30 Sep
How Often Do You Cast The First Stone?
Some of my non-Christian friends have remarked that they don’t ever want to be Christians because they will turn into the most judgmental people on earth.
If someone does wrong according to the Word of God, many of us including myself can be, in the eyes of others, such nasty people who are quick to condemn and chastise, without thinking that we aren’t being good examples at all of God’s love and mercy, even unto us.
Just to sidetrack a little: Most times, when I am led to examine something in the Bible, I write them down and these then quite often become posts to remind myself of what I have learned.
I have a rudimentary timeline of when I should make these posts that develop, but something happened over the weekend at a couple of blogs I commented on that prompted me to write this as a big reminder to myself.
Anyhow, coming back to our topic proper, let me share with you what I learned a few days ago from reading the following passages.
John 8:1 (KJV) Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
John 8:2 (KJV) And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
John 8:3 (KJV) And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
John 8:4 (KJV) They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
John 8:5 (KJV) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
John 8:6 (KJV) This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
John 8:7 (KJV) So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
John 8:8 (KJV) And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
John 8:9 (KJV) And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
John 8:10 (KJV) When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:11 (KJV) She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
What was our Lord Jesus Christ doing here?
He was teaching us, through this incident, to always first examine ourselves before condemning others who have done wrong by our own standards.
Yes, it is true that God hates sin, yet by His grace and mercy, we are given chances to repent and sin no more everyday so long as we live. Know we not that God can simply strike us down when we sin against Him?
And how many times have we witnessed that in the Bible? Now multiply that by the times we ourselves have sinned and come short of the glory of God and I think I should have been dead many times over!
Genesis 38:8 (KJV) And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
Genesis 38:9 (KJV) And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
Genesis 38:10 (KJV) And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
If we be yet sinners and God spares and has mercy on us everyday, who then are we to be so quick to judge, or worse, condemn others?
Wait a minute, you say, does that mean we shouldn’t advise someone who has done wrong so that they can do right by God? Aren’t we supposed to warn one another?
Indeed we are, but the issue here isn’t about warning one another or to chastise a brother or sister who has walked astray, but of our hearts already condemning the wrongdoer.
For by the same measure that we judge others, that same measure shall be used to judge us. And who among us is perfect? Certainly not I!
And when we chastise or warn against, be careful that we do it in meekness and in love, not boasting of our own (perceived) righteousness, and let it be without any condemnation.
For even the Apostle Paul teaches:
1 Thessalonians 5:12 (KJV) And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1 Thessalonians 5:13 (KJV) And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (KJV) Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 (KJV) See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
And it is ever the more important that when we render advice in love online, that we are careful with our words.
The major shortcoming of online communication is that it is without non-verbal cues like body language or facial expressions that no amount of smiley symbols can adequately express nor replace.
Therefore see that we do not judge nor condemn nor think that we are righteous when we feel the need to render advice. For we ourselves are far from perfect!
And be mindful that a careless word here or there, even wrongly-placed punctuation, yea even Bible verses quoted in the wrong places, can be read as offensive to another though we know in our hearts that we mean well and do it out of love.
Shalom Aleichem.
Comic taken from ReverendFun.com.
Tags: Advice, Fellowship, Friendship, Judging, Love, Online Communication
Posted by childlife on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Well said, Isaiah, very well said indeed!
Posted by King's Kid on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Really great post, Isaiah,
The cartoon lost me???
Peace
Posted by Carol on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Excellent study Sicarii. I have been guilty of this very thing as of late - thank you for the reminder!!!!
Posted by Sicarii on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Dear Michelle:
Thank you for the kind words.
Posted by Sicarii on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Dear King’s Kid:
Thank you for the kind words.
The comic was more of a tongue-in-cheek play on how sinful I am, and that I don’t even come close to less than 12 sins (if indeed they can be counted)!
Posted by Sicarii on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Dear Carol:
Thank you for the kind words.
I wrote this piece as a reminder to myself, really. I think sometimes we all are guilty, in our zeal to perfect one another in the Lord’s love.
Posted by friendinME on 30.09.07 at 14:55
nice post. right on point.
I often remember that agreeing with God’s Word on an issue is not being judgmental. It is letting God be God. That is, to say that someone is wrong for cheating on his wife isn’t being “judgmental,” it is agreeing with God that the behavior is wrong.
Sometimes, to take a stand that says, “oh, I can never say someone is wrong” is to take a stand against God’s authority.
That said, we always have to be careful that what what we say is wrong is in agreement with the Scriptures… and not merely my personal agenda and preferences.
Also, there is a world of difference between knowing right from wrong and having a judgmental attitude. We are all people with feet of clay. We are simply people who have different styles of sinning!
Our attitude should always be one of love, grace, and a willingness to forgive and restore… because that is what God is about.
Sorry… a preacher at heart and by trade.
Didn’t mean to preach on your blog!
nice work here. Oh, and btw… thanks for visiting my blog!
Posted by Shalene on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Hi Isaiah, Sorry it’s been a couple days. Nice post. You know I agree with you wholeheartedly on this. Blessings to you, and Shalom. I would advise too, that anyone that feels offended by another Christian brother or sister, to take it to the other person in the same spirit of love. To see that the wrong is made right. We are all guilty of thinking that someone meant offense, when they did not, at least on occasion. But you are right, online correspondence can lend itself to many misunderstandings.
Posted by Mike on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Isaiah, Great post. I am often amazed at how people look at Christians and think, “I don’t want to be like them”. It saddens me.
I’m sorry for plugging my blog here but I think that you should read this post that I did in September and relates to how we treat each other.
Posted by Sicarii on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Greetings friendinME!
Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving your thoughts on my post.
I didn’t know you were a pastor!
You hit it right on the nail with what you said. However, sometimes some Christians take it too far to mean that Christians shouldn’t admonish one another, that to do it in love means you should speak nicely and meekly.
But when our parents scold us, do they not do it in love?
So for me it is the same — that doing things in love doesn’t mean one cannot scold another Christian if the latter goes out of line. The distinction is in not being judgmental while we admonish or correct a brother or sister-in-Christ.
You also raised an important point that our admonishment and advice should be based on scripture and not on our own merits of what is right or wrong. That is definitely something to keep in mind.
God bless, and Shalom Aleichem.
Posted by Sicarii on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Dear Shalene:
It’s great to hear from you again.
I agree with you — no misunderstanding cannot be cleared if both parties are to sit down and talk it over. And not just with fellow Christians, but also for anyone and everyone in our lives.
And I’ll also advise that this needs to be done soonest, because the longer it is left to fester in one’s heart, the harder it is to forgive and let go later.
Personally, I have been the one who held on to grudge on several occasions, and when I knew I needed to let go of it, it was difficult and a struggle.
God bless, and Shalom Aleichem.
Posted by Sicarii on 30.09.07 at 14:55
Dear Mike:
You are most welcome to plug if the post is related and you think that everyone else here and myself can learn something from it.
After all, fellowship is all about sharing and learning. :-)
I’ll be heading there later this evening after work to read it. Thank you for pointing me to it.
God bless, and Shalom Aleichem.