Grace vs. Judgment

Ravi Zacharias

Respect the individual while engaging the idea, so that we keep people in their equality but ideas in their hierarchy.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. --John 3:17

Why are we so quick to condemn?  Are we so insecure in our position in Christ that we must make others look or feel bad, so that we can feel good about ourselves and/or look good to others?  We must be like Jesus.  We must never hold ourselves up so that others will be like us.

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son. --John 3:18

Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." All who believe are secure in Christ, and are one with him.  Does that mean that we are all perfect? Of course not!  There are always ways in which we can improve ourselves.  There may even be opportunity to guide someone else in their quest for holiness, but in such a way that builds up, encouraging them to good works.

Paul wrote these words to the church in Colossae:  "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient."  He reminded them that these behaviors and attitudes were carried over from before they knew Christ.  "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  Nowhere in the third chapter of Colossians, where these words are recorded, did Paul ever call anybody out.  He did not name names.  Instead, he encouraged all of his readers, his friends and fellow-Christians in the church, to tear down walls, to stop being divisive, to stop the practice of spiritual one-upmanship.  "Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian (brutes, or savages, in more modern terms), slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3:11)

Keeping with the idea of spiritual molting (that is, putting off the old self, and revealing the new), Paul continues.  "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other, and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them altogether in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:12-14)  To hear some Christians today, there is only compassion with those who sin like they do; there is only kindness with those who go to their own denomination.  There is no humility.  Remember, the same blood covers my sin as covers the sins of abortion, homosexuality, adultery, pornography, or anything else that some Christians get caught up in.

There is a cryptic verse in John chapter 20 that some may be misinterpreting and misapplying.  After the Resurrections, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."  Does this mean that we can act as judge, jury and executioner over another person spiritually? I don't think so.  I have no power to forgive sin--only God can forgive.  In the same way, I have no power to condemn someone else; only God has that authority. What I think it means is that when we are so attuned to God's Spirit living within us, that we can tell who is forgiven by God, and who is not.  If God has forgiven them, then so should we.  But if they reject God, then their sins are still upon them, weighing them down and convicting them, both in their own hearts and also before God.

Scripture bids us to bear with each other, to forgive each other, and to love one another.  That is all we need do to get along peacefully in this world.