To Live is Christ — whose judgment is righteous

There is a New Testament principle illustrated by the adage: “When you point a finger at another person, three are pointing back at you.” This principle comes from the words of Jesus. 

Judge not, that you be not judged. 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? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1–5)

On March 24, I posted a list of characteristics of the self-life. One description relates to Jesus’ words. It says that sin expresses itself with “stirrings of anger or impatience which, worst of all, you call . . .  holy indignation. . . .”

A person who is zealous for the things of God could justify being angry about the sins of others by saying that Jesus got angry. He was irked with the unbelieving Pharisees, their hypocrisy, and their harsh attitude toward others. He responded with violence toward the money changers who defiled the temple. Cannot I also be indignant about the sin of others? Would that not be like Jesus?

There is danger in that. While the Spirit might be at work stirring me to action against someone’s sin or unjust acts, more often my indignation is anger at those who sin in the same way that I sin. When I look at them or point a finger at them, I am actually seeing my own attitudes and actions. While seeing the evil in my own heart is a good thing, blame-shifting is not. Putting the heat on someone else for that which I am also guilty violates another principle, the one that I’ve been reading for several days.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart — These, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:16–17)

God is always more interested in my contrite repentance than He is in me pointing out the sins of someone else — as if He needed my help in discerning other people’s sins. When I get on my high horse about something someone else is doing, or even about the behavior of society in general, I need to remember that a broken and contrite heart is first willing to look at itself. God may ask me to act after my heart is right, but more often He asks me to pray and leave the sins of others in His capable hands.

To live is Christ means that I’m allowed to judge righteously (“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24), but finger-pointing is out of the question.