All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others

JUDGING OTHERS

Romans 2:1 - If you think you can judge others, you are wrong. When you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty because you do the same things they do.

"Who is this person?" you ask. It could be anyone - who filters God's grace through his own opinion. Anyone who dilutes God's mercy with his own prejudice. He was the prodigal son's elder brother who wouldn't attend the party (Luke 15:11-32).

He was the 10 hr worker, upset, because the 1 hr worker got the same wage (Matt 20:1-16).

He is the fault-finding brother obsessed by his brother's sins and oblivious to his own. (Get he log out of your own eye before you try to get the speck out of your brother's eye).

Romans 2:2 - God judges those who do wrong things, and we know that His judging is right.

The key word here is 'judges.' It's one thing to have an opinion; it's quite another to pass a verdict. It's one thing to have a conviction; it's another to convict the person. It's one thing to be repulsed by the acts of Jeffery Dahmer; it's another entirely to claim that we are superior or that he is beyond the grace of God. (As you know, we are not superior than anyone else, Christian or non-Christian. And nobody is beyond forgiveness).

It's our job to hate the sin. But it's God's job to deal with the sinner. God has called us to despise evil, but He's never called us to despise the evildoer.

But oh, how we would like to. There is something smug and self-satisfying about donning the robe, stepping behind the bench, and slamming down the gavel. "Guilty!"

Judging others is the quick and easy way to feel good about ourselves. A convenience-store ego-boost, we boast, "Look God, compared to them, I'm not too bad."

That's the problem. God doesn't compare us to Him. They aren't the standard. God is.

There are two reason why we are not to judge.

1 We aren't good enough to judge others

Suppose God simplified the bible to one command, 'Thou must jump so high, you can touch the moon." No need to love your neighbour or follow Jesus, pray; just touch the moon and you'll be saved.

Ridiculous right...we'd never make it. There might be some who can jump 3,5 or even 6 feet in the air, but still no one can get very far.

Good thing God hasn't called us to touch the moon. But He did say, "You must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matt 5:48). None of us can reach God's perfect standard. As a result, none of is deserves to put on the robe and stand behind the bench and judge others. Why? Because we aren't good enough.

Dahmer may jump 6 inches, and you may jump 6 feet, but compared to the 230,000 miles that remain, who can boast?

The thought is almost comical. We who jump 3 feet look at the guy who jumped 1 inch and think, "What a lousy jump." Why do we engage in such accusations? It's a ploy. As long as we are looking at his weaknesses, then we don't have to think of our own.

It's the universal strategy of impunity. Even children use it. "If I can get Dad more angry at my brother than me, I'm off scot free." So we accuse. We compare. Rather than admit our own faults, we find faults in others. Such scams don't work with God. Paul said ²Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? (Rom 2:2-4)

We aren't good enough to judge. Can the hungry accuse the begger? Can the sick mock the ill? Can the blind judge the deaf? Can the sinner condemn the sinner? No. Only ONE can judge, and that ONE is neither typing nor reading this blog.

2 We don't know enough

Not only are we unworthy, but we are unqualified. We don't know enough about the person to judge them. We don't know of their past. We condemn some for stumbling this morning, but we didn't see the blows they took yesterday. We judge someone else for walking with a limp, but don't see the tack in their shoe. We mock the fear in their eyes, but have no idea now many stones they've ducked or darts they've dodged.

Are they too loud? Perhaps they fear being rejected again. Too timid? Perhaps they fear failing again. Too slow? Perhaps they fell the last time they hurried. We just don't know. Only ONE who has followed yesterday's steps can be their judge.

Not only are we ignorant about yesterday, we are ignorant about tomorrow. Dare we judge a book before it is finished? Can we pass a verdict on a painting while the brush is still in the artist's hand? How can we dismiss a soul until God's work is complete? "God began a work in you, and I am sure He will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again." (Phil 1:6).

Be careful! The Peter who denies Jesus at tonight's fire, may proclaim Him with fire at tomorrow's Pentecost. The Sampson who was weak today, may use his final strength to level the pillars of godliness. The stammering shepherd of this generation, may be the mighty Moses of the next. Don't call Noah a fool, you may be asking him for a lift.

A condemned criminal was sent to his death by his country. In his final moments, he asked for mercy. Had he asked for mercy from the people, it would've been denied. Had he asked it of the government, it would've been declined. Had he asked of his victims, they would've turned a deaf ear. But it wasn't to those he turned to for grace. He turned instead to the bloodied form of the ONE who hung on the cross next to his and pleaded, "Jesus remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Jesus answered by saying, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43).

As far as we know Jeffery Dahmer did the same thing. And as far as we know, he got the same response. When you think about it, the request Dahmer made is not different to your or mine. He may have made it from a prison cell, and you may have made it from a church seat, but from heaven's angle, we're all asking for the moon. And by God's grace we all receive it.

JUDGING OTHERS

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