Judge no one, You are not Qualified (pt. 2)

Paul continues on in verse 13 to remind us that we are not to judge one another but also to not become a stumbling block for other weaker Christians with respect to what is clean and unclean. In (Acts 10:15) Peter was in a trance visited by a voice from heaven saying to him “kill and eat”. Peter’s response states he has never eaten anything unclean or common. We know the response from the voice from heaven that “What God has made clean, do not call common.” The point is that as children of God we are not to cause our fellow brothers or sisters to stumble in their walk with Christ. Paul states that if we are creating a stumbling block or hindrance to other brothers and sisters then we are no longer walking in love. Jesus reminds us in (Mark 7:19) that food goes into the stomach and not the heart. Paul's main point is that the kingdom of God goes way beyond eating or drinking, it is a kingdom of righteousness.

To walk with Christ we need to become more righteous in our journey with Him. If we believe we are an integral part of God’s kingdom then we should be aware of our actions and how our actions and words influence other believers. The message goes way beyond believers though, we know and have heard that being a true Christian walking with the Lord representing Jesus, in the eyes of non-believers, and we may be the only bible that they will read. As believers all too often we want to stay in our comfort zone and reject the major transformation God requires from each of us. We are transformed to be in the likeness of God. Our walk with Christ is varied for each person while some take baby steps, some take monumental leaps. What the message from Paul is that we as mature Christians have an influence on new believers and how through our actions could negatively impact or hinder their growth.

As mature Christians our perspective on life changes as I mentioned earlier. Our relationship with Christ becomes more important than our relationship with the world. This means that we die to our old self and are born again to serve the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Compromising God’s word will never benefit us or the ones we are associated with. We know Satan is ready to distort and destroy everything God is building in us and we have to be prepared to fight the battle as it comes to us.

I know many Christians who read verse 22 and conclude that our relationship with Christ is private and should be kept private. This is not what Paul is teaching here. We need to keep our strong views and judgments to ourselves and as a reward we will receive the blessings from heaven. We are not to judge others, but we are to make sure our walk is in line with the word of God. We are accountable to God just like everyone else. We need to stay focused on what God is doing in our lives and to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior to ensure our walk with Him leads us into the kingdom of heaven. Our faith will allow us to grow in Christ. It gives us clarity to see things from the biblical perspective and separate ourselves from the world view.

It is dangerous and impossible to believe that we can live by the world’s standards and still maintain a strong personal relationship with Christ. This means we need to let go and let God do the work in our own and other people's lives. This means we should not judge because (Matthew 7:3-5) the speck in someone's eye becomes the plank in our own eye. At times it is easier to judge than to pray for others who are struggling. The most effective way we can show the love of Christ is to pray for everyone including the lost. The kingdom of God is being built by God’s hands and through our strong relationship with Him, we can be used mightily as part of His desire that all should be saved.

My prayer is that we will all know the love of God. We would recognize that it is through God’s power that we will succeed in our walk with Him. I pray that we will continue to grow in Christ and we will decrease in our worldly desires so we may represent the Triune God in all the ways that He deserves to be represented. In Jesus mighty name I pray Amen! Amen!