Righteous Judgment

March 14

(Luke 6:37-38 NIV) “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. {38} Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

(Luke 18:9-14 NIV) ““To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: {10} "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. {11} The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. {12} I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' {13} "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' {14} "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””

(1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NIV) “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- {10} not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. {11} But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. {12} What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? {13} God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you.””

 One of the greatest faults of the church is judging the wrong people in the wrong way. It’s a failing of the flesh in those who should be filled with the spirit of the divine. It’s amazing how those saved by grace can be so graceless toward lost people, yet remain blind to their own sins. When the church’s primary mission becomes maintaining purity, rather than loving and saving sinners, the spirit of the Pharisees has triumphed over the spirit of the cross. There are indeed times when judgments must be made, but we correct those inside, not outside the church. We start with ourselves. Even then, we minister love and preach toward conviction, not condemnation. We resist spiritual pride. We measure with grace, for that is how we want to be measured. We encourage righteousness, not self-righteousness. We strive to be rich in mercy and forgiveness. This is the Jesus way. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day