Zion shall be redeemed
by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. (Isaiah 1:27; ESV)
I have heard
that the most popular Bible verse today is Yeshua's words, "Judge not,
that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1; ESV). I can believe this is the most
popular verse today due to how often even among people who know nothing about
the Bible say either "Don't judge me!" or "I am not judging
you." I grew up in the 60s and 70s, and I don't remember ever talking
about judging back then. It wasn't an issue. I don't think I judged others. If
I did, no one complained about it. But now it's one of society's most treasured
values. Everyone is supposed to be free to be who they are and do what they
want without fear of being judged.
But from
what I can tell, what people are concerned about is not really judging; it's
being criticized. The judging that Yeshua refers to has to do with making negative
determinations about another person's standing with God; condemning them, in
other words. This is God's prerogative and it's the height of arrogance to
presume that we can sit in the place of that kind of judgment. I don't think
this is what most people who are concerned about being judged are worried
about. It's that they don't want any value statements placed on their opinions
and actions. They want to say and do whatever they say and do without any
negative reactions at all from anyone else. It is difficult to fathom the
depths of insecurity required to produce such a resistance to other people's
opinions. I wonder if at least some of this is due to more and more people
having no clue as to why they do what they do.
It is tragic
that even people who claim to value the Bible would be among those upholding
these false notions of what judging is all about. Such a perspective creates
insurmountable obstacles to understanding much of the Bible, for the majority
of its teaching calls into question a good deal of what we might call normal
human behavior.
One reason
to read the Scriptures is to adjust my thinking and behavior. Paul wrote,
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2; ESV). This statement
assumes that the reader (including you and me) requires transformation and
renewal. That must mean we need adjusting, which means there are things in our
lives that needs correcting.
Isaiah and
the prophets understood this. Almost everything they said was a critique of
some kind. Sure, they also provide all sorts of wonderful descriptions of God,
designed to truly know him, but such passages also exist to correct common
false and destructive notions about God. The constant prophetic call to repent,
which means "turn" is a call to change: change direction, change your
life.
For some
reason many think this kind of critique is contra-love. But nothing is more loving
than to help others see the destructive nature of their thoughts and behavior
and point them in the right direction. Simply leaving people to themselves and
their unhealthy desires when we know better is hatred of the worst kind.
But who are
we to claim we know better? That's a good question. I may think that because I
have a good understanding of Scripture, I am well equipped to critique your
life. But why should you believe me? Maybe you know better than I do. Maybe I
am blind to my own selfishness, hurting myself and others as I arrogantly
pursue a reckless path. If that is the case, I hope someone tells me before
it's too late!
No comments:
Post a Comment