Wednesday, July 22, 2015

In our last few visits we’ve discussed what Jesus had to say about judging others. As a general rule we should refrain from judging others. Two good reasons for this are, we probably do not know all the facts and on top of that, we tend to see faults in others that are areas of weakness in our own lives. But if we’re walking in the light as God is in the light, and we are having healthy fellowship with Him, 1st John 1:7 says “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” When we’re in a healthy relationship with God, with humility and grace, we need to reach out and help those we judge to be in need of corrective input. We saw Paul doing this in his letters to the church in Corinth. He also did it, as described in Galatians 2:11-14: “When Peter came to Antioch,” Paul wrote, “I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.” In Corinth it was a case of immorality. In Antioch it was a case of hypocrisy. In both cases the problem was public and needed to be dealt with publicly. Most of the time we can provide corrective input privately, but if that doesn’t work others need to become involved. Jesus gave guidelines for this in Matthew 18:15-17. When dealing with fellow believers keep in mind what Paul taught in Galatians 6:1-3, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”