on judgement...

“What's the difference between 'seeing sin' in someone else's life and confronting it, and having a critical spirit?”

This is a very good question to pose in this day and age within churches. It seems that in all churches there exists some form of moral police that are always on the lookout for some brethren struggling with what they perceive as 'sin,' and then go on to start their diatribe about how they are 'holier than thou' and that if one doesn't repent according to their personal moral standards they will go on to tell that that perhaps they are not a Christian or perhaps that person is not 'saved' or that person is a 'backslider' and so on without looking at themselves and their lives.

Not only is this true for individual Christians this can also be true with whole congregational bodies assuming doctrinal superiorty over other churches. One does not need to go far to encounter a Baptist pastor claiming that only baptists are faithful to what the Bible says, or Congregational Fundamentalists who believe that Pentecostals are lower Christians, or Evangelicals who say that Mainline Protestant Churches are preaching 'another gospel' for advocating social justice instead of leading people to Christ.

It is with this thought in mind that I am deeply encouraged by an article that was written by Lisa Harper, in Christianity Today where she says:

“ We must remember the only One worthy of condemning us chose instead to pardon us. Then—in light of our own sinner-saved-by-grace stories—when the Holy Spirit impresses us to confront someone who's messed up, we'll do so with honesty, compassion, and humility. Our motive will be one of real restoration instead of self-righteousness. “

I believe the problem lies at the core of our hearts for as a people who have yet to reap the fullness of our salvation, - we are still struggling with the concept of grace, we find it hard to exhibit it precisely because we have yet to fathom the extent of God-given grace.

It is my prayer that as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons (and daughters), the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23).