What is judgment? There are basically two occasions in which the bible talks about judgment. One we are to do and one we are not to do. There is a righteous kind of judgment we are supposed to exercise—with careful discernment (John 7:24). When Jesus told us not to judge (Matthew 7:1), He was telling us not to judge hypocritically. Matthew 7:2-5 declares, "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?"
It's my opinion that unless you have the first one figured out, you need to be very wary of the second one. What I'm starting to hear among the faithful is that they now have the ability to confront others on their sins because they are able to discern when to 'judge' the sins of others as opposed to confronting the sin in their own life and keeping balance between the two. Granted, there are times that sins have to be confronted and other's actions should be questioned. Frankly, I think very few of us have figured out how to balance judment, but if you have, good for you. I guess my point isn't that we shouldn't confront sin, but it's how we confront it and how we shoul keeping check our intentions in bringing up the sins of others.
I said to start this that it was something I have always struggled with. I come across as very judgmental when it comes to the sins of others. But I'm also very judgmental when it comes to those that think it's their duty to mention the sins of others. In other words, I can do it, but you can't. So I have been looking for some answers to this. How does God judge? How does He want us to judge; both our sins and the sins of others?
The verse I read was Acts 26: 12-16
12-14"One day on my way to Damascus, armed as always with papers from the high priests authorizing my action, right in the middle of the day a blaze of light, light outshining the sun, poured out of the sky on me and my companions. Oh, King, it was so bright! We fell flat on our faces. Then I heard a voice in Hebrew: 'Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me? Why do you insist on going against the grain?'
15-16"I said, 'Who are you, Master?'
"The voice answered, 'I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I've handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what's happened today, and to what I am going to show you.
Doesn't seem like much of a verse really except that this is the moment when the guy that wrote most of the New Testament became a believer. So, it was kind of a big deal. Now this was part of Saul, now Paul's, testimony to King Agrippa. He was explaining to the king how he got where he was and the things he had done. What did Paul do while he was still Saul? Here's what he says earlier in the chapter.
9-11"I admit that I didn't always hold to this position. For a time I thought it was my duty to oppose this Jesus of Nazareth with all my might. Backed with the full authority of the high priests, I threw these believers—I had no idea they were God's people!—into the Jerusalem jail right and left, and whenever it came to a vote, I voted for their execution. I stormed through their meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man terror obsessed with obliterating these people. And then I started on the towns outside Jerusalem.
What struck me as I read through these verses was the manner in which God dealt with Saul regarding his sin. After knocking him to his knees he questions him in a manner that basically says, 'dude, what is your deal'? Saul naturally asks, 'what are you talking about and who are you'. God says, 'I'm the one your jacking with'. Now, I would think this would be a great time for God to really lower the boom on Saul. I mean he could go through the whole list of things that Saul has done to spite Him and mock Him and even kill those who believe in Him and let Saul know that it was wrong and he's no longer able to associate with God. But this doesn't happen. I almost read a pause after Jesus says, 'I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down like an animal'. There had to be a pause and let that soak in a bit for Saul.
Has your bluff ever been called? Have you ever bitten off more than you can handle? Saul did. I'm sure he was on his knees going, 'oh crap. This isn't how I thought this would go. He's going to kill me and that will be that.' But no. Jesus says, 'But NOW, up on your feet- I have a job for you.' Saul had to be saying, 'what? that's it?' (in the actual story found earlier in Acts, Saul is blind for 3 days, so there is a bit more to the story). Notice the verse later where Paul says,
"What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn't just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot. I started preaching this life-change—this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life—right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.
That phrase has stuck with me now for 3 weeks. 'But NOW, up on your feet- I have a job for you'. I have taken that as Jesus saying, 'THAT part of your life is over and we've talked about it.... time to move on big boy and do something for me.'
We don't handle the sins of others with such grace do we? Oh no. We must remind them constantly of how they wronged us or others. It's not enough to say, 'hey what's up with that?' And after it's been confessed or dealt with, to simply move on and love them or yourself just seems 'too easy'. Surely they must kiss my hand or mow my yard or pay me some money or..... something. We can't just say 'Hey, that was then, this is now.... let's move on'. You messed up but it's all good now.''
I'm probably way off base in how I'm reading this but you know what? I don't care. I'm at a point in my life where I need to be able to hear Jesus say, 'But NOW, up on your feet- I have a job for you.' I'm at a point where the things I've done and the mistakes I've made need to be left on the Damascus road and I need to move on to whatever God has for me. I've wronged Him and I've wronged others and even myself in the past; time to move on. Have you been wronged? Have you watched someone sin and just thought it was your job to point it out to them? Be careful with that. You may find yourself on a road one day and this Jesus fella knocks you to your knees and asks you to look at Him and yourself, no one else. It's amazing what a little grace shown can do for someone.
Make sure you hear what He has for you. He gives you the opportunity to admit what you've done, confront it and then leave it behind and move on to 'the job' that lies ahead. That's good news people... that is the Gospel.
