“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37; NKJV
Has anyone ever accused you of being self-righteous, of not practicing what you preach, of acting as if you’re better than everyone else? Has someone ever said that they don’t come to church because they don’t want to deal with people like you? That’s a hard pill to swallow. To be labeled in the same category as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, who “shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces” (Matthew 23:13). But that’s exactly what we do when we pass judgement on others.
Understand that no one—that includes us—is without sin. Paul writes in Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” He continues later in verse 23 with, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” and then in verse 10 he continues with, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make [God] out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” We’ve got to get out of the habit of thinking that some sins are worse than others…
- Sex before marriage is worse than watching porn, because at least I didn’t do it.
- Murder is worse than cursing someone out, despite scripture saying, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
- Homosexuality is worse than adultery because they were separated anyway, and we plan on getting married, and at least we’re of the opposite sex, which is what God intended, right?
While we may feel that our sins aren’t as bad as others, it is all wrong in God’s eye. All sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2); all sin keeps us from hearing His voice. James 2:10 says if you are guilty of breaking just one part of the law, you’re guilty of breaking it all, because it all is sin against God, who told you to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). And no matter what sin we’ve committed, the penalty is still is death (Romans 6:23).
But let’s look back at Romans and talk about God’s love. That despite our being sinners, He still sent Christ Jesus to die in our place (Romans 5:8). Let’s turn to John, were He again confirms His love and His willingness to sacrifice His only Son, not to condemn us for our sins, but to save us, granting us eternal life (John 3:16-17). Let’s revisit 1 John 1:9, where he says we need only to confess those sins we’ve been trying to hide, and He will be faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let’s keep reading to Romans 3:24, where we learn that by the grace of God, we are freely made right in His sight through the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
So let’s open those same opportunities to the people we love to call “bad sinners.” In Luke 7:36-50, when the sinful woman came to Jesus and washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with perfume from her alabaster jar, Simon, the Pharisee whose home they were in, looked at her in disgust because she was a sinner and unclean and was touching Jesus. But Jesus instead gave him a parable that caused him to judge himself. In this parable we learned that those who have many sins to be forgiven in turn love much more than those who have been forgiven little.
How great is your love for Christ? Have you humbly come to him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit seeking forgiveness (Psalm 34:18; Psalm 51:17)? Are you eternally grateful for the sins He’s forgiven you of, knowing where you could have ended up if not for His love and mercy and forgiveness? Do you show that same love to others who have sinned? When asked how many times we should forgive someone who has sinned against us, Jesus answered seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:21-22), in other words, indefinitely, for He forgives us for our many wrongs (Mark 11:25). Are you proving yourself a disciple of Christ through your love for others (John 13:35), through the mercy you show?
Has Christ’s love for you revived your love for others, that you no longer look on them with judgmental eyes but with a passion to see them saved, as you were? The answer from all of us should be YES.
God Bless.
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13; NIV
Prayer of Salvation: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for your unfailing love. Thank you for loving me so much that despite all my wrongs, you still sent your Son Jesus Christ to die for me. Father, please forgive me of all my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. You said in your word that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, then I shall be saved. So right now, I do confess that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross, and that He rose again. And because of that, I am free from the penalty of my sins, because of that, I have eternal life. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving me so much that you gave your life. Fill me with that love, that I may pour it out on others, showing your love and your mercy and your forgiveness in everything that I do. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Sunday Morning Word 