In Romans 1, when Paul confronted the stuff we’d rather not talk about and laid out the litany of sinful lifestyles people who deny God get caught up in, he knew there were some in the crowd with puffed chests and raised chins. He knew people were looking around at others and shaking their heads. Whispering to the person next to them, “I’m glad I’m not like those people.” But no one is without excuse, and Paul knew that type of thinking was just as dangerous to their souls as flaunting a sinful lifestyle.
“You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse!” – Romans 2:1
“Do not judge!” is a favorite refrain of those who do not want to hear about their sin. They may not know much about what the Bible says, but they’ve got that part memorized. But what Paul is talking about here, and what Jesus talked about in the Sermon on the Mount, is not wise discernment that calls out sin but hypocritical judgment that is more concerned with the sin of others than its own sin.
Sin is an affront to God. When it takes root, it is invasive and destructive. As Christ-followers, we must regularly examine our own lives and ask God to reveal sin before it takes root. But also, as Christ’s ambassadors on earth, called to be the salt and light, we cannot let sin in the world go unchallenged. In his typical fashion, the devil has twisted the Word of God to suit his purposes. He’s taken “do not judge” and run with it so Christians have become soft on sin and in so doing have allowed families to crumble and culture to cave. But the only outcome of softness on sin is people missing out on the gospel that saves.
“We must be brought kicking and screaming, if necessary, before the holy standard of God’s law so that we might be duly persuaded of our need for the gospel.”
R.C. Sproul
First… Then…
When Jesus addressed hypocrisy, He said, “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.” It was never either, or.
As Christians who have been entrusted with the Word of God, we must make the law of God known. We must proclaim the whole truth to the lost world around us. We must call our brothers and sisters in Christ to holy living. But before we do any of that, we must remember we are not without excuse. We need to sit with our Savior and ask Him to reveal the sin in our own lives that needs to be dealt with. Our finger-pointing is nothing more than hypocrisy unless we spend more time concerned with our own walk with God than we are with everyone else’s.
As I studied this passage of Scripture, I was reminded of a few important things to keep in mind before I call out sin in the world around me:
1 – Self-Evaluation.
Jesus said, “First take the log out of your own eye.” I need to take a good, hard look at my own life. An honest look. Ask God to show me how I’ve fallen short in thought, word, or deed. Ask Him to reveal the things I’ve done and left undone. Then deal with them. I must remember – I am simply a sinner saved by grace. Apart from Jesus Christ, I would be just as lost and guilty as anyone else.
2 – Motivation.
What is the reason I feel the need to call out a particular sin? Do I want to be right? Am I trying to make myself look better? Or am I honestly concerned about the people in bondage to it? My only goal should be to glorify God and reconcile others to Him.
3 – Audience.
Who am I preaching to? Does God’s law even matter to them? Will they just trample the message and kill the messenger? In the same message on hypocrisy, Jesus said, “Do not give that which is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, for they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
I was once a sinner comfortable in my sin. God’s holy standard was of little concern to me. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit convicted me of the truth. And I am eternally grateful for God’s patience with me because it drove me to my knees and saved me! I pray that as I live a life that glorifies Him, I will also lovingly share the uncomfortable truth about sin and the glorious truth about salvation so that others will know the freedom in Christ I’ve found.
Romans 1 & 2 are strong reminders that we all are without excuse and in need of a Savior. Apart from the saving work of Jesus, the lost are eternally doomed. And without the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, the rest are just pretending.
Thank you, Lord, for saving and sanctifying me. I pray the standard by which I measure myself will always be Your standard as revealed in Your word. I pray that I will spend more time evaluating my life than I do evaluating others. I pray that you will help me to call out sin with a humble spirit simply because I am concerned about Your glory and people’s souls. In Jesus’ name, amen.
