The cat's out of the bag.

In this age when words such as "acceptance," "inclusiveness," and "tolerance" buzz like a barnyard, I am in favor of-oh, it's so hard to say-judging people. In fact, I agree with C.S. Lewis, who said that to decry the lack of tolerance in postmodern America is akin to reaching for a fire hose during a flood.1 I think we have too much of a certain type of tolerance that leads to a harmful type of indifference, and we're drowning in it. This is definitely the case in the secular realm, and it is often the case in the church.

How Can You Say That?

OK. Back up. Yes, I know Bible verses have just popped into your mind. And just to be fair, I will quote them right here.

The first is perhaps the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 7:1. He says, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."* Another is found in John 8:7, in the account of the woman taken in adultery. Jesus says, "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." And finally we have the words of Paul in Romans 2:1: "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."

I believe these words. Human beings are rendered inadequate judges by the fact that we are all sinners. Even if we never fall to the depths to which another human falls, our nature is capable of it, given the circumstances and provocations encountered by the one who fell. We each have a pit of depravity within our hearts, yet some things that keep us from sinking to the bottom are the little tree limbs of advantage that life gives us in the form of a good home, a strong constitution, etc. So who are we who cling to these God-given branches to look down upon those who had nothing to catch them?

Yes, but . . .

There's that little three-letter word that pits one side of truth against another in the constant striving for balance. But . . . there is a place for exercising judgment toward our fellow human beings, and I aim to explore that place in the next few paragraphs.

When the Bible prohibits judging, it is always within the context of people haphazardly passing judgment upon others for things they are also guilty of. In fact, a greater guilt lies upon the accusers, and often the accused are actually victims of the ones accusing. Notice in Matthew 7:3 that Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" The judge in this case has an even worse problem than the judged. Likewise with the woman taken in adultery. "He who is without sin" literally means "he who is without this particular sin," indicating that all those wretched Pharisees were adulterers, and the more reprehensible because of their outward piety! And finally, in Romans 2:1 Paul says, "You who pass judgment do the same things." Nine times out of ten, when a person really enjoys judging other people, they are an enlarged copy of their victims.

But there is a type of judgment that is not entered into eagerly, that comes with tears of pity, and that is rendered out of love. It is the same judgment surgeons exercise when they decide that a diseased organ must be removed for the sake of saving the body. Oh, it's a painful process, but an imperative one if the life is to be salvaged. Such operations preserve the health of the body, and in the same way there are times when the body of Christ must undergo painful procedures.

Some of us bristle at the mere mention of these things. We need more forgiveness, not less! we think. We're right. Bitterness is the bane of the body of Christ. Have you noticed how much long-standing resentment exists in the church? Only the Holy Spirit can bring about a change. But if the issue of judgment is approached carefully, it will be seen that failing to judge when judgment is called for actually dams up the waters of forgiveness within the church. I agree with William Bennett, who said, "There is a vital link between reasonable judgment and authentic compassion."2 Let me illustrate how this vital link holds these two halves of truth together.

A woman had a car accident, leaving her brain damaged and herself incapable of caring for her children. Her daughter went to live with her mother's uncle, who abused her for several years before the matter was discovered by the local elder. When the elder and his wife realized the straits this young woman was in, they informally adopted her, taking her out of the immediate "care" of the abusive uncle. When the matter came before the church board, a split arose. Half wanted the church to "forgive" him and forget his misdeeds, and half wanted to put him under censure and forbid him from coming to the church.

The question arose, How can we expect this young woman to perceive God's loving care if we are not willing to punish the one who caused her untold harm, not willing to protect her from him? In this case, having "compassion" on him would be most uncompassionate to her. In other words, undue leniency toward the abuser results in more harm to the victim. We talk of church being a "safe" place, but church will not be a safe place if we make it safe for unsafe people! Therefore, in order to create the refuge God designs His house to be, we must exercise judgment in discerning which persons may threaten that safety.

There's that word: judgment. Do you see how judgment can actually be part of the mercy package? If I judge a murderer, I may save his would-be victims. If I fail to judge him, I have at least some of the blood of those victims on my hands. "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins" (James 4:17).

Go and Do Likewise

A few years ago I was requested to write a letter giving a character reference for a man I knew had a checkered past in the area of morality. This man was especially adept at taking advantage of vulnerable, naive females, and I had learned that he held a position in Pathfinder leadership. I wrote the referral letter with trepidation, knowing that some people who liked this man-and the man himself-would not be very happy with me as a result. After the letter circulated, a local leader called me to verify the contents of the letter, informing me that all my allegations were denied.

"That doesn't surprise me," I said. "He is a habitual liar."

A few minutes into the conversation the official asked me another question: "How do you know he hasn't repented of all these things?"

It was a simple question to answer. "You yourself told me only minutes ago that he has denied everything. How could he have repented of something he is currently denying?"

My point is this: We are mentally lazy when it comes to sin. When someone is a charismatic, resourceful person, we manifest the disposition to place them in a no-accountability zone. This man exhibited a winning personality, but was a one-man train wreck when it came to morality. We seem to want to gloss over these things rather than go to the trouble of uncovering the truth and dealing fairly with it. Even I didn't want to bother with writing that letter, but I kept thinking of those Pathfinders, who were roughly the ages of my young daughters. How could I leave the lambs of the flock open to a wolf attack?

Correction Definition

How sad it is when we equate forgiveness with indifference to sin. When we harbor this wrong definition of forgiveness, we share in this indifference. It cost the lifeblood of God's Son to forgive us. If we feel indifferent to sin, we will be led to feel indifference toward the sin-bearing Savior. Can we look upon the Lamb of God, as well as the innocent lambs of His flock, and say that sin is no big deal?

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*All scripture references in this article are taken from the New International Version.

1 In William Bennett, The Death of Outrage, p. 122.

2 Bennett, p. 123.