Romans 2:1-3
God Judges Sin
2 No matter who you are, before you judge the wickedness of others, you had better remember this: you are also without excuse, for you too are guilty of the same kind of things! When you judge others, and then do the same things they do, you condemn yourself. 2 We know that God’s judgment falls upon those who practice these things. God is always right, because he has all the facts. 3 And no matter who you think you are, when you judge others who do these things and then do the same things yourself, what makes you think that you will escape God’s judgment?
Why do you suppose it is easier to see the sins of others and condemn them, but struggle to see the sin hiding in our own hearts? We may even struggle with the same sin that we judge in others, but maybe we are just more cleaver about hiding it while we try to live in denial. If we work at it we may even be able to make our sin seem more socially acceptable than the sin of others, but that will never make it right before God. Sin is sin. The Word reveals sin and the Spirit convicts believers of it. And just to be clear, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and Jesus Christ our standard for living (Ro 3:23). As Christians, we must be very careful about how we talk about others, because God has extended each one of us mercy and grace, and we must turn to give the same to others. This does not mean we accept sin nor refrain from identifying it. However, as believers, we know apart from the forgiveness of God we would all be hell-bound. So, instead of judging others we bathe our words with mercy and strive to speak the Truth in love. Do you need to give your words a bath in mercy before you let them cross your lips?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for this passage from the Apostle Paul that reminds me of just how much you have forgiven me over my lifetime and how my job is to pray for those who seem to struggle with similar sins rather than judge them. Please help me bathe my words with mercy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.