Oh, you can’t judge me.
Stop being so judgmental.
We just need to love people not judge them.

How many times have I heard this from people? Too many to count. These phrases are so over used and in such the wrong context that it amazes me.  You tell people that God says they are sinners, and/or ask them to do right, and suddenly you are “Judge Judy.” In fact, if we stick the Bible, we get called that a lot. Plain and simple, a lot of people think God is a bit judgmental when it comes to their sin. Well, I want to clear a couple things about about my God, and the way things actually work. The following are some excuses I hear about being so “judgmental.”

1. “That’s not the way to win people over.”

Basically, the modern-day “gospel” loves to tell people that they can have Jesus at no cost to them! Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life, and if you accept now, we will throw in health, wealth, and prosperity completely free! All you need are three easy steps and a simple prayer, and you’re in.

Folks, that is not salvation, and, the truth is, this method is sending people to hell. People with this message are giving people a false impression of salvation, and false hope of a home in heaven.

Jesus never once changed his message to attract people. He preached to hundreds and thousands at a time, and He had only 12 followers. He continually said, “Follow me or don’t, but you better be willing to hate your family and friends, and leave all your earthly possessions behind, and lose your own life if you want to gain a life in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

There is a high cost to following Christ, and there is a cross that gets thrown in too. In modern times, especially in America, we so often take for granted what being a Christian is all about. In Bible times, if you accepted Christ as Savior, you were thrown out of your family and considered an enemy of your government. I wonder how many people would be so willing to repeat the “sinner’s prayer” if it meant all that. However, that is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross, and follow me.”

We can not continue to gloss over the truth of the gospel in order to “win people” to our side, because, in reality, they are not won at all. They are still goats trying to be made to act like sheep, without being truly converted. If the gospel is not presented in it’s entirety, when it is time to carry the cross, so many will say, “Hey, this is NOT what I signed up for…. where is the wonderful plan, and my health, wealth, and prosperity?” Jesus never offered that.

People have got to see and understand that we ARE sinners bound for an eternity in hell not because God is mean, but because God is JUST and sin must be punished; However, God is also merciful. See, if you are looking for mercy, do not look for an empty hell, look at the cross. Because, in His mercy and love, He presented Himself as our atonement. He took our sin on Himself and bore not only the pain of the cross, but the wrath of God on the sin of the world. They must acknowledge their need for a Savior, and without the knowledge of sin, they can not do that. That is salvation, and there is no other way.

The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

2. “All my sin is under the blood.”

More often than not, it is the people that call themselves Christians who use this “Don’t judge me” line the most. They claim their “liberty in Christ” as a license to sin, and basically throw out half the Bible with this excuse.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:1-2

I am not saying I am perfect because I am far from perfection, and when I sin, I am convicted and/or punished for it. Just like a daddy would punish his son or daughter for disobedience… because he hates them and takes pleasure in punishing them? No.. because he loves them, and knows what is the best and most perfect way for them.

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
 nor be weary when reproved by him.
 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
 and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:5-11

Christian, if you are not being punished for your sin, mark it down, that your day is coming. Because God promises to punish His children for their sin. Since God cannot lie, you will be punished if you are truly saved. If you are not being convicted and punished for sin, then you are not truly saved. That’s what the Bible says, not me. Just like you wouldn’t discipline for neighbors children (as much as you maybe would like to), God will not punish children that do not belong to Him.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:15-21

“Jesus said you will know Christians by their fruit. As soon as someone says that I always see someone in the congregation and their just thinking they’re going, “Judge not lest ye be judged”, and I always go, “and twist not Scripture lest ye be like Satan.” Because that’s exactly what you’re doing. The only verse that most people ever memorize and that out of context. Judge not lest ye be judged means don’t be a pharisee who with hatred jealousy and religious animosity in your heart you criticize everyone in hopes of tearing them down so you can step on they’re broken bodies and achieve a greater renown in your religion. Cause the same Jesus who said judge not lest ye be judged says you will know them by their fruit you will know them by their fruit. And Paul the apostle said test yourself.” -Paul Washer

In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul says to “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”  Test yourselves to truly see if you are of the faith. If you are not being punished for sin, and you do not bear any fruit, then you need to re-evaluate your salvation.

If we continue to live our old sinful lives we really have nothing different than pain and emptiness to offer the world; instead of the life of peace that surpasses understanding and satisfaction of Jesus Christ that He promises if we are faithful in obedience to Him.

3. “My salvation is not based on my works.”

That is a true statement. Praise the Lord, because you or I could NEVER be good enough to get to heaven on our own.

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23

If you have truly trusted in Christ alone for salvation, and chosen to follow Him, your works do not define you. However, How can we accept the cross for covering on our lives, and then continue to commit the sin that drove the nails into Jesus’s hands and feet and the same sins that laid upon Jesus when God poured out His wrath and turned His back on our Savior?

There are two motivators for not doing wrong and doing right as Christians- fear and love.

As we start out as children, we learn that if we do wrong, we will be punished. This punishment is burned into our little brains so that next time we step out of line, we fear our parents punishment. However, as we got older, we learned that the punishment was not as painful as the disappointment we saw in our parents because of our wrong-doing. And, because we knew they loved us, and we loved them, we were motivated to obey them more out of love than fear.

It works in similar ways with God.

God is holy, and righteous, and awesome, and it is good and right to fear Him. Somehow along the way, we chose to believe that God is our grandpa figure that only loves us, and will let us get away with things that the Bible clearly says not to do. Well, that is false. Our God is the same God who wiped out entire nations that refused to repent of their sin. The same God who made Israel wander 40 years in the wilderness, and allowed them to be taken over by heathen countries because they had turned their backs on Him. The same God who after Noah had preached 120 years the same message, He (God) Himself shut the door of the ark, allowing only Noah and His family to be saved. He is the same God that allowed David’s illegitimate son to die after he had committed adultery and murder.  He will NOT allow us continue in sin if we are his children.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31

In the book of Jeremiah, God proclaims to Jeremiah the coming judgement on the nation of Judah and His concern for repentance and righteousness of the people. The people had completely forsaken God, and God, in anguish, literally pleads with them to come back and they would not. He says, I made you free, I have promised to take care of you, I have loved you with an everlasting love that no one else could compare to, and, still you chose to run after the world.

In Jeremiah 5:12 it even says, “They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, “He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.”

And the Lord tells Jeremiah, “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: ‘Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but see not, who have ears, but hear not. Do you not fear me? Declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me?”

The people had no fear of God, and disaster did come upon them. I truly believe that is where so many Christians are today. We forget where we have come from and how good and righteous and holy our God truly is, and what He expects of us as His children.

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16

Not only, do we do right because He is holy and we do fear Him, but, better than that is when we do right because of all the wonderful things that He is and has done for us- out of a heart of LOVE. He died for the sin we commit.

For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting LIFE. John 3:16

He loved us enough to come and live 33 years on this earth when He could have stayed in heaven. He went to the cross in our place, and paid IN FULL the debt He did not owe,  so that we could enjoy a eternal life. PLUS, He has promised to give us everything we need here on earth to serve Him, and enjoy a purposeful life for His glory. We love Him because He first loved us….. and THIS motivates our obedience.

If you love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15

What you do or don’t do means nothing if it isn’t motivated out of a heart of love.

4. “Aren’t we supposed to love??”

I am definitely NOT using this as an excuse to whop people over the head with their sin or to take people’s struggles and use them against them, or to be condemning in showing the gospel. The Bible commands that we do ALL things in love in 1 Corinthians 16:14.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

Does that mean love only the people who are free from gross sin? NOPE. Jesus sat and ate with publicans and sinners, and it made the pharisees SO mad. It made the religious leaders of the day want to kill him because they were so stinking self-righteous that they refused to see they were just as evil as the others. However, did Jesus tell these sinners that everyone was ok and He did not require them to change?

Definitely not.

He did not tolerate or ignore their sin, but He said, “Come, leave your sin behind and follow me.” He said to the woman taken in adultery that the pharisees wanted to stone, “Go and sin no more.”

As Christians, we should be the most accepting and loving group of people the world will ever see. We should open our arms to EVERYONE no matter what sin they are in because NO sin is greater than the grace of our God. We should be able to say, “Come with me, and I will show you Jesus. Because you can be freed from your sin, and no longer a slave to it.” We were once sinners, but now our blind eyes are opened and we see the light of the salvation.

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

That is the power of the cross and the beauty of the Gospel.

5. “I’m getting into heaven anyway.”

If you are truly saved, after your life is over, and you see God face to face for who He is and who you are, I’m pretty sure that you’ll wish you had done it a little differently.

In Revelation 19:7-8 it says, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure– for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

What a beautiful picture of an amazing responsibility. We are constructing our wedding attire for a marriage that will take place between the saints and Jesus Christ Himself. We have been instructed to make ourselves ready, and we will be clothed with the righteousness deeds that we have done. I do not want to walk down the aisle and present myself to the One I love in a tattered, torn, and spotted dress stained with a life of sin. With God’s help, I want to be ready, and I want to have made a bright, pure, beautiful gown to dine with my King on that day.

It really is our choice. If we do not judge ourselves, the day is coming when we will be judged. We will reap what we sow, in this life or the next. God is too holy and loves us too much to allow His children to continue in sin. If you are unsure of your salvation or have any questions about it at all, talk to your pastor, or a Godly mentor, or feel free to contact me at thefulltimegirl@gmail.com.

Please, settle in your hearts, that at whatever cost, you will walk the way of the cross because this life is so short…. but eternity is not.