Here comes the judge

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5 ESV

Let’s start with the basics. We shall be judged. There’s no getting away from it. Justice is one of the big topics in the Bible, and when Jesus said, “For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged,” he meant it. We shall be judged. All of us. There is no escape.

There is a lot of division around at the moment. Elections divide people. There is division in the USA over what is the first Post-modern President. Absolute truth does not reign supreme anymore, just your own version of the truth. Woe to him who has a different version of the truth.

Here in the UK, we are in an election campaign. But this blog is not about politics, well not party politics. At least not in today’s blog.

Of course, God’s judgement is by absolute standards, isn’t it? God gave laws and will judge people according to those laws, won’t he?

But there’s something different going on here. We cannot use the ideas of Modernism here, Jesus was speaking in the days before Modernism and some of the things he said to that Pre-modern society look closer to Post-modernism than to Modernism.

If I’ve lost you, it is time to switch back on.

God’s judgement here is not absolute, not according to rules. We have our own judgement, we will be judged according to our own standards. “For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged,” It’s up to you, how do you want to be judged.

This next bit is for those who call themselves Christians.

There is a lot we disagree about. Do you believe that Christians go directly to heaven or wait for the judgement at the end of time? Better brains than mine have tackled this. A lot of prayer asking for God to guide has gone into this, and still, we disagree.

Or what about the Lord’s supper. Is there a real presence there or is it merely a memorial? Again thought and prayer has gone in, and again disagreement going back centuries.

But we do not say someone is a heretic for disagreeing with us, do we? We do not say someone is not a Christian because they have been baptised as an infant rather than adult, do we?

Because if we do, we are not separating those we reject from God’s kingdom. God chooses all who would come to him, no matter how they come.

No. If you reject other people the only person who is rejected in God’s kingdom is you.

Separating yourself from other people, even those with whom you share faith is separating yourself from God.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.