JUDGING

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges.  For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.  Romans 2:1

            Passing judgment and being discerning are two different things.  Paul is addressing the first here.  He is talking to the audience he wrote to in chapter one; those who see another person exchange the value of God’s beauty for the sins they want to commit.  God has given them over to deception and the consequences of their choices.  In so doing, it would be easy for those who know the truth to feel morally superior to them, and then judge them. 

            To judge ~ is to set others apart and cast them aside.  It is to feel, “That is disgusting.  I’d never do that.”  Paul is pretty forthright that if this is my thinking toward anyone in sin today, then I am sinning when I put myself above them.  If my life resembles the life of Jesus in any respect, it is only by the grace of God which fuels my ability to make some righteous choices.

            What is my attitude toward those who live in blatant sin?  I often feel disgusted when I should be saddened that they live under the bondage of sin.  Disgust separates me from compassion, and then, prayer.  How will they hear without prayer and a preacher, one who speaks the word of God with heartfelt compassion? 

            If someone close to me is living in the bondage of sin, I am one who suffers at their hands.  My anger turns to self-righteousness.  Only a lot of time with God, in the Word and in prayer, preserves humility and creates in me a willingness to pray for those who hurt me.  The arrows may fly, even land in the soil of my soil, but I resolve to remember that I don’t fight against flesh and blood, but against the kingdom of Satan.  He speaks through, and works through, the strongholds of deception.  The one whose words cut like a knife is being used to serve up evil.  Even so, God hates his sin but loves him.  I am to cry out for the mercy to be like God. 

I don’t love like you.  I’m so glad your judgment against me didn’t win.  You acted out of compassion by sending Jesus.  The least I can do is pray for others to see their sin, see You, and receive Your forgiveness.  I want to love like You love.  Amen