Dr. Shaun Jester on Spiritual CPR and Responding When Christians Are in Crisis

Most Christians know what to do when someone stops breathing. Call for help, begin CPR, and keep working until more help arrives. But what do we do when someone is in spiritual crisis?

What happens when a believer is caught in serious sin, destroying their family, walking away from God, or refusing to see the damage they are causing? Too often, Christians choose one of two extremes. We either compromise the truth because confrontation feels uncomfortable, or we abandon people when they need someone willing to fight for them.

On this episode of Faith and Family Fellowship, I spoke with Dr. Shaun Jester, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and author of Spiritual CPR: Recognizing and Intervening When a Christian Is in Crisis. We discuss biblical intervention, accountability, restoration, sexual sin, abortion, estrangement, chronic sin, and spiritual apathy.

The Bible does not tell us to ignore sin. It also does not give us permission to confront people with arrogance, cruelty, or a desire to embarrass them. Paul writes:

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” Galatians 6:1, ESV

That verse holds truth and compassion together. The person is caught in sin, and the sin must be addressed. But the goal is restoration.

Biblical love does not stand back while someone destroys their life. It moves toward them with truth, humility, and a willingness to help carry the weight. But intervention must be handled carefully because not every situation is the same, and not every struggle should be confronted in the same way.

During our conversation, Shaun explains his WASH PIGS framework, a practical method designed to help Christians assess a situation before attempting an intervention. That matters because spiritual urgency without wisdom can create even more damage.

Some people need direct confrontation, while others need patient discipleship. Some situations require pastoral leadership, professional counseling, medical care, legal intervention, or immediate protection from abuse. Christians should never use “restoration” as an excuse to keep someone in danger or hide criminal behavior.

Jesus taught us to take sin seriously:

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” Matthew 18:15, ESV

The first step is not gossip, public humiliation, or gathering people to take sides. It is going directly to the person. That takes courage, but it also requires the right heart.

If our goal is to prove that we are right, punish someone, or expose them, we are not pursuing biblical restoration. But if we truly love them, we cannot pretend everything is fine while sin continues destroying their relationship with God and everyone around them.

This becomes especially difficult when dealing with pornography, sexual sin, abortion, estrangement, or patterns of chronic rebellion. These subjects carry real pain and affect marriages, families, churches, and future generations.

Silence is not compassion, and compromise is not compassion. But condemnation without any path toward repentance and restoration is not the gospel either. The cross shows us how seriously God takes sin, but it also shows us how far He was willing to go to rescue sinners.

Shaun’s medical background also shaped our discussion about abortion. He shares his experience as one of the doctors involved in the federal litigation concerning the FDA and mifepristone and explains how that experience influenced his perspective.

Christians must speak the truth clearly. Every human life bears the image of God. At the same time, we must be ready to minister to people carrying fear, regret, grief, confusion, or the consequences of past decisions.

The Church should be a place where sin is confronted, repentance is possible, and broken people can encounter the grace of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual CPR is not about controlling people. It is about recognizing when someone is in danger and refusing to walk away. We cannot rescue anyone through our own power because only Jesus saves. But God can use a faithful believer who is willing to speak, listen, pray, confront, and remain present when another person is in crisis.

Truth without love becomes a weapon. Love without truth becomes compromise. Biblical restoration requires both.

Listen to my full conversation with Dr. Shaun Jester above.

You can also learn more through his book on Amazon, Spiritual CPR: Recognizing and Intervening When a Christian Is in Crisis.