasp and never let go, telling him never to be discouraged. Mistakes are to be told with kindest sympathy, with cheerful encouraging speech and cheerfulness in his presence, with prayer in faith, offering hope and helping bear burdens. When this is done a soul is saved and a multitude of sins is hidden, for if he confesses his faults the Lord will pardon him. One who has received this help learns from experience how to deal gently with others who make mistakes.
Restoration follows Christ's methods of never holding back truth yet always speaking it in love, with sanctified tact, wisdom, skill, thoughtful kind attention, never rude or giving needless pain. Hypocrisy, unbelief and iniquity are to be fearlessly reproved with sorrow, weeping over refusers, while reaching people where they are. Believers are to go among people in error to share received light, for failing to communicate truth leaves people in error while sharing it can bring others to serve God. Those departed from the faith are to be given the truth of Scripture and strong evidence for the faith, with work for recovery continuing because some can be rescued from Satan's snares, angels cooperating in the work, laboring with sacrifice while probation lingers, supporting workers by tithes and offerings with care for the needy, and teaching in sanitariums the science of preserving body and soul.
Fruit of Restoring Souls
He who turns a sinner from the error of his way saves a soul from death and hides a multitude of sins, and this restoring is a great missionary and sacred saving work that recovers the wanderer from ruin, peril and the path of destruction. When a believer strays from the truth another can turn him back, and that turning requires the erring one to humble the heart, confess sins openly, have brethren unite prayers with his own, and be healed from the wound sin has made. The work is to be done patiently and meekly with loving help rather than rejection, harsh rebuke, leaving out in the cold, censuring or calling dishonest, by opening the Bible with prayer and earnest interest in tender love for Christ's sake, in meekness, tact, mercy and love of God to win him back. Continued patient effort is called for even when earlier efforts by the Bible rule have not brought reform, and if that faithful effort has been made and he will not hear, the church must then be warned of his defection.
Turning the wanderer back brings joy in heaven and is cooperation with God in restoring people to Christ's likeness. It calls for personal, earnest and tender care that reaches those burdened by sin and guilt, brings them to Christ, and encourages them so they can remain steadfast. Those departed from the faith can be brought back by giving Scripture truth and strong evidence, and work for recovery should continue because some can be rescued from Satan's snares, with angels cooperating in the work. A church member weakened and taken captive by Satan in his snare can still be converted by casting himself upon Christ, for Christ alone has power to change the current of thought, convert from error, and transform so that word and deed carry proof that divine grace has worked upon the heart. Those erred through deception can still be converted and saved, for the Lord cares for His sheep and will not permit them to be deceived and destroyed when they make determined effort to save their souls instead of dwelling with pleasure on errors.
The restoring work also blesses the worker, for humble unselfish efforts through the Holy Spirit win from error to truth while filling the helper with the love of God. Those who enter service to help others may also save their own souls through that work. When one overtaken in fault through weak points of character and special temptation is helped with the hand of hope, kindest sympathy, kindly speech, prayer and Christlike sympathy rather than unadvised words, unchristlike methods without love and pity, pushing off or crowding away, then upon confession the Lord pardons, a soul is saved, a multitude of sins is hidden, and from experience he learns how to deal gently with others who make mistakes. A worker together with Christ who uses sanctified tact, wisdom, skill and earnest desire to save, never holding back truth yet always speaking it in love with thoughtful kind attention, never rude nor giving needless pain, fearlessly reproving hypocrisy, unbelief and iniquity with sorrow and weeping over refusers while reaching people where they are, can rescue perishing souls and increase usefulness one hundredfold.
Neglecting personal persistent warning and urging to turn the straying one back from the path of ruin leaves souls to turn away, be lost and won by Satan for destruction, brings guilt before God and loss to the cause. Those entrusted with caring for others must not neglect opportunities to lead from error to truth, because neglected people may be lost. Spiritual laziness and faultfinding instead of helping others weaken both the worker and the church, while lack of tenderness and skill lets souls turn away and be lost.
True recovery by conversion when a brother errs and loses bearings is cause for thanksgiving and calls for doing all in power to save that soul. It is proved by seeing oneself as one is, acknowledging mistakes, showing transforming grace in the life, learning to stand not in own strength but in God's strength, and then uniting strength with brethren to save others from going over the same ground, bringing unity and a better and surer foundation so truth triumphs and bears away the victory. Those whose influence has confused others must confess openly and reach those they led astray to undo the harm, for confession and repentance open the way to pardon, while refusing to admit wrong leaves sin standing against the person at judgment. Neither harsh treatment nor giving in to demands that sustain wrongdoing will bring back one gone wrong, and those who acted wrongly toward him should remove the harm they caused and, if possible, help save his soul from death.
Erring from the truth means a brother wanders from the right path into sin and onto a path of ruin and death, and converting him means another person turns that straying soul back to Jesus and to truth and righteousness. The one who erred must humble the heart, face and confess faults openly, forsake sin, make restitution, and ask forgiveness of God and brethren, for pride that refuses to admit wrong keeps the soul from recovery. Turning the wanderer back is the duty of every Christian and of ministers and parents especially, reaching even those put outside the church or seemingly given over to Satan, and those who would do it must themselves be converted and sanctified by the truth. The work must be done with patient, meek, tender love and persistent personal effort and prayer, never by harsh censure, coldness, faultfinding, or condemning, which only drives the erring farther away. He who turns a sinner from the error of his way saves a soul from death and hides a multitude of sins, bringing joy in heaven and blessing to the worker himself, while to neglect the warning leaves souls to be lost.
Wandering from the Truth
Erring from the truth means a brother or believer wanders or turns away from the truth into a wrong course and into sin. To turn in that wrong direction is to leave the path of holiness for the path of ruin and destruction, becoming a perishing soul ready to perish and lost to the cause of God. Bringing such a one back matters greatly, for turning a soul away from the Word can cost eternal life, while converting him means winning him back to Christ and saving him from death and from sin. Misleading another person in this way brings grave loss, so the one who leads others astray must come to Christ with repentance and confession.
Erring happens when one is deceived and when one is overtaken in fault through weak points of character and special temptation, overcome in personal weakness and wrongdoing. It happens when one is weakened and taken captive by Satan in his snare, and when one falls through temptation. Such a fall can become the means of purification and vantage ground, for God permits His children to fall in order to purify them as fire purifies gold, and if the heart has not been hardened by disregard of great light, temptation and fall bring repentance that sets them on vantage ground as Peter became a better man after his fall. Even those who have erred through deception can still be converted and saved, because the Lord cares for His sheep and will not permit them to be deceived and destroyed when they make determined effort to save their souls instead of dwelling on errors. The soul in this captive condition should cast himself upon Christ, who alone has power to change the current of thought and transform heart and life.
Erring from the right path means standing opposed to the counsel of God. It means lacking heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment and lacking the deep Christian sympathy called for by great affliction. It means being blinded by Satan respecting one's own spiritual condition, yielding to a spirit of prejudice, and judging need by misapprehension of facts without inquiring as duty requires.
Erring can be provoked when a brother is treated with a severe, overbearing, rash and disrespectful ministry that embitters his spirit and turns him from the truth. One who has done wrong is in special danger of losing interest in the truth and losing hold on God, with the greatest danger being uniting with worldly men and thus losing interest in the truth. That danger calls for direct personal effort to reach him, trying for Christ's sake to help and save him if possible, with hope and prayer that he comes out of the experience without losing his hold on God.
Erring includes being led astray because one was deceived, so recovery work must seek both the church members who were led astray and those who deceived them because they were themselves deceived.
Turning the Wanderer Back
To convert him means that when a brother or believer strays or wanders from the truth, another person can turn that believer back from the error of his way. That turning is winning the soul who erred back to Jesus and to Christ, to truth and to righteousness and to holiness, bringing one burdened by sin and guilt to Christ to remain steadfast, turning sinners back from the path of destruction to the path of holiness, and gathering a straying lamb back to the fold. It is the diligent rescue of people from sin, done by followers who use their abilities for God in love and self-sacrifice to persuade people to leave sin and be converted to the truth, requiring personal, earnest and tender care. The heavenly Shepherd knows where to find the straying lambs and calls for uniting with Him in gathering them, so that through grace a believer becomes able to bring the wandering ones back, arousing to responsibility to encourage and help those sorely beset by temptation who know not which way to turn.
Conversion of the erring one requires the erring one to humble the heart, see oneself as one is, face errors, accept reproof with deep sorrow of heart, acknowledge mistakes and wrongdoing, confess sins and faults openly, forsake sin, make restitution to cover wrongdoing, ask forgiveness of God and of His people, and unite prayers with brethren so the wound sin made is healed. Pride and stubbornness that refuse to admit wrongdoing and seek forgiveness keep a soul from being recovered and converted. Erring from the right path means standing opposed to the counsel of God, lacking heavenly wisdom and spiritual discernment and deep Christian sympathy, being blinded respecting one's own spiritual condition, yielding to prejudice, and judging need by misapprehension of facts without inquiring as duty requires, and being brought back from such error means accepting reproof, acknowledging the wrong, and asking forgiveness. True recovery is proved by seeing oneself as one is, acknowledging mistakes, showing transforming grace in the life, learning to stand not in own strength but in God's strength, and then uniting strength with brethren to save others from the same ground, bringing unity and a better and surer foundation so truth triumphs; and a fall through temptation can become the means of purification and vantage ground, as with Peter becoming a better man after his fall, if the heart has not been hardened by disregard of great light, with God permitting fall to purify as fire purifies gold and bringing repentance.
Converting does not mean sanctioning a wrong course, condemning the one in sin for being in sin, or concealing sin, but approaching with forgiving, pitying love and personal care. It means showing sympathy and tenderness, helping bear burdens and thus fulfilling the law of God, making allowance for infirmities since all have infirmities, and refusing fretful, impatient, wounding and bruising words and a critical spirit that magnifies mistakes; such love saves many who would otherwise be lost through criticism.
Converting is the work of the Holy Spirit accomplished by humble fervent prayer that rescues the soul from death, and by Christ alone who has power to change the current of thoughts and convert from the error of the way and to transform heart and life so word and deed carry proof of divine grace, with the soul casting itself upon Christ to be received. God has made men His agents to cooperate with Him in turning men from error to truth with hearts filled with the love of Jesus, angels cooperate in the work, and humble and unselfish efforts through the Holy Spirit win people from error to truth while filling the helper with the love of God. That labor is made effectual by Christ when the worker imitates Christ, laying aside lofty ideas of self, coming down in meekness, feeling nothingness without Christ, sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning of Him, even being willing to be a servant, with faith, devotion, good humble religion, transformation and disinterested benevolence, and then Christ is a very present help making labors effectual; meek reliance on God makes labors effectual. Those departed from the faith are to be given the truth of Scripture and strong evidence for the faith, and work for their recovery should continue because some can still be rescued from snares.
Those Called to Restore
Converting sinners from error to truth is the work and duty of every Christian, and no one lives to himself because all are the Lord's property with usefulness and responsibility in working out His purposes. It is personal work and missionary service, done by overcoming one's own faults and helping others overcome theirs, by using God-given abilities in love and willingness to sacrifice to persuade souls to leave sin and be converted to the truth. Sanctified love must reach beyond home and church to those outside the fold and those perishing, going among people in error to share received light, since failing to communicate truth leaves them in error while sharing it can bring them to serve God. The Lord has given to every man a message of power and calls each one to exercise it to turn those who err, while also selecting and qualifying men of His appointment for special service and placing yielded ones where wisdom increases capabilities for work that endures as eternity. This work requires strong faith, consistent zeal, fervent prayer, and faithful incessant admonition against all wrong taught in home and church, for mere profession without heartfelt piety is powerless while religion shining in good works emits a clear safe light that turns the erring back, and humble unselfish efforts through the Holy Spirit win from error to truth while filling the helper with the love of God.
Converting the erring is the work of a minister, which means more than giving discourses from the desk but living the gospel and working in its spirit. It means laboring for the good and spirituality of souls, hunting for the lost sheep and devising ways to bring sinners back to Christ, watching for souls as one that must give an account, so that through unselfish diligent labor lost perishing souls are saved and God glorified. When one who errs is converted a straying lamb is gathered back to the fold, and the heavenly Shepherd who knows where to find the straying lambs calls ministers and lay members to unite with Him in gathering them. Seeking and saving the lost is the special duty of Christians, who are to arouse to responsibility and encourage and help those sorely beset by temptation who know not which way to turn, until through grace a believer becomes able to bring wanderers back. That turning of souls from sin to righteousness is to be done before the world everywhere by canvassers with essential publications, by gospel ministry of the Word, and by praying for the sick, and physicians and ministers bound together by indissoluble ties are to lay hold of the reclaiming of backsliders as the Lord's work for this time with freshness and power through reconversion, reconsecration, oneness, wrestling prayer for the Holy Spirit, confession and repentance and humbling of proud hearts, becoming channels of light and grace.
When a son errs, father and mother must not withdraw love and sympathy but hold him fast by faith and love, guide his footsteps into safe paths with pitying tenderness, and help him recover himself from Satan's snare. They must not let cold looks, harsh comments, or pressure from those who think they are doing justice lead them to reject him or make him feel too mortifying and dishonoring ever to be taken back into confidence. They are to keep hope, forgive and forget his transgressions, and cling with him to the all-pitying Redeemer, because Jesus died to redeem him, he is the purchase of Christ's blood, and his soul is of value with God. Turning a sinner from the error of his ways in this way saves a soul from death, and it is a life-saving act calling for kindness and forgiveness.
Restoration extends even to one put outside the church, for God's servants should continue trying to lead such a one to repentance and not abandon the effort. When there is yielding to the Holy Spirit with confession and forsaking of sin and repentance, the one is to be forgiven, welcomed back, and encouraged, and fellow believers are to treat him with the care they would want for themselves under temptation. Students who have strayed are to be sought by personal effort and Christlike treatment to reclaim them for heaven, since unjust cutting reproof and refusal to admit wrongdoing can squander the opportunity, yet even those who seem hardened may be reached and saved from ruin. The search must include both church members led astray and those who deceived them because they were themselves deceived, and effort should continue even when a life appears beyond saving or wholly given over to Satan, since apparent hopelessness is no reason to give up and earnest effort may win the person to Christ.
Those who would convert others must themselves be genuinely converted with hearts sanctified by the truth, otherwise they hinder rather than help those they would lead. They must be sanctified through belief in the truth as God's light bearers and helping hands in recovery, possessing faith in God, devotion, humble religion, transformation, and the disinterested benevolence that characterized Christ's life. This means laying aside lofty ideas of self, coming down in meekness, feeling nothingness without Christ, sitting at Christ's feet to learn, and being willing even to be a servant as Christ though King of Glory was servant of fallen man, and then Christ makes labors effectual to convert souls from error to truth. It requires strong faith, consistent zeal, fervent prayer, heartfelt piety shining in good works, tenderness, kindness, courtesy and sympathy with the love of Jesus in the heart for teaching repentance, faith and humility, a clear conscience before God, avoidance of what tempts and dulls spiritual perception of Christlikeness, holding the standard firmly and high, and preparation of character with fitness to meet the Lord as the most important work.
How Restoration Is Done
Restoring one who has wandered from the truth is to be done patiently and meekly, with tender love for Christ's sake, gentleness, mercy, pity, tact, kindness, thoughtfulness, forbearance, courtesy, sympathy, and Christlike treatment. Private correction is to be guided by Christ, with loving help rather than rejection or harsh rebuke, opening the Bible with prayer and earnest interest to win the person back. The erring brother is to be approached kindly and prayed with and for, with personal concern that remembers the price paid to redeem him and remembers one's own weakness. Repentance, faith and humility are to be taught with the love of Jesus in the heart, so that when the person confesses the Lord pardons.
The work calls for continued, patient, persistent, personal effort with prayer, not neglecting opportunities to watch for straying souls. It means drawing near with help and instruction, acting with wisdom rather than condemnation, faithfully and tenderly drawing close, standing by and speaking words that lead back. This includes personal visits and books that strengthen, helping the discouraged find safe paths and showing concern for their souls. Effort is to continue even when earlier efforts following the Bible's rule have not brought reform, and even amid indifference, opposition, ridicule and setbacks, or when the life appears beyond saving.
Restoration must not accuse or condemn, but grieve and care for the wanderer as Christ does, loving, praying, and restoring with care. It must not leave the person out in the cold, censure him or call him dishonest, collect faults to spread to others, watch until he is in a tight place then push him to the wall, or use unadvised words and unchristlike methods without love and pity and grace. Cold looks, harsh comments, faultfinding, cutting reproof, harsh treatment, and not one word of accusation even when it seems deserved, are to have no place, nor is giving in to demands that sustain wrongdoing. Such ways never convert, they offend God, drive the erring farther away, give Satan opening, and give excuse to look to others for sympathy and comfort and attention.
The hand of hope is to be held out for the overtaken one to grasp and never let go, telling him never to be discouraged. Mistakes are to be told with kindest sympathy, with cheerful encouraging speech and cheerfulness in his presence, with prayer in faith, offering hope and helping bear burdens. When this is done a soul is saved and a multitude of sins is hidden, for if he confesses his faults the Lord will pardon him. One who has received this help learns from experience how to deal gently with others who make mistakes.
Restoration follows Christ's methods of never holding back truth yet always speaking it in love, with sanctified tact, wisdom, skill, thoughtful kind attention, never rude or giving needless pain. Hypocrisy, unbelief and iniquity are to be fearlessly reproved with sorrow, weeping over refusers, while reaching people where they are. Believers are to go among people in error to share received light, for failing to communicate truth leaves people in error while sharing it can bring others to serve God. Those departed from the faith are to be given the truth of Scripture and strong evidence for the faith, with work for recovery continuing because some can be rescued from Satan's snares, angels cooperating in the work, laboring with sacrifice while probation lingers, supporting workers by tithes and offerings with care for the needy, and teaching in sanitariums the science of preserving body and soul.
Fruit of Restoring Souls
He who turns a sinner from the error of his way saves a soul from death and hides a multitude of sins, and this restoring is a great missionary and sacred saving work that recovers the wanderer from ruin, peril and the path of destruction. When a believer strays from the truth another can turn him back, and that turning requires the erring one to humble the heart, confess sins openly, have brethren unite prayers with his own, and be healed from the wound sin has made. The work is to be done patiently and meekly with loving help rather than rejection, harsh rebuke, leaving out in the cold, censuring or calling dishonest, by opening the Bible with prayer and earnest interest in tender love for Christ's sake, in meekness, tact, mercy and love of God to win him back. Continued patient effort is called for even when earlier efforts by the Bible rule have not brought reform, and if that faithful effort has been made and he will not hear, the church must then be warned of his defection.
Turning the wanderer back brings joy in heaven and is cooperation with God in restoring people to Christ's likeness. It calls for personal, earnest and tender care that reaches those burdened by sin and guilt, brings them to Christ, and encourages them so they can remain steadfast. Those departed from the faith can be brought back by giving Scripture truth and strong evidence, and work for recovery should continue because some can be rescued from Satan's snares, with angels cooperating in the work. A church member weakened and taken captive by Satan in his snare can still be converted by casting himself upon Christ, for Christ alone has power to change the current of thought, convert from error, and transform so that word and deed carry proof that divine grace has worked upon the heart. Those erred through deception can still be converted and saved, for the Lord cares for His sheep and will not permit them to be deceived and destroyed when they make determined effort to save their souls instead of dwelling with pleasure on errors.
The restoring work also blesses the worker, for humble unselfish efforts through the Holy Spirit win from error to truth while filling the helper with the love of God. Those who enter service to help others may also save their own souls through that work. When one overtaken in fault through weak points of character and special temptation is helped with the hand of hope, kindest sympathy, kindly speech, prayer and Christlike sympathy rather than unadvised words, unchristlike methods without love and pity, pushing off or crowding away, then upon confession the Lord pardons, a soul is saved, a multitude of sins is hidden, and from experience he learns how to deal gently with others who make mistakes. A worker together with Christ who uses sanctified tact, wisdom, skill and earnest desire to save, never holding back truth yet always speaking it in love with thoughtful kind attention, never rude nor giving needless pain, fearlessly reproving hypocrisy, unbelief and iniquity with sorrow and weeping over refusers while reaching people where they are, can rescue perishing souls and increase usefulness one hundredfold.
Neglecting personal persistent warning and urging to turn the straying one back from the path of ruin leaves souls to turn away, be lost and won by Satan for destruction, brings guilt before God and loss to the cause. Those entrusted with caring for others must not neglect opportunities to lead from error to truth, because neglected people may be lost. Spiritual laziness and faultfinding instead of helping others weaken both the worker and the church, while lack of tenderness and skill lets souls turn away and be lost.
True recovery by conversion when a brother errs and loses bearings is cause for thanksgiving and calls for doing all in power to save that soul. It is proved by seeing oneself as one is, acknowledging mistakes, showing transforming grace in the life, learning to stand not in own strength but in God's strength, and then uniting strength with brethren to save others from going over the same ground, bringing unity and a better and surer foundation so truth triumphs and bears away the victory. Those whose influence has confused others must confess openly and reach those they led astray to undo the harm, for confession and repentance open the way to pardon, while refusing to admit wrong leaves sin standing against the person at judgment. Neither harsh treatment nor giving in to demands that sustain wrongdoing will bring back one gone wrong, and those who acted wrongly toward him should remove the harm they caused and, if possible, help save his soul from death.