Don’t Judge?

At times, it is easy to be critical, harder to be gracious. This conflict is compounded by two passages in the NT that seem to contradict one another. The first is something Jesus said:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1–2)

The other one says: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness…” (Galatians 6:1) 

But how can I do that without discerning that the other person is doing something sinful? After thinking about this, I have to conclude that seeing sin in other people is unavoidable. This isn’t about seeing it, but about what to do about it. And what to do about it has parameters that are usually found in the context of various commands. For instance, the words of Jesus add this:

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log 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 brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3–5)

Often God shows me my sin by allowing me to see it in someone else. In that case, instead of judging the other person, I’m supposed first deal with my own sin. I cannot help anyone be free of a problem if I have never been free of it myself.

The next passage gives instruction along the same lines: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.” (Galatians 6:1–5) 

This time, it is a call to help the person who is entrapped as long as I am not, and aid that person to be set free. It is not only helping them but without as selfish motive.

There are other ways to deal with the sin of others. God asks me to pray for other believers that they are able to say yes to God and no to sin. Prayer is burden-bearing in a quiet form.

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death… All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. (1 John 5:16–17)

God could ask me to warn those who are being tempted as many verses warn about not to give in to temptation: 

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:12–13)

Even noticing sin is from God, but it can happen to those who feel inferior and try to boost their self-esteem by putting down others. Yet Christ died for all because all have sinned, none are worthy, and His grace puts us on a level field. 

Not only that, God is patient. He saw sin in the days of Noah, and Lot, and in Job’s story, and in the days of the kings and the prophets. Yet He did not pour out judgment at first glance. Charnock notes: “He brings lighter smarts sooner, that men might not think him asleep, but he suspends the more terrible judgments that men might be led to repentance.” God holds back His rod, waiting for His people to repent and return to Him. I have no right to be impatient with sin or with God’s way of dealing with it.

One more thought. What I consider sin might not be. The NT says not to pass judgment on others if it will cause them to stumble. He is the Savior; I am not. I need to serve Him and love His people, not get in a huff over such matters. “Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. . . .” (Romans 14:13–23)

PRAY: Jesus, I am raised up and seated with You in heavenly places, that You will show the riches of Your grace in kindness toward me and toward all Your people. Our destiny is not about judgment and wrath, but about kindness and grace, and about being like You. Seeing sin in others is not about making myself a judge but about obedience and patience toward all who struggle with sin.

A Cure is better than a diagnosis . . .

 

If my doctor diagnosed something wrong in my body but did not do anything toward a cure, I’d find another doctor. If the preacher(s) in my church kept telling me about my sin but did not talk about God’s remedy for sin, I would find another place to worship.

The NT gives the task of convicting people of sin to the Holy Spirit. Such a diagnosis is not my job unless the Spirit expressly wants to use me to give a rebuke — and that invitation comes with a caveat:

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log 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 brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1–5)

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

From these and other verses, I get the strong message to be careful about diagnosing sin in others; I am responsible to listen to what the Holy Spirit says to me, not taking on His role when I have enough to deal with by looking in the mirror. If I’m sinning and not aware, a rebuke is needed, but I also want to know and be reminded of the cure, rather than repeatedly hearing how ‘sick’ I am. This analogy relates to the love of God. Scripture says:

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7)

The word “bears” means to put up with annoyance or difficulty, either in my own life or the life of someone else. It comes from a root word that means to roof over, indicating to cover with patient silence. This makes me think of God’s love for me. What if He pointed to all my sin all at once and all the time? I would be in such angst that I would try to run away from Him. However, He does not do that. He gently deals with one sin at a time, one attitude or activity that needs His grace to overcome. Love is not shaking my finger at every sin I perceive or gossip about it, or point it out to the world. Love “bears” all things, waiting on God for instruction and if none comes, love still believes, hopes, and endures. This good news is what I most need to hear and I’m certain others are the same. We need the cure, not a nagging repetition of the diagnosis!

Love wants to cover sins and protect sinners from further harm. Our society makes a big business of gossip with a sinful and insatiable appetite for exposés and “true confessions.” God may call me to confront and discipline sin but never expose or broadcast the failures or wrongs others do. I’m to feel their pain and the sorrow of God, not try to alleviate it by describing what they are doing for public condemnation.

Jesus died for my sin and for all sin. I cannot do that redemptive work (It is finished), but I can love them:

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. (Proverbs 10:12)

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

The bottom line is that love never thinks the worst when it sees sin in others, nor does it gloat over those failures. Instead, love believes and hopes God will patiently work in the lives of others, lovingly expecting that to happen. Love will not jump at further exposure, ridicule, or harm. When God prods, love may confront that sin but only to bear their burden in gentleness and restore them to a right relationship with our Savior.

PRAY: Lord, I’ve been thinking much about what specific assignments You give and loving others is always near the top of the list. This task must come from my heart, not be treated as a chore or a duty. Enable me to deeply care about the needs of others, whether those needs are physical, social, or having a roof put in place over their sins. I thank You that all sin is covered by Your blood and that You patiently deal with my sin in ways that clearly show me how to deal with the sins of others. You don’t put them out there for everyone to see, and You never treat me with anything but patience, mercy, grace, and gentle kindness.

PONDER: Isaiah 53:3–12 describes further how Jesus bore all things to put His protecting “roof” over all who trust in Him. Read this a few times today and consider what I can do to be more like Him.

 

 

What to do with the sin I see . . .

 

When God reveals the sin in my life to me, I know what I’m supposed to do: “If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This is personal; I cannot pray that when I see sin in the life of others, at least the last part. They must see and confess their own sin. But what if they do not see it?

Convicting others of sin is the work of the Holy Spirit. While God instructs us with: “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Galatians 6:1) the last part is easy to ignore. We are all in the same boat in this battle against sin. It is too easy to fall into a ‘holier than thou’ attitude when I see sin in someone else. I’m sure this is part of what Jesus had in mind when He said:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log 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 brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:1–5)

Often the things I see in others are simply reflections of what I don’t like in my own life. That ‘log’ keeps me from seeing clearly, from knowing how to help someone else with the same sin. This is a big reason for keeping short accounts with God, for asking Him to:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24)

As Christians, we are to put others first, but not in this case. I must deal with my own issues, or I will not have any right or ability to help others with the same issue. While I can share my problem with them, I’ve no ground to talk about their problem — with them or with anyone else.

Today’s devotional is about the joy of intercession, of praying for others, taking concerns to God rather than stew over them or share my concerns with anyone else. As Paul wrote, I’m to “thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy” (Philippians 1:3–4).

The devotional writer tells of a nurse who used her hands to represent those needing prayer. She knew the joy of praying for others as did Paul. He did what he told his readers to do: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4). James agreed and wrote this:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

The devotional writer rightly says that lack of Holy Spirit joy debilitates compassion and hinders prayer. I can come to the Lord accusing others of sin, which is something Satan does (see Revelation 12:10) instead of interceding for them, which is what Jesus does.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)

My prayers and my words ought to be full of praise to God for His goodness to others, as well as for their needs and full of thankfulness for what He is doing, not criticism for what people are doing . . . as if God does not already know all about that. Never forget that Jesus died for those things — rather than shaking a finger at them.

Lord, You show me reflections of myself that bother me. I need to deal with that. You also show me needs in the lives of others. I need to intercede for them. Give me clarity, that I don’t mix the two, get annoyed with Christians who sin, think I am better than they are, or worse yet, gossip with other about what You have revealed to me for intercession, not for any other reason. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Grant me more of that so I may glorify You.

STUDY: Read John 17, Christ’s intercessory prayer for His disciples. What is eternal life? What was Christ’s mission? How does the world react to us? What is the best way to convince people that God sent Jesus?