It’s easy to find fault in others.
News flash: It is just as easy to find good in them.
It’s the political season so we could look at one of my favorite targets as of late, Mr. Donald Trump, for an illustration of this problem.
Some common negative observations I’ve heard from some of our foremost and illustrious national religious leaders are as follows:
- He has been married/divorced numerous times and has been very promiscuous
- Made some of his money gambling and was involved with dubious business deals
- He is coarse and regularly uses profanity and vulgarities
- Publicly stated that he has not asked for forgiveness
The list is longer, but you get the picture. As Christians should we focus on this line of thinking? Or should we consider that:
- He has never smoked cigarettes, taken drugs or tasted alcohol
- His family including his ex-wives and especially his kids love him immensely and he loves them
- He did a splendid job raising his kids who are all successful, educated at the finest schools, and follow him in not drinking and drugging
- He gives away millions to charity
Hmmm . . . Before we answer we might want to consider what’s on our list? Do we have any sins?
The Bible states in Romans 3:23 – “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”.
Gulp!
I’m often been asked if I believe that Trump is a believer. I admit I’ve thought about it often, but try not to because I don’t know his heart. With all due respect I’m not God.
I read somewhere that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are three things that we do not know:
- We do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin.
- We do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her.
- We do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances
Only God knows such things and He is the only judge. Thus when a believer in Jesus Christ decides to evaluate someone’s character, it kind of reminds me of eating fish. Eat the fish and spit the bones out. Before anyone with intelligence eats fish they are aware that bones will likely be present; however there’s no use in missing out on a great meal just because of a few bones here and there.
We know that according to the Bible everyone sins, but should that deter us from benefitting from the good. Remember if we look hard enough we will find fault in everyone, including ourselves. The same thing happens when we earnestly look for good.
God made it easy for us. He has taken on the unenviable task of judging. We are instructed to love God with all of our hearts soul and Spirit and second to that to love others in equal fashion.
Jesus Christ was preaching to the crowds on the Mount of Olives and addressed the subject of judging quite eloquently.
Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Jesus hated the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious leaders of His time, (and the ones of our times as well). His warning against judging others was primarily aimed at those who thought they were superior to others. Listen to this stern message:
Matthew 23:25-28 –”Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness . . . ”
Jesus told us that we should get our own houses in order before we criticize others. Maybe some of these highly esteemed self-righteous modern day religious leaders should study this message.
It’s funny how folks look at others. A certain Bishop Potter had an experience that illustrated this rather poignantly. “He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners.
When he went on board, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him. He immediately went to see the accommodation’s clerk and asked if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship safe.
He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he’d been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth and judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person.
The clerk agreed to lock up his valuables and then wryly remarked, ‘It’s all right, bishop, I’ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been up here and left his for the same reason!'”
Christians are often accused of being judgmental. So should we refuse to share the warnings in the Bible?
What most people consider to be judgmental is merely telling others what the Bible says is unacceptable behavior. That is not judgmental.
Christians tell others what the Bible says about certain behavior because we are commanded to do so, so that others may lead morally acceptable lives.
However,
- We are specifically commanded not to judge the behavior of individuals for whom we do not have absolute certainty of the truth regarding their actions.
- The Christian Church is to remove sin from within its own ranks first and foremost before condemning the actions of outsiders.
The Pharisees confronted Jesus about the adulteress caught in the act. Their law demanded she be stoned. They took the matter to Jesus Christ as recorded in John 8:1-11:
“Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?’ Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. And from now on, sin no more.”
The only perfect person who never sinned was Jesus Christ, (in spite of what some in the church might think).
Righteous Almighty God must punish sin, and make no mistake that punishment is death. Romans 6:23
The good news is that Jesus paid that price on the cross Romans 5:8 states: Christ died for us while we were sinners and paid that price. We need to take advantage of His loving grace today . . . We should love Him as He loved us and then love our neighbors, (even if they have imperfections), in similar fashion.
God knows we sin, but He loves us anyway. Dear Lord let Jesus take the lead in my life whereby I can love others in spite of their sins.
John 3:16
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
June 27 2016 – Click here to listen