Refusing To Condemn People Even When They Deserve It

If you are a Christian, and committed to your faith, I’m sure you are doing your best to live a godly life. Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15).

But there is a danger that those who love the Lord, and who strive to live a life worthy of Him, have all-too-often fallen into. That potential trap is indicated in the following verses:

BibleTitus 3:2-3 (NKJV) to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.

How many times do we look at the lives of people around us, family members or coworkers on the job, and criticize them savagely because of the ungodly lifestyle they are living? When we feel that urge, Scripture says, be careful! We have no right to condemn another person for their ungodly behavior, because we used to be just like them.

True, we may not have committed their particular sins; we may not have used illegal drugs, or had children out of wedlock, or been too lazy to go out and find a job. But, in whatever way our rebellion against God and His righteous standards manifested itself, we too were once just as foolish, disobedient, and deceived as the person we feel so justified in criticizing.

It’s not that Scripture is saying we must not correct our loved ones for their off-center behavior. Many times correcting someone who is living dangerously is the most loving thing we can do. But when we do correct them, we must do it by speaking the truth, but only in a gentle, loving and supportive way (Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:15).

We must recognize that it is only the grace of God – His unconditional love that favored us when we had absolutely nothing good to offer Him – that has lifted us out of our own pits of darkness and destruction, and into the light of Christ.

So the next time you get ready to harshly criticize and condemn and talk negatively about the way someone else is living … STOP!

When we allow ourselves to speak evil of others, we become the ones who are falling into ungodly behavior.

Ron Franklin

 

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2 Responses to Refusing To Condemn People Even When They Deserve It

  1. vnktchari says:

    Good message. One should point to himself, before pointing to other person.

  2. pastorronf says:

    Thanks, vnktchari. I think this is one of the hardest lessons for many of us to apply.

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