On Judgement...

So I wrote this one night at three in the morning after a few incidents of extreme judgement and criticism that I had witnessed that week during the winter. I don't mean to go against peoples opinions on this subject but I feel strongly about the things I wrote.

Now, I’m not saying by any means, that I am better than anyone else, and I’m not condemning anyone and I hope that it doesn’t sound like I am, I know that I commit these follies everyday but I think I need to write this out to collect my thoughts on it because it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

A sin is a sin.

Forgiveness and love are given no matter what the sin is.

Damning and condemning anyone who commits a particular type of sin is wrong when a group of people committing a “different” sin are told they are forgiven. It’s all the same. The band Emery says “It’s all the same…With sinning hearts that make us equal”

Example, If I lie, I know that I am forgiven because I believe that Jesus died to repay all my sins (Matthew 26:28, Luke 1:77, Numbers 14;20). Sexually acting on homosexuality is a sin (Leviticus 18;22) but completely damning someone because they are homosexual is going against the basis of Christianity...which is the fact that Jesus died for our sins, not for a particular sin, or a certain category, but ALL types. I think the world, especially Christians, (especially Christians in leadership positions) need to be more accepting and loving of each other, of everyone, because we are ALL loved children of God, no matter what sin we commit.

Reaching out to those who need God’s love is important for evangelism and Christianity. Judging before even getting to know someone is not going to help them get closer to God, if anything it will push them away, or make them closed off from the idea of God because the God that is portrayed to them is a judgmental God (when God is nowhere close to being a judgmental God when it comes to people's differences)…. And that is the LAST thing we (and God) want to happen.

Like the old saying, you attract flies with honey, not vinegar.

A homosexual friend in my high school religion class said that he felt more distant from God after taking it because the priest teaching and the other students in the class were not very open to him. It hurts me when I hear about people slipping away from the Church or from God because they felt like they had been judged…by Christians.

Christ’s life was based on complete, understanding, forgiving love. As Christians, our goal should be to live as closely to his example as we can. Christ did not judge (look at his apostles, one was a liar, one was a murderer, the list goes on) he LOVED. That’s what evangelism, friendship, basically everything should be about.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” -Luke 6:37

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” –James 2:8,9

“These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:” –Proverbs 24:23

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” –Matthew 5:16

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” –Romans 12:10

I don’t mean this to sound attacking in any way, and I don’t want to offend anyone because I know that I am guilty of judgment as well, its just something that I needed to write out.
Makella