“Judge not lest you be judged,” Jesus clearly states to us in Scripture (Luke 6:37). But it’s easier said than done when we are living in an ever increasingly judgmental society.
It can seem like no big deal to join the chorus of voices who are judging others out of hand for all sorts of things they have said or done.
But as the saying goes, every time you point one finger at someone, there are usually ten fingers pointing back at you. There by the grace of God gooes each one of us. We are all sinners and we all make mistakes.
The difference for us as Christians is to replace judgment that may be welling upside of us for any given person, with forgiveness and love. Because that is how we would like to be treated if the roles were reversed.
As Luke 6:37 goes on to say, “Condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
It is not our place to condemn. That is up to God. But it is our role to forgive. And that approach will reap benefits for us when the shoe is on the other foot and we are seeking forgiveness from others.
I think of the story of the woman caught in adultery, when Jesus says to those who ready to stone her, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7).
We are all broken and in need of Christ’s mercy for whatever our failing may be, big or small. And only the cross of Christ can solve that problem.
So our role as Christians is never to point people out, but to point people to the cross. Only there can grace be found.
