Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’
Obedience Proves Your Faith
So many people call themselves Christian yet by their life they say otherwise. Cheap grace has infected the Christian church due to the fact that so many people, although they say they are believers in the Gospel of Christ, are not showing their faith by their obedience to God. The excuse they give is they say that it is done out of love.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian, said, “Only he who believes is obedient, and only he who is obedient believes.” This is a great example of what Christians are supposed to be doing when they declare their faith.
This is the same as when God tells us in James 2:18:
But some man might say, Thou hast the faith, and I have works: show me thy faith out of thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
In other words, if you say that you are a Christian what you do everyday, how you work out your faith in everyday living, should be proof that you are in deed a Christian. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, if you truly believe then you will be obedient in your service to Christ, and by your obedience you will show that you truly believe. However, so many so-called Christian choose not to be obedient because they say that they do so out of love. Love has become the all-inclusive reason for “not” being obedient to Jesus.
I love money so I will do whatever it takes to get it. I want to be with that person even if it is wrong because I love them. We don’t have to get married to have physical intimacy because we love each other. I will leave my spouse to be with another because I no longer love my spouse because I love that other person. These are just a few examples of disobedience because of love for something or someone other than Jesus.
Now I am not talking about or judging people outside of the Church as God will judge them. Who I am talking about are people who call themselves Christian but live a life of disobedience to the Word of God.
In John 14: 21 Jesus said the following:
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Jesus is very plain in saying that you truly show your love for Him by your obedience. Then He reinforces this statement with the following from verses 23 & 24:
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
The Bible is the Word of God. Christ is in the written Word. While there are commandments that were in the Old Testament that are not for today, they were only for certain individuals or for the People of Israel, there are commandments from both Testaments that we are to follow today if we are a Christian. And we are to put Jesus first in everything if we are to follow Him and show that we are true disciples. Jesus made this very clear in Luke 14: 26 & 33:
26: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
33: So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
Using love as an excuse for being disobedient to the commands of Jesus is hypocritical. Our first and greatest love is to be Jesus. All other aspects of our life is to play off of that. Anyone we say that we love, any material thing that we say we love, any emotional feeling that we say that we love, no matter what we say that we love is to be second only to Jesus. The love that we have for Him should guide us into the love that we have for anyone or anything else.
So, how about you? Do you show that you believe in Jesus, and love Him, by your obedience to Him? Do you show your obedience because you truly believe in and love Jesus? How much do you really love Jesus more than anyone or anything?
The good thing is that it is never to late to repent. So much that is being taught in the Church these days is not from the Bible but from people who either should not be in the position of leadership, or are not even a Christian themselves, and are only teaching the commands of what man says that you should be doing.
All you need to do is to read the Bible for yourself, especially the New Testament, and submit to the teaching of the Holy Spirit as you read the Word, and you will find out what it is that you should and should not be doing in your change to loving and be obedient to Jesus above all else.
Remember, Jesus said that “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word“. Do you really love Jesus more than anyone or anything? Your obedience to Jesus will be the proof of that. Please, do not use love as an excuse for being disobedient. It will not get you into Heaven.
Are You Sure Of Your Call and Election?
Many people call themselves a Christian. For many different reason they believe they are and even they who have “accepted?” Jesus as their personal Savior are sure that they are going to Heaven, even though the life they live does not show it. In Matthew 7: 21 – 23 Jesus says the following:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Now why would Jesus say this if everyone who calls Him “Lord” is saved? Is it because many people believe that because they have answered an alter call of some kind and have “accepted” Jesus as their personal Savior, and go on with their life believing that they have been forgiven and that God loves them just as they are? In most cases, Yes! The Apostle Peter knew this and in his letter (2 Peter 1: 5 – 11) the Apostle wrote the following:
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter reminds those, who say they have obtained like faith, that if you are a follower of Jesus then these characteristic should be apart of their lives. If not, they are blind and unfruitful in their knowledge of the Lord Jesus. They may not be true followers at all. For this reason Peter reminds them about this and tells them that they should make sure that the calling they say they have received is because of God’s election of them and not because of some action they took to receive salvation; to make sure that their works and actions will show their faith and that they have been cleansed from their sins. What Peter reminds these followers basically is the same thing that Jesus preached to they who were following Him while He was on the earth. Just because someone has “accepted” Jesus as their personal Savior does not necessarily prove that they are true-born again, called by God, followers of the Lord Jesus. In fact they really are not Christians, elected of God, but workers of lawlessness blinded by their unfruitful works and not realizing that their religiosity is just for show; much like what the Pharisees of the time were doing. They were relying on their works and not on what Jesus has done for them. How about you? Maybe you should take a look at your life, your works, the fruits of your salvation and to check to make sure that your life does show your call and election is sure and real. It would be a terrible thing to hear after death the words of Jesus, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Now is the time to find out the truth of your salvation. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Importance Of A Father
As I write this it is Father’s Day. It is a day to honor Dads everywhere. The importance of a Father can be found no where better than in the Bible, and no one can be a better example of a child calling on His Father than Jesus.
On the day that Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest friends, and during the night before He was crucified, knowing what was about to befall Him Jesus talked to His Father. In Mark 14 we read:
32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
In the midst of great turmoil Jesus went to the one person who He knew was the only one He could call upon and depend on for doing what was right. Even though He knew what He had to do He still cried out, “Abba, Father”. Jesus wanted His Father. He needed Him and His Father was the only one who could take away from Him what He was about to face. Yet, in the midst of all of this He knew that doing the Father’s will, and not His own, was the best course of action for Him to take. He set aside His own will to do the will of His Father and, in doing so, He did the right thing in providing forgiveness for those who would be saved from having to pay the penalty for their own sins.
In the family, the Father, or a Father figure, is still the one person that a child should, at any age, be able to count on to go to when there are troubles or problems of any kind and be helped in making the right decision; even when that decision is not the one that they want to do. We, too, can call “Abby, Father”, not only to our Earthly Father but also to our Heavenly Father to help us in time of need, knowing that if we belong to Him He will guide us in to making the decision that will be the best one for us and one that will bring glory to our Father.
When we honor our Earthly Father in doing his will, if he is teaching us Christian principles, we often find that what he has taught us is, and was, the right thing to do. How much more, then, can we expect to be guided by our Heavenly Father to do the same? When we come to realize that our Heavenly Father, the same One to Whom Jesus called “Abba”, guided Him perfectly to make the right decision, we can be assured that His will for us is just as great and is just as perfect as it was in guiding Jesus.
A family without a Father, or a Father figure, is not one that God has designed for us to be in. Realizing that there are times when a Father is not present, a Father figure should be readily available for children to call upon for guidance. If Jesus needed to call upon God the Father, calling Him “Abba”, how is it that we feel that we do not need the same for us to call upon our Earthly Father or even our Heavenly Father for guidance as well?
Before we can call upon God the Father we must first become a member of his family. The Apostle Paul knew this when he wrote in Romans 8: 15 the following:
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
When we call upon God to forgive us for our sins, realizing that our sinfulness has condemned us already to spend eternity in Hell, and to believe in Jesus as the one who died for sins and proclaim Him Lord, and believe that God the Father raised Him from the dead, it is because we have been born again into the family of God; being adopted as such and because of us receiving the Holy Spirit at the time of our rebirth, we can than call upon God the Father and, as Jesus did, call Him “Abba”, as He is now our new Father. Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except by Him (Jesus).
Every child should be guided by a Father or a Father figure, as every child and adult should be guided by God the Father. By knowing and doing His will we can understand that no matter what it is that He may want us to do we can do so with the knowledge and courage that what we are doing is the right decision to make. And, if we falter, become scared or disillusioned, we know that there is one upon Whom we can call for help. All we have to do is to just look up and cry out, “Abba, Father”!
What Defines A Christian?
If you were to ask the average Christian, “what is it about you that says you are a Christian?” most would probably talk about how they go to Church, attend Sunday School, give to missions, etc., but does this really define them as being a Christian?
I used to be that kind of Christian and I was OK with talking about how I did all of these Christianly activities. It was rare that I would talk about my relationship with Jesus or about my faith in what He did for me, and when I did it was a quick, almost embarrassingly, mention of Him. You know why I never said more about Him, if at all? Because I really had ” no ” relationship with Jesus. You see it never dawned on me that being a Christian was all about Jesus and not about me being a Christian.
It took awhile for it to become clear that being a Christian is not about my good works but about my relationship with Jesus. I even began to wonder about whether or not I even had a relationship with Jesus. You know what I discovered? I never really did have a relationship with Jesus; at least not a close one. Maybe you don’t either.
You see for someone to define me as being a Christian should not come from what I say that I do, but about what, or whom it is, that is the reason for me being a Christian in the first place. It is all about the Person upon which I base my faith and why.
My relationship with Jesus, and my faith in Him, should come through by what I say about Him and not what I say about me. The closer I get to Jesus, the stronger my faith in Him becomes and the more I am willing to talk about Him, and my life should be a living witness to His work in my life. In fact, my life should be that just by listening to what I say about Him, and the things that I do in His name, should give evidence to anyone who meets me that it would be easy for them to believe that I am a Christian.
In short, my faith in Jesus and the relationship that I have with Him should be such that it would openly define me as a Christian without me saying that I am. The closer one gets to Jesus the more they are willing to talk about Him.
In Luke 9:29 we read the following quote by Jesus:
For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his glory, and in the glory of the Father, and of the holy Angels.
How about you? Do people define you as being a Christian just by hearing about your relationship with Jesus, and the faith that you have in Him? Or, like me, you need to see that maybe you don’t even have a relationship with Jesus at all. Think of this – the strength of your faith in Him will determine how close of a relationship you have with Him. The closer your relationship the stronger your faith. So here is a quick and easy way of determining how close of a relationship you have with Jesus.
Think of the faith that you now have in Him, can the actions of your faith, in your relationship with Jesus, define you as being a Christian or are you just a Christian in name only?
It may be that you have no relationship with Jesus. If that is the answer then maybe you are not a Christian at all. It is better to find that out now and not later, after death, when it will be too late.
If you will just confess that Jesus is Lord of your life, and believe that God raised Him from the dead, is defining proof that you have been saved and are on the way of establishing a relationship with Jesus. If, however, you balk at that thought, if you feel embarrassed at the thought of publicly proclaiming that Jesus is your Lord, also is defining proof that you have no relationship with Jesus, and it may be that you are not saved at all.
Only God can show this to you and only God can open your heart to receive the truth. May this Easter season be one of raising you to new life in Jesus, just as He was raised from the dead to give life to all who have life in Him, and in experiencing the kind of loving relationship, resulting in strong faith, that only God can provide.
May your relationship with Jesus be such that others who will see you will say, “You are a Christian aren’t you.”
Have We All Mis-Understood John 3:16?
We have heard it time and again that God loves everybody, but does He do so literally or figuratively? How the Bible explains it is what we should believe to be the truth.
Basically, the idea that God loves everyone comes from what we read in John 3:16, which says:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The first part is from where the idea comes that God loves everyone. Specifically from the word “world”, for God so loved the “world”. Does this mean that it is talking about everyone, every single being, who has or ever will live?
From Strong’s Concordance we read the following concerning the word “world” as used in John 3:16:
κόσμος
kosmos
kos’-mos
Probably from the base of G2865; orderly arrangement, that is, decoration; by implication the world (in a wide or narrow sense, including its inhabitants, literally or figuratively [morally]): – adorning, world.
We do see the word “inhabitants” so it could mean each individual, if that is something about which Jesus was talking. Remember, Jesus had been talking to a Pharisees named Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews. the Pharisees and all of the Jewish people believed that God’s love, or God’s favor, was only for the descendants of Israel; the Israelites called the Jews.
During the conversation Jesus was talking about the need for being born again and that all who look to Him would be saved and have everlasting light. Nicodemus was only thinking that Jesus was talking about the Jewish people but Jesus had to remind him that this salvation, this eternal life, was for anyone regardless of their race, creed, religion or color. In other words, the offer of eternal life was for anyone, any inhabitant of the world, and Jesus was talking in a figurative way, not literally. Here’s why.
In John 12 we read the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, what we call Palm Sunday. Many people were celebrating as Jesus was coming into town and the Pharisees saw what was happening. They knew about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and that He was starting to gather a great following. Finally , in John 12:19 we read the following:
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”
Again, the same word for “world” was used here. If the word “kosmos” in John 3:16 meant everyone, all individuals, then it should mean the same thing here, but it doesn’t. All it means here is the same as what it means in John 3:16, that it is talking about people of all kinds, that Jews and Gentiles alike, in general terms, were starting to follow Jesus. It did not mean that everyone was following Jesus because they were not, but many people of all kinds – who were in the world – were starting to become followers of Jesus
To support all of this, there are verses that talk about whom it is that Jesus does love. We’ll take a look a couple of them and you will be able to see that John 3:16 does not talk about individuals but people in general, that is Jews and Gentiles alike from all walks of like. Anyone can be born again and given eternal life and that it is these people who we will see are the ones whom God loves.
In John 13:1 we read the following:
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
In this verse we see that the word “world” is the same word used in John 3: 16, but what we see different is that this verse speaks specifically who it was that Jesus loved while in this world (kosmos). The verse says that Jesus had loved his own who were in the world (kosmos), not everyone, but only His own.
Now in John 14:21-24 we read the following as more supporting verses about who it is that Jesus will love:
21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
Do you see it? They who love Jesus and obey Him are the ones whom He will love and they are the only ones whom the Father will love, and they will make themselves known only to them. In addition, another follower asks Jesus why does He make Himself known only to them and not to the world? Again, the word “world” (kosmos) is the same word found in John 3:16. In fact this is so important that Jesus again says that “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him.”
Jesus is very specific in saying that the only ones whom He, and the Father, will love are they who love Them. And this means that anyone in the “world” (kosmos) no matter who they are, what their color, race, creed are, whether male, female, young, old or in between they are all given this offer.
Still not convinced? Let us look at one more verse. Actually what I would like for you to read is John 17. This is where Jesus gives His great high priestly prayer for all of His followers. Specifically, however, I would like for you to read the following from John 17:20 – 23:
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
Very clearly Jesus prays for all who will believe and follow Him, and what He asks is for the “world” (kosmos) in general to know that God the Father loves all who will follow Jesus just as the Father loves the Son. Basically what Jesus is asking is for all unbelievers to know that God loves all believers of Jesus – they who follow Him.
In all of these verses, and there are more, what is specific is that God loves anyone, no matter from where they come or who they are, who will follow Jesus and be born again into the family of God.
So, have we all mis-understood John 3:16? The answer is an absolute “yes”…
However, the one thing that you should know is this. Whether or not you believe what the Bible says or what some preacher says, this one thing is very clear. It is not the verse where Jesus says, “For God so loved the world (kosmos)” upon which that we should focus… No, what follows next is the most important thing that Jesus says in John 3:16.
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
If you do not believe in Jesus, have bowed the knee to Him and proclaimed Him to be Lord, and believe that He was raised from the dead, it does not matter what you believe about who God loves, if “you” do not believe “you” will be among those who will perish and you will not have everlasting life.
You may know John 3:16 but do you know John 3:35 & 36:
35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
My friend, believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved. Then, and only then, will you be able to truly say, according to the scriptures that we have seen and read, that you are among those whom Jesus and the Father loves. For God so loved “me”… Now that is nice, and that is only for the believer in Jesus. More importantly it is also scriptural…
What Do You Celebrate At Christmas?
If you celebrate Christmas without Jesus, then what are you celebrating?
Now I may put up a decorated tree and some decorations outside but I do so just for fun. However, I could just as easily not have any decorations and I would still be just as happy. Know why? Because I don’t need any of these trappings to remind me about whom it is who came into the world to deliver me from having to pay the penalty for my sins. You see, I celebrate the person of Christ and not the holiday.
So, I don’t need to know when Jesus was born. It really isn’t important as that date then would become something more meaningful than the fact of Jesus Himself. You see, more emphasis would be put on the holiday and all of the trappings that come with it than on the person of the holiday itself. Much like it already has.
Think about it. What is more important to you Christmas or Jesus? Do you really need the colored lights or the decorated tree to worship Jesus, let alone the shopping, the stress and the debt? When was the last time that you bowed down before Jesus just to let Him know how grateful you are that at some point in time past He did come to earth, to become one of us and to put Himself in the place of a sinner (you) to deliver you from suffering the consequences of the wrongs “you” have committed?
Celebrating Christmas is not important at all. Celebrating the Savior is, and that is something you can do any time you want. You really don’t need one special day in which to do so. All God wants is for you to bow the knee before Jesus, admit your sinfulness and ask for forgiveness. Then it’s just a matter of confessing that Jesus is Lord and by faith believe that He died for you and rose again from the dead to give you eternal life and you, too, will be able to celebrate Jesus anytime that you want.
One day a year will not be that important anymore because it will have no true meaning. Celebrating Jesus is everlasting and receiving Him is receiving the best gift that you will ever have, for it is lasting, it is eternal, and it will never spoil or fade away.
So, this year don’t just celebrate a meaningless day. Instead celebrate the Savior who can make every day meaningful. You can do so just by celebrating Jesus.
Who Is The One Person Whom You Should Fear?
Do you know who the one person is that I fear the Most??? ME!
You see, I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for the will to do good is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
What a terrible man I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—Only Jesus can!
The problem is that all of us fit into this category. If you want to see the one person whom “you” should fear and who can keep you from going to Heaven… just look into a mirror.
Remember, the only one who can save you from the one whom you see in the mirror is Jesus. For Christ Jesus came into the world to save people like me and people like you. Whoever calls upon Jesus will be saved…
Truth Shall Make You Free
If you are not a Christian, do you know that you are a slave?
You see, we are all born with a sin nature. As such, we are a slave to this nature and committing sins becomes common place. Unfortunately, being in this state, a slave to sin, makes our eternal destiny to be in the Lake of Fire… Hell!
Knowing this, God has made a way for us to be saved from spending eternity in Hell and it is a simple piece of truth to which He gives us an understanding, and with this understanding we are set free from being a slave to sin and we become born a new into the Kingdom of God.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, we read in verses 30 thru 36:
30 ¶ As he spake these things, many believed in him.
31 [r]Then said Jesus to the Jews which believed in him, If ye continue in my word, ye are verily my disciples,
32 And shall know the truth, and the truth shall [s]make you free.
33 [t]They answered him, We be [u]Abraham’s seed, and were never bond to any man: why sayest thou then, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily I say unto you, that whosoever commiteth sin, is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever.
36 If that Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
In verse 32 Jesus tells us that once we know the truth we will be set free. However, many do not know what He meant by saying “know the truth”; what truth? Again, it takes God to give us understanding in this and, if you can understand what Jesus tells us in verse 36 you will be set free;
36 If that Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Do you understand what He is saying? The truth is this – it takes Jesus to set you free. That’s it. You cannot do this on your own, and no one else can do this for you. If Jesus does not set you free from being a slave to sin you will never be free. Jesus is the only way to being saved, the only way to being set free from being a slave to your sin nature so that you can abide in the House of God.
It is that simple. You are born with a sin nature and, as such, you are a slave to sin destined to spend eternity in Hell. In order to be set free from being a slave to sin Jesus must do all of the work that is necessary in order to break the chains that bind you and to bring you into the family of God.
Do you believe this? Have you called upon Jesus to save you, to forgive you for you sinfulness? Have you confessed that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead? If you can say “YES” then you have been set free because you know the truth, the truth that you need to know and understand in order to be set free.
It takes Jesus to give you understanding into this truth and, having done so, you will have been set free. You are no longer a slave to sin. You are now a child of God and a disciple of Jesus, and by abiding in His Word you will be showing that you have been set free and you now belong to God.
Simple truth, simple freedom… Jesus saves.
Should Christians Judge Non-Christians?
How many times have you pointed out a sin with which someone is involved only to be told something like, “who are you to judge me”, or “remember, the bible tells us that we should not judge another”. Is judging others, especially non-Christians, something Christians should be doing?
In response, I would always use the verses from James 5: 19, 20 to show that it is OK to point out sin in others:
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
This would seem to say that it is OK to point out the sins of others. Otherwise, how else could you turn someone from the errors of their ways? Well, I’ve discovered that there is more to this than James 5.
Recently, while reading through 1 Corinthians, I came across a verse that I’ve read numerous times but it never jumped off of the page as it did this particular time. The verse about which I’m talking is from 1 Co. 5: 12, 13 which reads:
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges.”
Did you catch it? I did, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Paul is asking the people in the church at Corinth “why are you judging those who are outside the church (non-Christians). Leave them alone as God will judge them. it is very clear that Paul here is teaching that Christians should not be judging non-Christians. We are to leave that to God.
So, when you put this together with what James stated, as we read above, only those in the church, they whom we call Christians, are the ones who we should be judging in the sense of letting them know what God has said about the matter and then to bring them back into the fold once they see their sin and repent of it. That is also taught in 1 Corinthians 5, and that is what Paul is telling us. Leave it to God to do the judging of non-Christians.
The answer then to the question of “Should Christians Judge Non-Christians” is an emphatic ” NO “! The reason for this, in addition to what we are taught by Paul, through the Holy Spirit, is that non-Christians will not and cannot understand the spiritual things of God.
Take for example 1 Co. 2: 14
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Here we are told that the natural man, who is a non-Christian, will not and cannot understand the spiritual things of God. So, we can talk to them until we are blue in the face, so to speak, and they will never accept what we are saying. This is something that used to drive me crazy because to me it was so simple and I would get so upset that the one to whom I was talking would not accept what I was saying. Now I know why… Simply put they cannot do so without the Holy Spirit working in them to give them understanding.
More importantly Jesus makes this even more clear as to why non-Christians will not and cannot understand what we are talking about when we specifically point out their sin, and they will even get angry and argue or fight with us in the process of rejecting what we are saying.
In the Gospel of John 8 we see Jesus talking with The Pharisees and they are constantly asking Him who was He? The response of Jesus in answering them is very telling. They do not understand all that He is saying and He even tells them why they cannot.
First, in verses 42 and 43 Jesus says this:
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.”
You see, Jesus plainly tells them that the reason they do not understand what He is saying is because they are no able to listen to His word. Then He goes on to tell them why.
In verses 45 through 47 Jesus tells them:
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
In simple words, Jesus tells them that they do not belong to God, basically they are non-Christians, and because of that they cannot hear God’s words – “you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
Again, in John 10 Jesus is talking with the Jewish leaders and they ask Him in verse 24:
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Pointedly they have asked Him if He truly was the Christ and He answers them in verses 25 through 27 that He has already told them, they didn’t believe Him and Jesus even tells them “why” they don’t believe Him.
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
What Jesus tells them is that He has already answered them and the reason they will not and cannot believe Him is because they do not belong to them; they are non-Christians.
This now brings us back to the question of “Should Christians Judge Non-Christians”? And the answer is “NO”…
Not only will they not believe what you will say but they cannot believe what you will say because they do not belong to God. They are non-Christians and they will not hear nor understand anything you tell them of a spiritual nature.
Now judging non-Christians and sharing the gospel are two different actions. Pointing out specific sin in others who are non-Christians is something that Christians should “not” do, but sharing the gospel and explaining what sin is will be the beginning of the path for non-Christians to follow which will lead them to Christ.
Leave the judging of non-Christians to God. In doing so we can trust in this:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
1 Corinthians 4: 5
Riff's Christian Journal 