Practice of Non-Judgement

The Practice of Non-Judgment


In response to two specific questions directed at me last week, regarding the individual Christians’ response to sin in others I am offering this essay. Since you mentioned the passage of where Jesus indicates the hypocrisy of attempting to remove the speck from a brothers eye while we have a beam in our own I did not include that.

The perception of religion in general and Christianity in particular is one of the pronouncements of judgment. We need not look hard to find examples it goes from the extremes of the likes of the Fred Phelps ilk, those pseudo Christians who’s one mission in life is to preach hate and bigotry in the name of a vengeful god, or the pious young preacher looking down his nose at an elderly couple who have found love, support and companionship in their latter years because they haven’t said or done it in exactly the “prescribed” manner.

Is not the Bible full of examples of the fearful judgment of God and of His devotees? Absolutely it does. I was asked two questions that as I considered them I realized that at the root of both was the issue of judgment, and the response of Christians to sin by others.

In general one has to view the Bible in a developmental perspective; that is a text compile by multiple authors over a period 1200-1400 years. We clear see the development of the Jewish religion and their concept and understanding of God historically, for example in Deuteronomy when God commands Israel to totally annihilate the Canaanites certainly not the character of God as revealed by Jesus Christ, how else can one explain that other than the zeitgeist (spirit and culture of that day) in a tribal and warrior culture one would expect their god to call for the destruction of their enemy without question. This is not an isolated example, but it demonstrates that we must interpret the Bible from a developmental perspective. That the revelation from God, its effect on man and mans understanding of God is progressive. With the appearance of Christ we see the New Testament covering a relatively short period of time (approximately 100 years) so historical elements are limited to the life of Jesus and early church development. The unique nature of Christ give insight into the nature of God that I would place greater weight, than that of a warrior king battling his enemies for survival in the ninth century BC.

Am I discounting Devine inspiration, absolutely not, let’s consider briefly (I plan on writing more on this later) a couple of possibilities related to inspiration. I think it is accurate to say that most Christians believe that while God inspired the scriptures the process was not a direct dictation form, but rather both Paul and Peter affirm that Holy men were moved by the Holy Spirit. Yet we also see the distinct and separate personalities of the various writers, so by a developmental perspective I mean that we need to realize particularly in the Old Testament the progressive development of our (collective) concepts of God. I took this time as much of the supporting judgments related to marriage (or lack thereof) and homosexuality is pulled from the Old Testament.

Now to the question of judgment of “sin” in others in this matter I look to Jesus, no one else was or has been in this unique position, of being without sin and therefore in a position to judge. We see Jesus in the majority of times where he is actively judging individuals it is predominately related to the orthodox church of the day that is the Jewish religious leaders; in fact he consistently condemned them (something Christians need to consider related to their own religious orthodoxy)in fact one criticism they made was that Jesus hung out with the sinners, and in fact he did. There is no indication Jesus condoned sin, in fact he tells several to go and sin no more, that’s it no condemnation not scourging as he did the hypocritical religious leaders. We are told that in the same manner that we judge others we will ourselves be judged, this should be a sobering thought.

The parable of the lost sheep tells us that God will pursue the very last single lost sheep and restore them to the fold. It is the Holy Spirit that moves and speaks to the hearts and soul of men and women I trusts God will lead them closer to him, those that seek will find, that knock it will be opened, and last those that find the truth will be set free. Christians should remember the gospel that Jesus Christ redeemed all mankind to God and that mankind is no longer alienated from God. Those messages of love is the gospel, the good news, convey that message and as individuals draw near to God and learn to live in the fullness of divinity in all of us the issue of individual sin dissolves as we experience the full potential of Devine life God intends through Christ. This takes place in each individual’s heart, and will never (can never) happen as a result of the law.

I hope this answers your questions

Let me close with this passage from 1 Corinthians 13.8-13 NIV

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.