Prior to a battle a general gave a strange order to his troops. “Don’t shoot to kill”, he said. “Shoot to wound!”
When some of his officers asked for an explanation he replied: “If you kill a soldier his comrades will only come at you with even greater anger and determination. However, if you wound a soldier it will take two people to carry him off the field of battle, two people to care for him in the Red Cross tent and two more people to help him become fully rehabilitated. A death disables just one soldier, but a wound sidelines at least seven people!”
In spiritual warfare many of God’s soldiers are sidelined as casualties. Many others are required to nurse them back to health. Some suffer wounds because they did not put on the full armor of God or due to poor choices. Others are hurt by “friendly fire”, by their own comrades in arms. Still others are hurt by enemy fire.
In the end it does not matter how a soldier is sidelined. The point is that they must receive care for their injuries and wounds. The battle is important, but so is the recovery of those injured in the battle. “No one left behind” should be the motto of those who fall in the line of duty in the army of God, just like the regular army!
Galatians 6:1-5 provides a paradigm for helping wounded spiritual soldiers recover completely. The first step in the process is for the healthy soldiers to volunteer to help the injured ones (Galatians 6:1). By definition, healthy Christian soldiers are those who walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:13-15. 22-23). They are not necessarily high-ranking officers who walk around with their chests puffed out in pride! (Such people are immediately disqualified by reason of arrogance!) Any of us can fail; any of us can fall.
In the context of this passage the person who has been “caught in a sin” has been the victims of sniper fire. They have been caught in the cross-fire. The text refers less to a person who walked into a trap knowingly, than to one who inadvertently stepped on a landmine.
Please note: The text also suggests that help is best ministered in plurality. “You [plural] who are spiritual” suggests more than one. The healing gifts are plural (I Corinthians 12:9). An injured soldier needs to hear both rebuke and encouragement – instruction and inspiration. In the operating theatre, as shrapnel is extracted, spiritual surgeons work best in tandem to bring about the desired end of renewed health.
The second step in the recovery process is hallmarked by gentleness (Galatians 6:1b). The originally terminology here refers to setting a broken bone or fixing a bad tooth.
When you pick a physician or a dentist who would you prefer – a rough doctor or a gentle one? If you broke your leg in a skiing accident because you were going too fast, would you want a doctor yanking on your tender limb, thereby creating more pain, just because he felt that the injury was your fault? Would you choose a dentist who refused to give you Novocain because you had eaten too much candy the year before, contributing to the deterioration of your teeth? We need “gentle” medics in the God’s army!
The third step is for the healthy, the medics, to be aware that they can also become targets of the enemy – get in the enemy’s crosshairs (Galatians 6:1c, 3). The text warns us to “watch ourselves” if we are people-helpers. Satan does not respect the “Red Cross” logos on our uniforms. Indeed, he will attack you even more if he knows you are trying to help nurse a soldier back to health — thereby creating a powerful testimony of God’s goodness and the church’s kindness (Revelation 12:11).
Great wisdom is needed to care appropriately for injured Christian soldiers. For example, a man should usually not try to help a woman who is in need – especially when it comes to marital counseling. A current drug addict is hardly in the position to help another drug addict kick the habit (although a former addict who has recovered completely makes a wonderful “doctor” when healed.) While caring for others we must take special care not to be blind-sided ourselves.
The fourth step is realizing that the injured need time to recover completely (Galatians 6:2). For this reason, even if only on a temporary basis, we need to carry the knapsacks of our limping comrades. The text says: “Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”. We need to help injured comrades “get back on their feet”.
The fifth step includes the realization that every injured comrade is unique (Galatians 6:4). Every person gets better at a different rate of speed. The rehabilitation process may have some commonalities for everyone, but some aspects are different in every case, too.
My wife seriously fractured her leg last Christmas Eve. The first surgeons to look at her indicated she needed a serious operation which would require a hospital stay, then at least six months of therapy, and six months beyond that for a full recovery.
However, a second team of doctors had a different opinion. They decided not to do surgery, but to provide gentle rehabilitation and a more natural course of healing. She had to wear a cast and was given a prognosis of at least eight weeks before she had any hope of improvement. Through prayer and God’s grace she recovered more quickly than anyone expected, and now walks with only a slight limp and a little pain!
This process leads to a sixth step: Full recovery provides a renewed opportunity to help others who are injured (Galatians 6:5). The passage reads: “…for each one should carry his own load.” This is not a contradictory statement, but is complimentary to the earlier command (Galatians 6:2) that we should carry each others burdens.
Simon Peter boasted that even though others might betray the Lord, he would not. To that Jesus responded skeptically, telling Peter (who he called Simon in this instance) that he would most certainly fail with that kind of superior, braggadocio attitude (Luke 22:31). However, even then Jesus told Simon that when he recovered fully he was to “strengthen your brothers”. The goal of every injured soldier should be to improve sufficiently to be of assistance to others who have been or will be hurt in the line of duty.
It is important for God’s army to rescue injured rookie recruits, grizzled veterans, and everyone in between who has been hurt in spiritual combat. It hardly speaks well of us as a Band of Brothers if we do not care for those who have fallen by our side, even when the fallen have contributed to their injured state.
So, we must constantly be on the lookout for fellow soldiers who may need our help. We should encourage each other ruthlessly. We need to pass on the help we have received to others who are in similar need. While we cannot turn a blind eye to the sin that has caused or contributed to many of the wounds, we need to show compassion toward those who have been deceived and decimated by sin, sickness, and Satan himself.
“Lord, help us to help each other. May we rescue our own who are perishing. May we care for our won who are dying. And while we do so, help us to not be distracted and give the enemy an opportunity to bring sorrow and pain into our own lives. Give us the tenacity to keep working with our injured comrades until they have strong testimonies, giving evidence thereby of how the Corps – the Body of Christ – can work lovingly to restore and revive. Amen.”
