Into the Fire

Christians are always being accused of judging people. Rarely is the world accused of judging Christians.

In the famous words of Jesus:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

If you’ll notice in this instruction, Jesus is talking about a Christian (brother) judging another Christian (brother) for doing something wrong when the first is guilty of the same or another sin which he’s apparently blinded to in himself. Later on in Romans, the second chapter, Paul writes:

“. . . Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”

Romans 2:2-3 (NIV)

What the world doesn’t seem to understand is that defining sin isn’t judgment. There’s no question all of us Christians and non-Christians alike judge one another. Some of us do it silently, but God hears. Some of us do it vocally and vehemently. We’d be wise to memorize the scriptures which tell us the measure we use on others will be used on us. The whole reason for these warnings is to identify our potential hypocrisy in condemning others for the same sins we’ve committed.

We might not expect the world to point out our sins to us, thinking perhaps that they’re oblivious to the lines drawn between right and wrong. However, the world is usually the first to recognize sin in those of us who’ve proclaimed our faith because in spite of all the denials of God and His Word, in varying degrees unbelievers are well aware of what the bible speaks of as wrong or evil. And certainly with the enemy of our souls rejoicing in our failures and prompting the condemnation of our actions, we cannot escape the judgment of those watching our sinful behaviors.

We who believe walk a fine line between identifying sin in our lives and in others’ lives. Our first obligation is to take care of our problem(s) and not to hide behind the “everybody’s doing it” smokescreen or the “holier than thou” finger pointing while concealing our guilt.

There’s no shame in revealing or declaring what sin is in this world. It’s sinful to murder babies in the womb just as it would be to kill infants once they’re born. It’s sinful to have sexual relations with the same sex. It’s sinful to sleep with another’s mate. It’s sinful to tell a lie for selfish gain or to hide sin. The list goes on, but those who offer condemnation in their private judgments fail to admit their levels of secret sin. Christians are required to judge themselves first. To take care of their own problems. To judge what sin is, not who’s doing it—because we all are in some capacity.

I know this topic seems far removed from our discussions of writing, but it’s something to keep in mind as we look at the Christian publishing industry and point out whatever successes and failures exist in the business of producing books. It also ties in with the way reviews are presented, opinions expressed.

Just some thoughts . . .

Father, forgive me. Continue to convict my heart. I’m desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.