"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete(or measure), it shall be measured to you again."
Matthew 7:1-2 KJV
Since I began to get to know Jesus, I have struggled with the concept of just how forgiving the Lord God is. I think it's a common debate among believers, as well as non-believers. You all have heard the old question, "If a murderer, at the time of his death, calls upon Jesus; would he be forgiven?" At times I find myself obsessed with this question. It makes me look deep within myself, as well as deep within my spirit, for some sort of an answer. Not that I feel I have committed some "unforgivable" sin. Its more of a quest to find out how much I judge myself, and others. It seems the deeper I search, the more I realize how judgmental I really am. Think about this for a minute, how often do you judge someone without even thinking about it in everyday life? You may say to yourself, "I am a very open minded person, I never judge others." But I tell you, we are all guilty of judgments against others. As a Christian, how often do you look at a total stranger and automatically decide if that person is a fellow Christian or not? Or, as a non-believer, how often have you assumed that the Christian who just moved in next door is going to treat you like dirt because you aren't a Christian.
Here is an example:
One day I walked into a Christian supply store to browse. Being New to Christ, I wanted to see what kind of things you could find in this type of store. When I stepped through the door, I became very aware of two things. The first was how many people were wondering about, it was very busy. The second thing was the glare on the face of the lady behind the counter. She stopped what she was doing to ask me if she could help me find something. I hadn't even shut the door yet. I said "no, I'm just looking." The lady made no reply, just glared at me again, and went back to her work. I began to walk through the store, looking at all the books, movies, and nick-nacks. Every once in awhile I would look up to see the lady watching me like a hawk. I began to feel very self-conscious, and soon, feeling completely out of place, I left without buying anything.
Now, here are the judgments I made during this small adventure. First, I instantly assumed that this lady was keeping her eye on me because I have long hair, a beard, and was wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket with fringe on the sleeves. You see, I have a "biker" look going on. Second, I figured she thought I was going to steal something. Third, I began to feel that I wasn't welcome in that store. Fourth, Because of the previous three judgments, I began to think this lady wasn't a good Christian. There are other judgments, but these were the big ones. I have no way of knowing what judgments she made about me, in fact, just assuming that she made any judgments against me, is, in itself, a judgment!
I have to ask myself if I will be judged by those judgments I made against her; I hope not. Honestly, I know that I won't be judged on those judgments because I have asked forgiveness, but what about the lesser judgments, the ones I'm not even aware of? I hear people all the time making comments about others, and I shudder. If Matthew 7:1 is a condition for entrance into Heaven, then I believe we are all doomed, and yes, that is a judgment also. You, as the reader, should ask yourself what judgments do you make on a daily basis. And also, just how literal should we take it? We all use judgments to pick our friends, as well as enemies. We judge people according to their deeds, good or bad. In fact, Matthew 7:16 says "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?" Is this not an encouragement to judge others? In fact, it is telling us that this is how we will know false prophets. Yet, it is still a judgment.
Now, I don't mean to imply that we shouldn't judge at all, that would be folly. I only want you, the reader, to think of these questions the next time a dirty, poorly dressed individual asks you for a favor. Or the next time you see that long haired freak listening to his loud, Rock music. Ask yourself, "am I judging this person for the right reasons, or am I just passing judgment. And when all is said and done, make sure you ask the Lord to forgive you of those judgments you unknowingly made.
Eremite (Hermit)