Luke 6:37-42 (KJV) Says, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye."
Jesus in the above passage of scripture is addressing the issue of our judging and condemning one another. He warns us that what we give out is what we get back in return. He also warns against behaving as though we sit above others and can judge them with condemnation. The power to condemn someone is Gods and Gods alone. When Jesus uses the term perfect He is referring to one being knowledgeable regarding instruction and teaching, when passing information on to another; not perfect as in sinless. There are no perfect human beings. Romans 3:23 (KJV) Says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Jesus states that we must remove the beam, which is a rafter used in a building, out of our own eye before removing the mote, which is a small speck of sawdust or straw out of our brother's eye. Jesus uses the beam to represent a large fault, and the mote to represent a small fault. By using the terms beam and mote, and the phrase blind leading the blind, Jesus is pointing out that we should conduct a self-inventory, and address our own faults and weaknesses prior to pointing out to others the faults we see in them, if we desire to be effective. Jesus tells us that to ignore our own faults, and move forward pointing out faults in others is to be a hypocrite. Do as I say, and not as I do has never been, nor will it ever be, an effective testimony in encouraging others to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I don't think any of us want to stand before God on judgment day and explain why we lived as a hypocrite who condemned others, in lieu of following the instructions given to us in God's word on how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
As witnesses for Jesus Christ we need to follow the example He set for us, and that example is well documented in God's Word. When Jesus went about teaching among non-believers He didn't do it in a condemning way. To follow the example He set for us is to practice love, patience, kindness, mercy, understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and all things good. When we approach a non-believer in a judgmental and condemning way we are doing more harm than good in most instances. When we behave like this, there's a high risk of running people further away from the Lord. Many will look at a self-proclaimed Christian behaving in a judgmental, condemning manner, and decide that if that's how Christians behave they want no part of it. If we approach someone in love, with compassion, understanding, and kindness, they are more apt to listen and more apt to want the joy, divine peace and contentment they see in us. The way we live our lives is a huge part of our testimony, and it speaks volumes as to what accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior has done for us.
With that said, I'm not implying that we should stand by as someone commits a sin and behave as though we approve, or that God approves. The point is we must work on our own faults and correct them prior to approaching others regarding their faults and suggesting how they can correct them. As Christians we need to hold one another accountable for behaviors that we recognize in one another that do not fit who we are as followers of Christ. It is, however, imperative that we do this with love, compassion, and understanding, not with judgment and condemnation.
I urge you to conduct a self-examination immediately, and begin working on the issues that need addressing in your life. Pull the beam out of your eye, and prepare to head out into the world ready to help your brother remove the mote from his. Make a conscience effort to be the best Christian example you can be causing others to desire what you have. Witness to others in love and kindness, demonstrating through your behavior, what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you
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