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Burning Question: How do you respond to a brother or sister in Christ who has committed adultery?
How one responds to a believer who has committed adultery depends largely on the attitude of the one who has fallen. If the attitude of the one who has sinned is one of arrogance and they show no desire or plan to put away the sin, then the believer is wise to lovingly, yet boldly confront that sin in hopes of leading them to repent. A great example of this comes from the life of Nathan in the Old Testament who risked friendship and even his own life to confront King David in his sin of adultery (see 2 Samuel 12:1-13). Nathan’s bold confrontation of sin (don’t miss the fact that Nathan was sent by God according to verse 1) resulted in restoration to a close walk with God in David’s life. David expresses his repentance in Psalm 51 in powerful language. James 5:19-20 speaks of the rescue which comes to the fallen through one who is willing to confront the fallen in their sin. Galatians 6:1 gives a clear call to the believer to confront sin in the life of another with an aim towards restoration, but also gives a clear warning to do so in humility and wisdom.
On the other hand, if the fallen believer has already expressed authentic repentance, then the Chrisian friend is in a wonderful position to offer ongoing encouragement and accountability. Galatians 6:2 instructs us to bear the burdens of one another and ironically comes on the heels of verse 1, which instructs us to humbly and gently confront sin in fellow believers.
Think for a moment of what you would desire if you should wander into sin which will bring the type of devastation wrought by adultery. Would you consider it the loving thing for your friend to do if they ignored or excused your sin and let you wander into the consequences which sin, especially adultery, brings? Or would you consider their loving confrontation in humility and gentleness with an aim towards your rescue and repentance to be the loving response to your sin? Confrontation is never easy. However, there are times when love demands nothing less.
Burning Questions 