2008-11-14
Good Morning Dear Ones,
There is a principle that applies only to the Bible, the written word of God. It is that Scripture never contradicts Scripture; instead, it often explains it. This may seem like a dogmatic statement, and I must repeat that such a principle doesn’t apply to any other book, except the Bible. Hand in hand with this is that if we are reading and interpreting Scripture, it must never be taken out of context. In other words, context is king. It’s on that basis that belief systems, which do take Scriptures out of context or that only focus on one or a few of the Bible’s 66 books, are not taking what God is saying in a totally truthful way. These bold statements are given to me by the Holy Spirit, and I will stand by them. Having said all of that, I will further testify to my belief that the words of EPH 4: 15-16 are as good as gold in our witnessing, service to God, or any other interactions with other humans. “Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, Who is the Head. Under His control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.”
Now, getting back to the subject of judging, we must deal with that knotty question: When should we judge and when not? The answer to it lies within our selves. 1) To begin, we need to examine ourselves prayerfully and humbly for any evidence of hypocrisy. God is right here to help us do that. PS 139: 1-4, “Lord, You have examined me and You know me. You know everything I do; from far away You understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I am working or resting; You know all my actions. Even before I speak, You already know what I will say.” Yes, Dear Ones, we must begin with prayer. This has to be prayer with a heart open to whatever response God gives us, even if it is telling us to uncover subtle sins of which we are not aware, or some kind rebuke. God really does know the content of our hearts and motives. PS 139: 23-24, “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way.” How do I know this is the right approach? Consider PS 37: 5,”Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it, and He will.”
God’s task is never to tear down people, but instead if possible, to restore and rebuild them. 2) Where at all possible, restore and build up others, not condemn them. Immediately, we must remember RO 14: 13, “So then, let us stop judging one another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make your brother stumble or fall into sin.” This needs to be put in context. God is not saying, “don’t make judgments.” Instead, He is saying, “don’t be judgmental.” There is a difference. On routine matters, we must make judgments. Should I appoint this person to this position, or another person?, for example. Or Do I need to skip going out to lunch today, because I have too much work? That is not being judgmental. On the other hand, jumping to conclusions about a person when you don’t know them or all the circumstances well is being judgmental. Taking another person’s opinion about a third person without getting to know that third person yourself is being judgmental. In my own experience, I can remember my age-mates in elementary school being very mean and judgmental toward a skinny lad with blond hair and freckles, because he was gawky and didn’t look normal when he walked. I got to know this young man and later was told that he had a mild case of cerebral palsy. His mind and heart were very normal; he could feel sorrow and do arithmetic problems as well as anyone else. But, his gait and physical motion would probably never be normal. We all know how cruel young people in the schoolyard can be. Ideally, our interactions should have built up this lad’s self-esteem, not tear it down and condemn him.
A Christian who doesn’t walk in the Spirit will walk in the flesh. The way our Lord cuts through all the layers of sophistication and foolish pride that we have is to lay it on the line, as He does in GA 5: 16-17, “What I say is this; let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.” How many of us have rushed to judgment of others and tried to build up our own self-esteem at the expense of another person? We have all been guilty of this at one time or another. Only Christ Himself is an Exception. 3) Have an absence of self-righteousness in our attitude, which is necessary as we interact with others. This is essential to learning how to make necessary and accurate judgments.
As a leader or in any circumstance where we are called upon to make a judgment, we must have the self-discipline and show the self-control to remain calm and to look at ourselves first in manner already discussed. Remember that self-control, patience, and love are some of the fruits of the Spirit [GA 5: 22-23]. We must also consider that our decisions and actions may have a profound effect on the lives of others. All too often we don’t think first about that, asking “what are the possible consequences of my saying this or doing that?” Now, that’s food for thought.
PRAYER: O Lord, how naïve and immature we can be in our faith, when we refuse to take You at Your word! As we look back over our lives, we can see our faulty interactions and our examples of not doing this. GA 6: 1-2, “My Brothers, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted too. Help carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.” When we see both of these verses together, we can see the necessity of preparing ourselves first to deal with the situation and not just going into it head on. Making judgments on how to approach a spiritually dangerous situation isn’t easy, but with God’s help, it can be done. Yes, there is a fine line between making godly judgments and being judgmental, one over which we shouldn’t step. Dearest Abba, You are to be praised and thanked for Your faithfulness and Your infinite wisdom. That You share then with us is such a blessing! Yet, we know we must come to You first in prayer and listen intently with open hearts to Your direction. PS 37: 23-24, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” You give us impetus to make righteous, not self-righteous judgments. JAS 5: 19-20, “My brothers, if one of you wanders away from the truth and another once brings him back again, remember this; whoever turns a sinner back from his wrong way will save that sinner’s soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” My Father, You are a caring and compassionate God, who forever deserves our praise and thanks. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.
Next week, the Holy Spirit instructs me to write about Christ’s refusal to sin and, if space permits, about the question: Are our hearts teachable? All these principles discussed today are so helpful in keeping us on the right track when we are extracting what God intended from the Scriptures. Human fleshly and sinful desires would lead to placing Scripture out of context, to going to human sources over God Himself to understand what is being said [PR 3: 5-6], and to teaching false doctrine [lies]. That is why God built a system for us in our study toward understanding, wisdom, and deep-seated faith in what He has given us [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. It seems logical for us to approach the Bible with study and meditation of the Scripture or passage itself, study of the cross-references to it, and only as a last resort, the help of a reliable commentary. With use of this approach, God will fill your heart with joy, His wisdom, His protection against false teaching, and His love. We must remember that through the Atonement of His Son on the cross, those willing to repent and come to faith are saved, no ifs, ands, or buts [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. As if salvation weren’t enough, the new believer is given justification [acceptance by God] and the gift of the Holy Spirit [God’s own Spirit Who teaches us to understand His word, is conscience, and Who helps us in times of trouble to focus on God]. We are then encouraged to grow and mature in our faith [HE 5: 13-14]. Yes, as believers in Jesus Christ, we have been given the greatest gifts of all from our God, Who will always love us. Praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn