Hurt People, Hurt People

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

This scripture is often pointed out to Christians when they dare to call sin out for what it is. Sin.

People don't seem to be able to comprehend how you can love a sinner but hate their sin. Even Christians can't always separate the two. So this scripture is used to put us in our place and tell us that we can't tell homosexuals that their lifestyle is immoral, we can't tell women who opt to murder their unborn that murder is immoral; because our bible tells us not to judge.

Well, that's not what the scripture means.

I'm witnessing a perfect situation right now in which this scripture, and the verses that follow it, are perfectly applicable.

I won't go into detail because it's not my story but suffice it to say, someone was deeply hurt by a family member she loves. 

This hurt person is now lashing out in bitter hatred without a care for others she herself is now hurting because of her offense. She claims that this individual who hurt her deserves hell and suffering. That they deserve no mercy, no forgiveness and no compassion.

We all need mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. We all sin and come short of His glory. We all, quite frankly, deserve to burn in hell for eternity. We cannot be good enough to deserve any of God's goodness because he is pure and holy. Only sinless perfection is acceptable in his eyes and none of us can obtain that without the redeeming blood of Christ.

So here is where this infamous scripture comes in to play in our Christian walk.

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2

What does it mean then? Well, since we are all sinners, we all need forgiveness. If you judge a person by saying they deserve hell, no compassion, no mercy, etc... then this is how God will judge you.

You see, when you say one of God's beloved deserve hell, you are admitting that you do too. After all there is none righteous right?

Romans 3:10
 As it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one;

You are not better than the person you are condemning.

Do you have a problem with pornography? Do you condemn, ridicule, and judge those that have the same struggle, meanwhile hiding your own sinful actions behind closed doors? Welp, here ya go. The measuring rod you are using to condemn your brother/sister in Christ is going to be used against you.

The bottom line is that this scripture addresses hypocrisy. We have no right to condemn any person to hell, to say what any person deserves because we all deserve the same eternal damnation. It is ONLY because we have accepted the payment made on our behalf for our sin that we can say we won't go to that fiery place when we take our last breath. When we see sin, yes we should tell people, the wages of sin are death. We also tell them there is hope of freedom from sin and eternal life with the life giver. But in no way do we ever have a right to say what a person deserves or mete out our own personal judgment against them. Remember, we judge their behavior as sinful, we don't judge them as people. That's God's job.

Think about when you were at your lowest. Think about when you wallowed in the guilt and shame of your sin. Remember those whom you have wronged in your life? Those you have lied to? Those you cheated on? Those you stole from? Those you betrayed?

Don't lie, we all have a past, just think about those times. Remember when someone came along and reached down in your muck, got themselves dirty to bring you out of the mire? Remember when God showed up through the love of that person and told you how much you meant to him? That if only you could understand how much he loves you that he died for you. They wiped off the dirt and led you down the path towards the God who forgives you and reminded you of your value.

This is what we must do for others. This is the plan God has for each of us. He shows us mercy, and we in turn extend mercy to others. Regardless of the hurt we may have been dealt by them, they are loved by the same God who loves you despite your sin.

Hurt people, hurt people. It's true.

But forgiven people, forgive people.

Whoever it is you have judged and condemned by your own standard of morality and righteousness, I want you to stop what you're doing now and imagine their face in your mind. Now, I want you to ask God to stand between you and them and allow you to see them through him.

God did not come here in the person of Christ to die for just you. He died for them too. Can you love them? Can you let the love of God fill you to the point that it isn't possible to hate them anymore?

Be a testimony to God's mercy today. And remember, forgiveness is for you, not them.