I want to share with you the most quoted verse in the Bible. I imagine you can audibly hear John 3:16 going through your mind right now. It is the golden text of the Bible, and I truly wish John 3:16 was the verse I most often hear but it's not. It's Matthew 7:1, "judge not, that ye be not judged". This verse has been taken out of context to condone some of the most vile and outrageous sins of our society.
Recently, a transgender person was named the winner of a NCAA swimming competition. A transgender person is someone who was born one sex and then decides they want to be another sex, so they begin psychological changes, surgeries, and hormone replacement injections. All trying to be something they are not. From the beginning God created us male and female, yes God did this with His infinite wisdom from the first two human beings.
The swimming competition was a ladies event, but a man who claimed he was a woman was allowed to compete as a woman against other women, and was declared the winner. Notice I have not said, he won, and he is a he, not a her. This has caused quite a stir, and it's wrong and unfair in so many ways. For those who oppose this new wave of anything goes liberals, they are quickly condemned with "judge not '' Jesus loves everyone.
It's true Jesus does love everyone, but is pointing out harmful behavior judging people? In the same chapter as Jesus said, judge not, He also said you can tell a tree by the fruit it bears, a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit and a good tree brings forth good fruit. He concludes His sermon with "wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them". I can see evil and speak of it without judging a person, Jesus did, the apostles did, and Christians throughout the years have done it to preserve our society.
Righteousness will exalt a nation but sin is a reproach. A nation will erode and rot from the inside and fall lifeless on the battlefield of tolerance if the common morals of the sacred scriptures are forsaken. When Jesus said don't judge people, He was telling us not to be judge, jury, and executioner. I cannot tell you why a person does something nor am I to condemn them to hell for their actions, motive and punishment is in God's hands not mine or yours.
However, I do have a Bible and two eyes and ears that I can identify evil, and pointing it out does not make me a bad Christian. If I truly love people I will tell people there's a better way to live, and through Jesus all sins can be forgiven and the world can know the peace of God that comes only through the prince of peace. Silence resulted in the death of six million Jews. Evil always prevails when good men do nothing.
Pastor Ken Smith
Comments