Don't JUDGE Me!
“Don’t JUDGE Me!”
“Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults
– unless, of course, you want the same treatment.
Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang.
Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier.
Give away your life; you'll find life given back,
but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing.
Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."
– Luke 6:37-38 (Msg.)
I think it can become problematic when we attempt to verify the "Christian-ness" of someone else. The problem lies with the fact that this attempt it leaves no room (makes no allowance, gives no grace) for "Christian growth". Even if we are to judge someone else by the standard of our own Christian walk - is that really fair? Perhaps we've been walking with God longer. Perhaps we've had more revelation than they have.
Don’t misunderstand me. I fully believe there should be standards and there are things that are clearly spelled out as right and wrong in Scripture, but this doesn't give us license to go around questioning a persons salvation based on whatever miniscule fragment of what they have chosen to reveal about their lives, does it?
Certainly there are those who are clear in their antagonism of Christianity, and are so far removed from "right and wrong" that it's readily apparent that they are not Christians in the way that we would commonly understand and affirm.
This is not what I’m talking about here.
What we are discussing is the questioning of the validity of a person’s salvation based upon limited knowledge.
I think that some of the problem lies in this: many people are more than willing to accept Jesus as Savior... they just struggle with making Him Lord. What I mean by that is there are those who are more than content with a mere saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but are completely devoid of the sanctifying lifestyle that Scripture indicates goes hand-in-hand. My understanding of being a disciple of Christ means that one necessarily follows the other. But at what point is the line of delineation drawn for those who wish to determine whether one is “truly” a Christian or not?
And what if that person does get everything "right"? I mean whatever one's "checklist" of what it means to be Christian - what if someone fulfills everyone of these and passes with flying colors? What have they really achieved by this alone? Didn't the Sadducees and Pharisees do the same? John Wesley has been quoted as saying that sanctification is not about "perfection of performance, but perfection (used in this sense as "in the process of completing"; or "moving towards making whole") of the heart". One's heart intent may be in the process of completion; be moving towards making whole; be in the act of perfecting; i.e. being sanctified... even when one's actions are not yet.
This doesn't give us license to sin; no, Paul said "God forbid!" to that kind of thinking. But it does help us to understand that we cannot expect the same maturity of an infant than we can a toddler; a toddler than we can a child; a child than we can a teenager; a teenager than we can a young adult; a young adult than we can an adult; an adult than we can a senior. There are definitive life stages that we all must go through in the physical, and therewith are to some degree defined. The same is true in the spiritual.
However, having said that, it should be noted that it is certainly true that some people become stuck in these various stages, to their own detriment. I cannot believe this pleases God. Still, grace applies, does it not? We’ve seen some snow since we’ve been here in Denver. I've seen many vehicles stuck in the snow. So when someone is stuck, what should we do? Chastise them for getting stuck? Argue with them that they should know better by now? Yell at them for not having a 4-wheel drive vehicle by now? Shake our heads sadly at them and keep on driving (after all, we don't want to get stuck with them, do we)? No, of course not. We don’t do any of those things, because that would be wrong. What we do, is stop and help them get unstuck.
Genuine transformation occurs by a purposeful changing (the Bible calls it a "renewing") of our minds. This doesn't happen overnight. It happens over time through trust, love, and gentleness with one that we have earned the right to have relationship with. It happens in natural, organic, "teachable" moments that arise out of healthy relationship. I think this is why Jesus spent so much time with sinners.
This doesn't mean that any compromise need occur. Did Jesus compromise with his "sinner friends?" Did He point out all of their sins? Did He give them the Four Spiritual Laws and urge them to "make a decision" RIGHT NOW - BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE? No. He "did life" with them, and waited for natural, organic, "teachable" moments with them that arise out of healthy relationships. No, no compromise need occur to achieve this kind of discipling. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The Church of the Nazarene somewhere once had a statement about ourselves that I thought was just beautiful. The statement said (in part) that we are "conservative in doctrine (which we are - quite possibly one of the most conservative denominations out there), but liberal in love."
I like that.
That is the kind of balance I seek to achieve with both my brothers and sisters as well as those who don't yet know what they believe, if anything at all. And there is a balance to be achieved here. The Scriptures that led up to our text today concerned themselves completely with the subject of love. Our text talked about being careful in judging others. And the one that follows next speaks about how we can determine what kind of tree any given tree is by the fruit it bears.
What do I determine from all of this, then? Why, that we are to be loving, careful, fruit inspectors. Achieve that balance in your life, and we will be on our way towards “perfecting our hearts”.
Father God,
Help us to be encouragers, not discouragers of those who are weaker in the faith.
In Jesus' Name,
AMEN!
“Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults
– unless, of course, you want the same treatment.
Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang.
Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier.
Give away your life; you'll find life given back,
but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing.
Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."
– Luke 6:37-38 (Msg.)
I think it can become problematic when we attempt to verify the "Christian-ness" of someone else. The problem lies with the fact that this attempt it leaves no room (makes no allowance, gives no grace) for "Christian growth". Even if we are to judge someone else by the standard of our own Christian walk - is that really fair? Perhaps we've been walking with God longer. Perhaps we've had more revelation than they have.
Don’t misunderstand me. I fully believe there should be standards and there are things that are clearly spelled out as right and wrong in Scripture, but this doesn't give us license to go around questioning a persons salvation based on whatever miniscule fragment of what they have chosen to reveal about their lives, does it?
Certainly there are those who are clear in their antagonism of Christianity, and are so far removed from "right and wrong" that it's readily apparent that they are not Christians in the way that we would commonly understand and affirm.
This is not what I’m talking about here.
What we are discussing is the questioning of the validity of a person’s salvation based upon limited knowledge.
I think that some of the problem lies in this: many people are more than willing to accept Jesus as Savior... they just struggle with making Him Lord. What I mean by that is there are those who are more than content with a mere saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but are completely devoid of the sanctifying lifestyle that Scripture indicates goes hand-in-hand. My understanding of being a disciple of Christ means that one necessarily follows the other. But at what point is the line of delineation drawn for those who wish to determine whether one is “truly” a Christian or not?
And what if that person does get everything "right"? I mean whatever one's "checklist" of what it means to be Christian - what if someone fulfills everyone of these and passes with flying colors? What have they really achieved by this alone? Didn't the Sadducees and Pharisees do the same? John Wesley has been quoted as saying that sanctification is not about "perfection of performance, but perfection (used in this sense as "in the process of completing"; or "moving towards making whole") of the heart". One's heart intent may be in the process of completion; be moving towards making whole; be in the act of perfecting; i.e. being sanctified... even when one's actions are not yet.
This doesn't give us license to sin; no, Paul said "God forbid!" to that kind of thinking. But it does help us to understand that we cannot expect the same maturity of an infant than we can a toddler; a toddler than we can a child; a child than we can a teenager; a teenager than we can a young adult; a young adult than we can an adult; an adult than we can a senior. There are definitive life stages that we all must go through in the physical, and therewith are to some degree defined. The same is true in the spiritual.
However, having said that, it should be noted that it is certainly true that some people become stuck in these various stages, to their own detriment. I cannot believe this pleases God. Still, grace applies, does it not? We’ve seen some snow since we’ve been here in Denver. I've seen many vehicles stuck in the snow. So when someone is stuck, what should we do? Chastise them for getting stuck? Argue with them that they should know better by now? Yell at them for not having a 4-wheel drive vehicle by now? Shake our heads sadly at them and keep on driving (after all, we don't want to get stuck with them, do we)? No, of course not. We don’t do any of those things, because that would be wrong. What we do, is stop and help them get unstuck.
Genuine transformation occurs by a purposeful changing (the Bible calls it a "renewing") of our minds. This doesn't happen overnight. It happens over time through trust, love, and gentleness with one that we have earned the right to have relationship with. It happens in natural, organic, "teachable" moments that arise out of healthy relationship. I think this is why Jesus spent so much time with sinners.
This doesn't mean that any compromise need occur. Did Jesus compromise with his "sinner friends?" Did He point out all of their sins? Did He give them the Four Spiritual Laws and urge them to "make a decision" RIGHT NOW - BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE? No. He "did life" with them, and waited for natural, organic, "teachable" moments with them that arise out of healthy relationships. No, no compromise need occur to achieve this kind of discipling. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The Church of the Nazarene somewhere once had a statement about ourselves that I thought was just beautiful. The statement said (in part) that we are "conservative in doctrine (which we are - quite possibly one of the most conservative denominations out there), but liberal in love."
I like that.
That is the kind of balance I seek to achieve with both my brothers and sisters as well as those who don't yet know what they believe, if anything at all. And there is a balance to be achieved here. The Scriptures that led up to our text today concerned themselves completely with the subject of love. Our text talked about being careful in judging others. And the one that follows next speaks about how we can determine what kind of tree any given tree is by the fruit it bears.
What do I determine from all of this, then? Why, that we are to be loving, careful, fruit inspectors. Achieve that balance in your life, and we will be on our way towards “perfecting our hearts”.
Father God,
Help us to be encouragers, not discouragers of those who are weaker in the faith.
In Jesus' Name,
AMEN!
posted by general at 6:24 PM
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