Can We Believe Without Judging?
Good Morning Friends,
When we see a person in sin, we do not know how hard they have tried not to sin. We do not know the power of the forces that are prompting the sin and we do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances. With that in mind it should be difficult for us to discriminate against a person based on the behavior we see. Thankfully God has set forward rules to guide behavior in a better direction and nudges us through the Spirit to love people into turning direction before undesired consequences result. Still, disapproving in a disparaging way of another’s behavior is typically seen as being politically incorrect.… even when turning to a different way is clearly wisdom. Being critical of others has consequences too. Still, Can We Believe Without Judging?
Scripture: Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria; for three years he besieged it. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria. He placed them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. This occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had introduced. Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the law that I commanded your ancestors and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” They would not listen but were stubborn, as their ancestors had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their ancestors, and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false; they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do as they did. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah alone.
2 Kings 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18 (NRSV)
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5 (NRSV)
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.
John 7:24 (NRSV)
Message: The stakes are high when we consider the fate of a nation, a community, a family, a friend. But as soon as we take a stand on any issue we risk being judgmental and politically incorrect. Productive discourse is difficult in this kind of environment. And we face it today. But as Christians we are not to be just spectators. Political correctness does not require us to approve of what other people believe and do. We are to love the sinner and hate the sin. When it came down to people’s lives Jesus was not always politically correct. In community we walk a fine line between making judgements and not being judgmental. For there is a higher calling than pointing out people’s sins. If we have too rigid a belief system we may have trouble loving God and others. We are therefore to judge our beliefs. We are not to pick nits. We are to use our heads and hearts. Yes, we are to judge the sin in a person’s life and lovingly and gently restore them. But first we must judge our beliefs and motivations to see clearly. We are to test everything and hold fast to what is good. There are some things more important than the laws we make to rule our lives. The governments of nations need to guarantee everyone freedom of conscience and religion, as well as the ability to express their faith publicly. Here the scriptures explain the witness which Christians are called to give by their lives. But it is to be done in love.
Pray we see clearly and completely and compassionately. Pray we judge not by appearances but with the mind of God. Pray we seek to free people to live lives of love. Pray we realize that when we make judgments about people we really reveal a lot about our relationships with Christ and our heart. Pray we therefore be judged by our care and compassion…by our love and concern for others. Pray we realize that being judgmental may not be just. Pray we realize that we see the outward person but not the inner life of others. Pray we judge rightly and love compassionately. Pray we not judge a book by its cover, but open it and read it.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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