With what judgment you judge,
you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to
you. —Matthew 7:2
“Romans 2:1 applies it in
even a more definite way by saying that the one who criticizes another is
guilty of the very same thing. God looks not only at the act itself, but also
at the possibility of committing it, which He sees by looking at our hearts. […]
The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is
that they are all in our own hearts. The greatest characteristic of a saint is
humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly, “Yes, all
those, as well as other evils, would have been exhibited in me if it were not
for the grace of God. Therefore, I have no right to judge.” […] Who of us would
dare to stand before God and say, “My God, judge me as I have judged others”?
We have judged others as sinners— if God should judge us in the same way, we
would be condemned to hell. Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous
atonement by the Cross of Christ.” CHAMBERS
Have you ever asked, “Who am
I to judge?” Perhaps someone is doing or
has done something that is sinful and the opportunity has risen where you might
comment on what was done. Don’t confuse
recognizing sin and condemning the sinner.
You know sin when you see it. To
call it sin is not judgement, it’s discernment.
Condemning the sinner is judgement.
Condoning sin is wrong.
Saying sin is OK or is none of your business. (Galatians
5:19-21) “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity
and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will
not inherit the kingdom of God.” To
acknowledge that these things are contrary to the nature of God and therefore
they are sinful, is not the same thing as you condemning someone as not being
worthy of salvation because they have done them. Do you recall that Paul participated in the killing
and imprisonment of Christians before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus? (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) “Or do you not
know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex
with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers
will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you
were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
When Jesus died on the cross,
He died for all sin. (Romans 8:1) “There is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus” When
you violate the laws of the land, you go before a judge, and if found guilty, receive
punishment for your wrong-doing. On the
other hand, judgement of sinners means that they are to be cast into the lake
of fire, eternally separated from God.
You do not have the authority to do that only God does, don’t forget
that you, yourself, have been saved from it.
No one is beyond salvation, yet not all will be saved. We don’t decide who will be and who won’t be
saved. But, at the same time, we can and
must recognize sin and separate ourselves from it. Your job is not to judge . .your job is to
point people to Jesus by letting your light shine. You don’t have to be silent about sin .. no
matter how much those who sin might want you to be. Just don’t judge others in the process. What is happening in our country today is
that our culture has inextricably connected sin to the sinner. So recognition of sin is considered by our
culture to be the same as judgement of the sinner. In their eyes, calling something sin is the
same as condemning the sinner to hell. The thing is, apart from Jesus, they already
are. CHARLEY
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