Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good afternoon, special ones.

Becki and I need to run off real soon to our Gospel Sing thing at Pheasant Pointe. So I’ll be very brief—even though there is a lot to talk about.

Have a blessed rest of your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

This matter of judging meets with a lot of misunderstanding and controversy. There are those who would like to make a blanket judgment by quoting, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” They are the ones who really don’t do enough of the right kind of judging, and overlook all manner of violations to Biblical ethics and morality within themselves and their ranks. They may have reason to love that quip because their internal guilt seeks all the insulation they can get to prevent their violations being discovered. Then there are those who get fanatical about their developing a hard-line package of dogma which they use for judging others and impose all kinds of rigid standards for behavior on everyone, particularly those of their own group.

Let’s assume that Paul’s judgment is proper and right judgment as he reprimands the Corinthian church fellowship for being too accommodating of “sloppy agape” (love without boundaries) over a case of incest within their group. That which sets us apart from the world, Paul affirms, is the moral compass that God provides in the form of His Word—the Bible. So while we are required to heed that compass in order to stay on course and maintain a healthy relationship with our Lord, as well as to protect the integrity of our mission and message, we are not in a position to impose every form of Biblical morality upon the culture at large. After all, it’s not reasonable to get all upset with a dog because he behaves like a dog—nor should we criticize a chicken for acting like a chicken. So why should we be surprised or overly irritated to behold sinners in our world acting like sinners?! Sin is what sinners do! However, when unmistakable sin permeates the ranks of those claiming to be Bible believers, we Bible believers face the right and responsibility to be Biblically judgmental.

Consider this example: If a group makes up a new game that utilizes the court and equipment of tennis, but modifies the established rules, it may be a game with similarities to tennis—but it’s not really tennis. Tennis has a set of universally accepted rules. The only way to play REAL tennis is to play by those rules.

Make a commitment to play by the essential rules of the Kingdom—and be ready to make careful Biblical judgments regarding those who violate them—especially those who also claim to be members of the Kingdom—including you.