Galatians 6:1-2 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“1Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

What is this teaching us? If we are those who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are aware that a fellow professing Christian has fallen into sin and/or is trapped in sin, we who are walking with the Lord in obedience to His commands, as a matter of life practice, should restore that person back to or to (for the first time) a walk of faith in the Lord Jesus (men with men and women with women). Especially those serving as pastors of church gatherings, they should do this with those caught in sin.

An Illustration from Real Life

But let me tell you a story, some of which most of you have probably heard by now. When I was growing up I lived with an abusive father who sexually abused some of his children, me being one of them. At age 15 I finally had the courage to report him, and he was put in a mental institution for 1.5 years, and then they let him come back home. No discussion. No one asking us children if we felt safe with him being put back in the home. But there he was, and he tried to do it again, but I reported him this time, and it stopped.

Fast forward. Now I was 21 years old and dating a particular young man. And it was going well. But then he made some of the same kinds of moves towards me as did my father, and I resisted, but I did not have the courage to tell anyone, and eventually I gave in to him to some degree, although I continued to fight against it and to pray through it. And I thought we were going to be okay. I did pray about should I marry him. I do not recall the Lord telling me “no,” and so we got engaged to be married a year later.

Prior to the wedding, we met with the pastor. The pastor did not ask us any questions regarding our dating and how we were behaving and if we were living in moral purity. His main thing was to let me know that if I married this man that I had to obey him. For if I would not agree to obey him, then he would not marry us, he said. But I agreed. Then sixteen years later I was being tempted by an attraction to another man. I asked my husband to help me, to pray for me. Instead he pushed me into sinning with the man.

I repented of my sin, got back on track with God, but then my husband kept on trying to push me back into sexual sin. I kept resisting, but eventually my mind and emotions just could not take it anymore, and I eventually gave in again, more than once. But then I got back right with God and I was doing well for a long while. And then at a very vulnerable time in my life my husband pushed me into sin again. I gave in one last time. Then I got very serious about my relationship with the Lord and prayed this all through. And I said “No!” to my husband and “Yes!” to God from that moment forward.

I changed course, but my husband did not change course. He continued in his sexual addiction up to the present time. And I did seek help from pastors and family to help move him in the right direction, but none of that worked. And this same pastor who married us in 1972 I invited to our home in 2017, and I asked him to pray for us. Then I began to tell him our situation, but he stopped me. And he asked my husband if I had permission from him to tell him our story. My husband agreed. But I thought, “What?”, the one who is sinning against me has to give permission for me to ask for help?

And so my husband told him what had been going on with him all these years. But the pastor did nothing to correct him, but only encouraged him to seek counseling, which did nothing to change him. Other pastors I asked for help did pretty much the same. And one pastor I did not seek help from volunteered his own opinion which was just like the pastor who married us which was that I must obey my husband. But never ever does God say that we should obey sin! We are to obey in the same way in which we obey God.

Never Obey Sin!!

Galatians 6:7-10 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“7Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. 8The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.”

So, if you are being told that you have to obey someone who is leading you into sin, whether it is a parent or a spouse or an employer or a pastor or whoever it is, you can and should say “No!” We must not obey sin no matter who is leading us to sin or insisting that we must do so. For if sin is what we obey deliberately, in life practice, without genuine biblical repentance, we do not have eternal life with God. Obey God and his moral laws always. Resist Satan, flee temptation, and draw near to God in full assurance of faith.

Those Who are Caught in Sin
An Original Work / September 11, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

If you want to read my full story in more detail you can read it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cwbs8TTyVp78TLpM0kdQOKrYAPFvNDpcFV5urfA73-Y/edit?usp=sharing or you can download it in a PDF here:
https://walkingwounded.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/i-married-my-dad1.pdf

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship You

[A Prayer of Devotion to God Alone]