Merciful, compassionate followers of Jesus Christ do not condemn others! But what does Jesus mean by 'Condemn not lest you be condemned!' Isn't condemning the same as judging? It is possible to judge another without condemning them, but it is impossible to condemn another without judging. Condemnation takes judging to the next level. It is rendering the final verdict with certain punishment. It is deeming a person beyond hope. When Jesus commands us to condemn not, he is commanding us not to give up hope on others. Where there is life there is hope! And God can save anyone, even a blasphemer, persecutor of the church, a violent man like Saul of Tarsus. But is it possible for a believer to sin to such a degree that there is no more hope for him? What about the immoral man of 1 Corinthians 5 whom Paul delivered to Satan for the destruction of his flesh? Did Paul condemn him? What about a believer sin which leads to death which John describes in 1 John 5? Is John referring to a believer committing the unpardonable sin which Jesus warns of in Matthew 12? Is John referring to spiritual death or physical death/ And then, what does Jesus mean when he says, 'Condemn not, lest you be condemned?' How can we be condemned? This sermon seeks to explain the command of Christ 'Condemn not lest you be condemned1" The bottom line is that compassionate, merciful Christians refuse to pass the final judgment, to give up hope for others, but continue to pray, to share the gospel in hopes that God will grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. |
