‘Brothers, even if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, looking to yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear you one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.'
‘Even if a man is overtaken in any trespass.' Note the ‘even if'. It should be looked on as an unexpected rarity. The idea of being overtaken is that the person is taken by surprise. They have been careless and allowed themselves to be overtaken by some trespass, a falling short of the mark. They have been walking by the Spirit but have somehow lapsed and have been overtaken by the flesh.
Then those who are spiritual, being led by the Spirit, will not be judgmental, but when someone so fails and is ‘overtaken in any failure or sin' they will help to ‘restore' them in a spirit of meekness, a spirit of selfless concern and gentleness without censoriousness. They will do this aware that they themselves are frail, and have often fallen, and will be wary that in helping another they themselves do not fail through temptation. For he who thinks that he stands should take heedful care lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12-13)
We must remember that the Spirit does not ‘lead us' to enter places or situations which may put us to too great a test, even to help another. If that happens we have not been led by the Spirit. So we must walk wisely and each task should be given to those with the strength to deal with such situations. We must be humble enough to recognise when an older, wiser, or more spiritual head is needed to help the one who is fallen.
‘Taken in a trespass.' He has been detected in a failure to obey the law of love, which is the law of Christ. But this is not necessarily some grievous sin, although it often feels like it to the Christian. It is a stepping over the boundary between right and wrong (or even right and not so right), it is a deviation from the path of true righteousness, but if persisted in, it can lead to greater sins. When Christians are humbly concerned about the sins of their fellows the church prospers, but when they become judgmental and censorious, the unity of the church is destroyed. And that is a catastrophe, for we cannot afford to lose even the weakest member (1 Corinthians 12:14-26).
‘Bear one another's heavy burdens, and thus fulfil the law of Christ.' Christians should therefore help each other, bearing each other's burdens. This is the law of love, the law of Christ (John 13:34). Where someone is carrying a load too heavy to bear or is having a difficult time, those who can should unobtrusively step in and seek to assist with the burden. But this is to be done tactfully, tenderly, and without a sense of superiority or condescension, for if we think we are somehow superior to them we are deceiving ourselves.
‘Restore'. Bring back to his former position and behaviour.
‘The law of Christ.' Having rejected Law all through the letter Paul now boldly speaks of the law of Christ. And that can only be the law of love (Galatians 5:14; John 13:34). Christians are freed from the Law so that they can walk in the Spirit by the word of God and reveal the fruit of the Spirit. That is the law of Christ. It is exemplified in Matthew 5-7.