Since Lucifer first touched the fleshly lusts of Adam and Eve in Eden, the human race has had a propensity to sin ... but to see it most clearly in others ... not themselves. "By one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom.5:12. When Adam was caught "disobeying" God's one, solitary commandment in the Garden, "Thou shalt not eat of it", Adam whined to God, "The woman YOU gave me, she ..." made me do it. God turned to Eve and said, "What have you done?" To which Eve said, "The Devil made me do it". Adam blamed God first and Eve second but himself ... not at all. Gen.3:12. Eve knew she had indeed tempted her husband but she turned and blamed the Devil for tempting her. Neither of their excuses justified their personal guilt of disobedience. Since Adam was responsible to God for the leadership role in their relationship, he bore most of the guilt.
A brief glance at every great man of God in the Bible clearly reveals that each of them, though anointed of God, had "feet of clay". Noah got drunk in Gen.9:21. Moses disobeyed God, took God's credit and smote the rock in Num. 20:8-12.
Abraham, in fear of men, lied and said his wife was his sister. He also sinned with Hagar... Sarah, his wife, suggesting it. Gen.16:3-4. All the prophets had flaws and feet of clay. The Apostles "all forsook Jesus and fled" Mk.14:50 .... Peter was cursing and denying he even knew Jesus. Matt.26:69-75.
We are not better than they! We too have feet of clay but mostly see the faults, sins and failures of everyone but ourselves. "My sin is minimal and normal but yours is intolerable and nauseating. My feet of clay are not as bad and ugly as yours." I have known many people who carried a bitter grudge against someone whose sin was not nearly so bad as their own but buried theirs in a secret box.
That is why Jesus said, in John 7:24, "Judge not according to appearances, but judge righteous judgement." What is seen and known on the surface, "appearances", are not nearly so numerous and wicked as what God sees that is hidden in the hearts and memories of those who judge others. Interestingly, thieves think someone is always trying to rob them. Liars think everyone is lying to them. Old prostitutes are the harshest judges of scantily clad young girls and suspect every man of secret immorality. It is easier for the self-righteous, judgemental heart to judge others, who are less guilty, than to judge themselves. "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same (type of) things. Rom.2:1.
Jesus warned the critic about condemning the smaller sins of others while looking past their own gigantic sins in Matt.7:1-5. "JUDGE not, that YE be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam (log) that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull the mote out of thine eye; and, behold a beam is in thine own eye?"
Judging others is no defence for out own sins. In fact, we should cease to judge others in our own "self defence". "Judge not and ye shall not BE judged: Condemn not and YE shall not BE condemned: Forgive and YE shall BE forgiven." Lk.6:37. This is not to say we should not ".... reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." 2Tim.4:2
James knew Jesus well and counseled, "There is only one lawgiver, who is able to SAVE and to DESTROY: who art thou that judgest another." Jm.4:12. Besides the wickedness and hypocrisy of judging others rather than ourselves, that "ONE LAWGIVER" James spoke of is going to judge both lost and saved in His perfect time with perfect judgement: The unbelievers at the Great White Throne and Believers at the Judgement Seat Of Christ. Christians should not expect non-Christians to act like Christians. They need to be saved, witness to them. Christians judging other Christians is just the opposite of what Jesus commanded above in Lk.6:37. It is enough that Jesus Himself will judge His own people with perfect Judgement. We were judged, for our salvation, in Jesus on the cross. Any other judgement due us, HE will do at the set time in absolute truth. "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart: and then shall every man have praise of God." ICor.4:5. This is the Judgement Seat of Christ for believers ... not the Great White Throne Judgement of the non-believers.
Pass it on. RB
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