On Tuesday, we will elect the next President of the United States. One of the things that elections tend to surface among people is that we disagree. A lot. On big issues. On small issues. On general principles. On very specific matters. People can get super passionate about all kinds of things – and sometimes what fires one person up is uninteresting to another, and vice-versa.
What are some topics that people disagree over?
In a world of 320 million people, each with his or her own set of values, morals, and opinions, we often hear people cite Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge”. This is often meant as a conversation stopper, not a conversation starter. That is, you may be engaged in a discussion and a moral topic comes up, and you say that you think X is wrong. And the other person says, “Do not judge.” They hope that this will make you shut up and disengage from your criticism.
Another way people often approach this is by referring to the idea of “tolerance”.
What does the word tolerance mean? It really means to put up with something you find objectionable. You “tolerate” an annoying little brother. You “tolerate” a certain degree of pain. But today, the word has come to mean something else. “A fair, objective, and permissive attitude towards opinions, beliefs, and practices, and those that hold them, from your own”.
I can accept those two understandings of tolerance. But there is a third way that people use the word. It now means agreement. If you simply disagree with people you are often accused of intolerance. The word is used as a weapon, not as a compliment. It is meant as a conversation STOPPER, not a conversation STARTER.
We, howeer, instead of using these ideas as a conversation STOPPER, we are going to use them as a conversation STARTER.
Matthew 7:1-5
“1 "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”
The word “judge” (krino) there can have many meanings:
· to separate, pick out, select
· to approve, esteem, prefer
· to determine, resolve, decree
· to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong
· to pronounce judgment, censure
· to rule, or govern
· to contend together (of warriors and combat)
Here are some examples of this word being used elsewhere in the New Testament:
· 2 Corinthians 2:1 – “But I determined (krino) this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again.”
· Colossians 2:16 – “Therefore no one is to act as your judge (krino) in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.”
· James 5:9 – “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged (krino).”
· Luke 6:37 – “Do not judge (krino), and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.”
· Luke 7:42-43 – “(Jesus speaking)‘When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered and said, ‘I suppose the one whom he forgave more.’ And He said to him, ‘You have judged (krino) correctly.’”
So in one sense, we absolutely HAVE to make judgments. We HAVE to decide between right and wrong. We HAVE to decide which option is better or worse. We HAVE to decide which is more ethical. We HAVE to decide which path to take, and which path to not take.
But there are three things here that we need to discuss.
(1) What Biblical judgments ARE, and ARE NOT.
(2) The “rules of engagement” of making judgments.
(3) Three levels of disagreement and why they matter.
First, what Biblical judgments are and are not.
· Biblical judgments ARE:
- Moral and ethical evaluations.
- Deciding between wisdom and foolishness.
- Weighing between better choices and worse choices.
· Biblical judgments ARE NOT:
- Thinking less of a person for having a different view than you.
- Valuing a person less for having a different view than you.
When we make a Biblical judgment, we HAVE to choose between right and wrong, wisdom and foolishness, and better and worse. But we must NOT devalue another person for not making the same judgment as we do. We must not love another person less, because God doesn’t. Jesus died for the person who thinks and lives exactly opposite of the way you do. Really, He did. And we are called to love our enemies.
Second, the rules of engagement. Jesus here is really talking about something different than making judgments. He’s telling us that when we make judgments, we need to be careful, because the way we judge others will be used by other people to make judgments against us. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”
When a person who thinks that gossip is perfectly fine actually gossips, people may dislike the gossip but they don’t judge the person more harshly than that. Because at least they’re living consistent with their values. But when a person who says they’re against gossip is engaged in gossip, what’s the reaction? People go NUTS. Why? Because not only is that person engaged in gossip, he’s also acting hypocritically. And THAT is a worse sin in the eyes of most people.
What does the term “holier than thou” mean, and why does it matter?
When we take a strong moral stand against anything, we open ourselves up to the charge of hypocrisy.
So should the potential charge of hypocrisy stop us from making moral judgments?
Jesus has an answer to the question of how we should handle this. It’s this: Instead of worrying about the sins of others, we need to worry about our own sins. We MUST make moral judgments. But let’s be very careful about what we say and how we communicate our moral judgments, because the more vocal we are, the more outspoken we are, the stronger our opinions, the more we open ourselves up to the charge of hypocrisy when we sin ourselves.
Jesus is saying, worry more about your own problems than about the problems of others. Instead of being harsh with someone who has sinned, a gentle response may be more appropriate. Consider Galatians 6:1 – “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
Third, three levels of disagreement. Ever had a disagreement with a person over something you thought was small but they thought was such a big deal that it nearly ruined a friendship?
· Convictions:
- Described as: central issues, unwilling to compromise
- Scriptural example: Galatians 2:11 – “When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood in the wrong.”
· Persuasions:
- Described as: not as central of an issue, but still important
- Scriptural example: Romans 14:5 – “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.”
· Opinions:
- Described as: peripheral issue
- Scriptural example: 1 Corinthians 7:39-40 – “A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.”
We need to have some convictions, some persuasions, and some opinions.
Discussion
1. How have you experienced being judged? How did it feel?
2. In what ways have you judged others?
3. How can “tolerance” be used as a weapon?
4. How can we make moral judgments without being judgmental?
5. Why is hypocrisy such a grievous sin? How can hypocrisy impact our witness?
6. What are some thing you hold as convictions? How about persuasions? And how about opinions?
7. As you think about this framework, can you think of any views that you consider to be convictions that maybe should be a persuasion or an opinion?
No comments:
Post a Comment