Moving Past Accusation and Judgment

Why do we look at another’s sin and want them punished for what they have done and then look at our own sin and want compassion and forgiveness?

The problem is, that we compare ourselves with others.  Even though we each have strengths and weaknesses, we tend to measure things in areas where we are strong and others are weak and avoid those things where we struggle and others actually do better than we do. 

We particularly want to see punishment inflicted on those people who have harmed us but have 1000 excuses for why we ended up harming others.

But the real issue is that the standard we are meant to measure ourselves against is what God’s Word says and when we compare ourselves to that, as the Bible clearly describes for us, we all fall short.   

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 

Romans 3:23-24

On a day when Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman that was caught in the act of adultery.  They made her stand before the group.  They told Jesus that the law of Moses commanded them to stone such a woman and asked Jesus what He thought.

 Jesus did not oppose the law of Moses as they supposed He might but told the woman’s accusers that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone.  From the oldest to the youngest they all left.  Like us, not one of them could cast the first stone. 

Jesus alone could have cast the first stone, but instead He told the woman to go and leave her life of sin as He said these wonderful healing words.

Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

John 8:11

What a relief for that woman as she went from being condemned for her sin to being set free!  That is exactly what Jesus does for each of us.

Lord Jesus, Thank You for coming into the world to save us from the penalty of our sin – even the sin of judging, accusing, and condemning others, as though we hadn’t fallen short of Your standard ourselves.  Help us to stand firm on the truth that when You set us free, we are free indeed!  Help us to offer that same acceptance and freedom to others.  Amen

Well, yet another “not so easy” lesson from Jesus that dramatically changes our lives for the better if we will live it.  Shall we try today?