Gently Instruct

“Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” – 2 Timothy 2:25

During the 1537 siege of Turin, Italy, a young French barber-surgeon abandoned the conventional wisdom about the treatment of bullet wounds, giving rise to a revolution in surgical techniques and pedagogy.

Ambroise Paré was not a physician — it was not until more recent centuries that it became usual for a surgeon to be a holder of a MD degree — but his dedication to empirical observation and reasoning elevated the position of the barber-surgeon.

He set the stage for the modern melding of scientific medicine and the invasive procedures that define surgery at the turn of the 21st century.

He set forth 5 duties a surgeon must perform. It required both strength and gentleness. Paré wrote: “There are five duties of surgery: to remove what is superfluous, to restore what has been dislocated, to separate what has grown together, to reunite what has been divided, and to redress the defects of nature.”

The Lord desires us to be good surgeons as we give gentle instruction.

Thank the Lord for the gentle instruction you have had in your life and seek to gently instruct others.

“The gentleness of Christ is the comeliest ornament that a Christian can wear.” – William D. Arnot

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Galatians 6:1