How many times have you been in a conversation where you've heard a phrase like, "I'm not trying to judge anybody, but..." ?
Society has placed such a negative stigma on the idea of "judging" someone (wrapped in a package of tolerance and political correctness) giving the world an often-used immunity defense against attacks on sinful lifestyles.
A recent devotional on Answers to Tough Questions examines what Jesus really said about this issue, and the truth is very liberating:
When we confront sin in the right spirit, we are acting in love, not judging in the sense of Jesus' words in this verse. When motivated by love, we won't be self-righteous and feel that we are better in the eyes of God. A loving heart is humble, knowing that before a holy God all people are equal ( Romans 3:9,23 ; Galatians 3:22 ; 1 John 1:8 ).
Judging, as Jesus condemned it in these verses, is unforgiving condemnation -- a hypercritical, self-righteous, vindictive spirit that continually seeks to uncover the faults of others while overlooking one's own sins.
When Jesus said, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged," He was not suggesting that Christians show tolerance to other religious or sinful viewpoints. He was giving us a mandate for a type of confrontational judgement, but only if we follow certain guidelines.
It's all about our motives:
[1] We CAN'T judge other people's souls. Only Christ alone has been given that authority from the Almighty, and the Bible makes this very clear.
[2] We CAN judge people's actions against the measuring stick of God's Word, but we must do it in love and genuine concern for that person's soul. If our motive is rooted in self-righteousness and spiteful unforgiveness, then WE are being the hypocrites because we are passing judgement in a sinful attitude.
Jesus' warning against this kind of judging emphasizes that any measure we use to judge other people will be used against us. He said, "For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" ( Luke 6:38 ).
If we are living a Spirt-filled, striving-for-holiness lifestyle, then it's okay to confront the world and even other believers in love.
But first we must examine our hearts.
(And so no one can accuse me of taking anything out of context, I urge you to read it for yourself).
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