(For first part of Judge Not, see the post below)
For all of the things that Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that you be not judged," doesn't mean, there are surely some things that it does mean.
And the context in which it should be understood is stated in the verses immediately following.
Matthew 7:2-3
"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?"
So what does that mean anyway? Well, I touched on the meaning of the plank/speck comparison in my last post. And basically, it means that you should only approach others about their sin with a great awareness of, and conviction over, your OWN sin. In other words, there is no room for self-righteous condemnation. We all have sin. We all fall short. And only when you take on the mindset of a "fellow-sinner" do you have the right framework for humbly and gently correcting your brother.
Not only is this likely to be a more effective approach anyway, but there is a strong caution given to us against approaching our brother and his speck in any other manner. Jesus says that we will be judged using the same criteria we use to judge others. In one sense, we are condemning ourselves if we don't use mercy and humility in our dealings with others.
This concept is stated again in Romans 2:1
"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things."
In other words, use caution when you gear up to judge someone. You are probably guilty of the same thing. And by standing in judgment of another, you are condemning yourself. Because in order to declare him guilty, you have to first knowingly consent to the fact that his actions are a violation of some kind. And like I just said, chances are you have that same sin, in one form or another, lurking about in your own closet. Kind of like, "anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." You incriminate yourself when you apply the law to others. Because you've just proved that you are aware of the law. And you are therefore without excuse when it comes to your own defense.
But, if you want mercy and compassion applied to you, apply them to those you judge. If you use mercy, you will be given mercy. If you harshly condemn, you will be harshly condemned.
As a side note here, let me add that these cautions are given to each of us as individual brothers and sisters. The church is given very specific instructions for dealing with its members who are in sin. I'm not talking about those things here. I'm only talking about our dealings, as individuals, with individuals.
And lest you think that somehow I am giving the green light to blatant sinners, and a yellow light to righteous standards, think again. Just because we are cautioned about the way we apply judgment does not mean that we are to relax our standards as Christians. Part of the reason that we don't have to judge our neighbor is because God has already done it. God has given us His law. And God's law has already explicitly condemned sin in all of its shapes, forms and fashions. It is not up to us to decide what is a sin and what isn't. The law of God has taken plenty of care of that, thank you very much. You either accept it or you reject it.
Just because some people want to make the law do handstands and backflips in order to justify their fleshly desires, doesn't change the fact that they will stand condemned before the law. Their tricksy reasoning and human wisdom will be meaningless before the Judge of all the universe. He has access to the thoughts of their hearts and minds. We don't. And that is why ultimate judgment can only be left up to Him.
In the meantime, practice mercy and compassion. And mourn over your sin alongside the sins of others. In doing so, you will be equipped to help your brother out when a speck appears in his eye. Otherwise, beware of your measuring stick being turned around and held up against you.
GPS…FINALLY!!!!
9 years ago
4 comments:
You couldn't have said it better! I so appreciate your taking the time to spell it all out.
Whew...I've been waiting for the time to read this all week. We are currently studying Romans in my weekly Bible Study and I have been staring wide-eyed at my sin. You explained this so well. Thank you!
Thank you for these last two posts!
I do have a question though. If I am reading what is said here correctly, and in light of my own understanding of Matthew 18 (which I would love for you to post on sometime), we are talking about other Christians, yes? Please correct me if I am misunderstanding.
What do we do with those who are non-Christians? For example, people who would flame us for being "old-fashioned" or whatever concerning homosexuality or abortion or any sin for that matter.
Let me give you a personal example. My sister lives with her fiance. She wants to take my kids overnight so that my husband and I can have some alone time. I won't let that happen because I don't want the kids in that kind of environment, but because she is not a believer I don't know how to approach that with her without pushing her away.
Would appreciate any insight you have or maybe you would want to blog about how we deal with sin in non-believers.
Thanks!
Mrs. Epsteen asks some great questions, and I've decided to answer them here rather than make an entire post out of my response.
Although there are obvious differences between the way we treat our Christian brothers and sisters and those who are non-believers, I think the basic principle still applies: see your own sin, and the grace that has been extended to you, as the lens through which you view everyone else around you. When you deal with a non-Christian, remember that but for the grace of God you could easily be just as bound up in sin. When you deal with a Christian brother or sister, remember that you don't adhere to God's standards perfectly either. I think humility, mercy and grace are appropriate in ALL of our dealings with others--Christian and non-Christian alike.
Inevitably you will encounter someone who criticizes or mocks your beliefs. And it is only natural to feel anger and indignation in return. But Christ calls us to a response that is UNnatural: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Easier said than done I know. But we still have to accept that this is what God has called us to do. And the only way I can see even the slightest possibility of obedience is to rely on the power of Christ-in-us. We, in and of ourselves, are incappable of responding to antagonism with Christlike love and compassion. But Jesus did exactly that, and He can and will enable us to do the same, through His power alone.
As far as the specific example you gave, honestly I am uncomfortable giving you advice about that, simply because I don't know your sister and what your relationship with her is like. Also, I don't know if she is aware of your beliefs about her lifestyle. But I will say, that I would not allow my children to spend the night in the home of an unmarried couple. Even if I did have to offend a loved one in the process. But, I would go out of my way to be gracious and thankful for the offer. Because, after all, it is very kind of her to make the offer.
AND, I don't know if you do this or not, but I certainly wouldn't complain to her that I needed some alone time with my husband!
Pray for your sister, pray for her fiance, and pray for opportunities to share the good news with her: that Christ has atoned for the sins of those who place their faith in Him.
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