Judge? Yes. But don't be Judgmental

Whenever Christians express disapproval of something the Bible calls a sin, they will be reprimanded with the favorite words of those who are otherwise ignorant of the Bible: “Judge not” (Matt. 7:1).

According to Jesus, it is not judging, but judgmentalism that is wrong. Opposed to a judgmentalism stemming from a sense of moral superiority, Jesus said, “First remove the beam from your own eye; then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” In other words, don’t be hypocritical; judge yourself first. 

Judgmentalism is wrong, but moral judgments are not (the Bible is replete with them). For Biblically-centered believers, explaining what the Bible calls 'sin' is part of the job description, especially given the degree of biblical illiteracy and moral ambiguity in our secular culture.  So the next time you are accused of violating the “judge not” rule, turn it into a teaching moment, explaining the difference. But, don't forget to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

At the Speed of Thought

What is faster than the speed of light? Answer: the speed of thought.

Last weekend, I read that actor Ashton Kutcher had to apologize for an inappropriate ‘tweet’ he made about the Penn State debacle that seemed to trivialize child abuse.  It’s not the first time someone had post-tweeting shame. It is inherently dangerous to be able to share your thoughts at the speed of light!

A guiding principle in information technology has been to help people perform tasks at the “speed of thought.” As fast as you can think it, you can do it. But acting on our inappropriate thoughts at the speed of light will certainly cause us pain and embarrassment (not unlike Ashton Kutcher’s untimely tweet).

If only we could learn to stop our thoughts with the same speed as our instant devices transmit them, we would be saved from the grief of hurtful communications and destructive behaviors. I’ve always thought the first part of the phrase “be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19) means to stop and pay attention to the emotionally charged thoughts racing through your mind to make sure they are lined up with Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).  Only then will we be slow to speak. 

Slow to Speak; Quick to Listen

Three times in Isaiah 53:7 it says that Jesus was silent: “He did not open His mouth...” As believers, we must know how to open our mouths wide and shout to the Lord at times when we praise and thank Him. We must also know how to keep our mouths shut when we are insulted, criticized and slandered. Jesus knew how to praise His Father and He also knew how to be silent.

Unfortunately it is the other way round with many Christians. They are silent when it comes to shouting God’s praises in the meetings. But they do know how to shout and defend themselves when someone accuses them or hurts them. But that is the characteristic of an upside-down world, and Christians must be different.

The preceding is an excerpt from Zac Poonen’s Word for the Week “The Word of the Cross” that I wanted to share: it struck a chord with me, and hope it will with you too. I am all too quick to want to explain myself when I think I am being misunderstood. But that can prevent me from hearing what the Lord may be wanting to speak to me. Unlike Jesus who had done nothing wrong to defend, I do. And I need to stop and consider that before speaking. We must be slow to speak and quick to listen (James 1:19).

“I did not think before I acted”

If Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack had observed the biblical admonition to “be slow to speak” (James 1:19), he could have avoided a humiliating event this week when, failing to get all the facts, wrongfully fired a mid-level Agriculture Department official for racial discrimination. The next day he was held accountable for his words—as he was forced to apologize to the wronged official, the American people, and the President himself. His only excuse: “I did not think before I acted.”

I reject his excuse! It’s impossible to act without having first ‘thought.’ The problem was not un-thinking, but wrong thinking. And worse, wrong thinking that resulted in hurtful words.

Thoughts, as long as they stay in your head, are not nearly as harmful as words. But when those thoughts take the form of words they become harmful. Jesus said “every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Mat. 12:36-37) I think we can infer from Jesus’ warning that there is a difference between thoughts and words.

Perhaps this helps us to understand Paul’s instruction to take “all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.” If we did that we could avoid sinful thoughts becoming hurtful words! Folowing the James formula, we ought to be quick to listen [to our thoughts] and slow to speak [them].