How condemnation gets in the way of a life of discernment

In our series Clash of Kingdoms we have been working our way through the teaching of Jesus traditionally called The Sermon on the Mount.  In our passage from Matthew 5:43 through 48,  I made a distinction between the need for Christians to be discerning without being condemning. I wanted to take a few moments to dig into that statement a little more because how we respond to our current social context matters.

To begin understanding the difference between discernment and condemnation, we should begin with clear definitions as each word can have different connotations. 

For the sake of this article to be “Discerning” refers to knowing right from wrong and working to stop what is wrong but not condemning people in the process. While “Condemning” will be defined as sitting in judgment over people damning them to the consequences of their actions.

This response of condemnation ultimately I believe is God’s role alone.  With a working definition of the terms we can begin to distinguish between the two responses in the life of the follower of Jesus.  

Now if you were with us through our series The Minor Notes, studying the minor prophetic books of the Old Testament, you know we believe that God wants His people to live righteously and to also repent of and address injustice and sin within their hearts and their nation. Considering the character of God doesn’t change, this affirms the need for discernment in the life of the Christian. Certainly, evil still exists all around us but it is not unique to the American Christian experience.  It would wrong for Christians to live in isolation as the very people that Jesus has called to live like cities on a hill for all to see and glorify God our Father.  Christians must live as citizens of God’s Kingdom first. The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount speak to the foundational understanding of life as His followers. I truly believe that everything for the Christian life flows out of this framework for living in the ways of Jesus.  

When you consider what Jesus has been saying in Matthew 5 through 7, He has been calling people to rejoice that God’s promised Kingdom has been brought close to those who were once shut out of it.  Jesus then teaches His disciples to trust in their Heavenly Father and not demand their rights here on earth.  Instead they are to live prioritizing God’s righteous and His Kingdom in their lives rather than their own righteousness and way of life. That  way of living spills over into all aspects of life including how we engage with those that we would consider a threat to our well being. 

Allow me to try and work through some examples of how this plays out: Regarding the broader concept of evil, Christians should be able to recognize and say what is wrong and also work toward limiting and stopping it.  But does that mean we are justified to condemn everyone who has ever experienced or facilitated evil actions?  I hope not, because then there is no good news of Jesus for them.  

Understanding that forgiveness and restoration is possible for people is critical to living in the ways of Jesus and being a people that demonstrate God’s grace and mercy.  Many people have regrets in life and they desire to receive mercy and grace in the same way that we have found mercy and grace in and through our faith in Jesus. It is in this way I believe Jesus shows us a different way to live, embracing discernment without condemning others.  

From a broader understanding of God’s mercy and Jesus’ teaching, we can then get more specific about how to respond to other things including the current political culture and upheaval we are experiencing here in America. We must remember that Jesus calls us to pray for those in power rather than to simply lash out.  Certainly there are ways we can and should resist evil.  We can see examples of this in the Bible when Paul utilized and appealed to Roman laws in order to save his life and continue his ministry. Still, we must remember that even Paul submitted his life to Jesus first.

  Paul knew Roman law enough to protect himself as a citizen of Rome against those wanting to kill him. He also wrote to the church in Rome and to a young pastor named Timothy instructing Christians to submit to their governmental authorities (Romans 13) but to also do the following: 

“…first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:2.   

That sounds nice on the surface, but we must remember that those kings and rulers they were instructed to submit to and pray for included Nero and Caligula. Two incredibly twisted and dark Roman rulers that brought significant harm and suffering to Christians across the Roman Empire and many other peoples.  Still, praying for those seeking to harm the church was to be a way of life and worship.   

Paul doesn’t stop there because in his second letter to Pastor Timothy, Paul instructs him regarding how he and his church should conduct themselves in a God honoring way and that does include correcting opponents. However, any correction is to be done with kindness and gentleness.  Second Timothy 2:23 through 26, which I will post at the end of this article, is worth reading slowly several times to grasp how kindness and gentleness is key to speaking truth to those offending God. 

Unfortunately, much of what has been clearly visible over the last several decades of American politics is that the loudest one liners that demonize or dehumanize the opposition has come to reign our dialog and sadly far too often the church has embraced this same approach rather than the kind and gentle nature of Jesus and this is where I would advocate for a return to discernment in the church. 

I understand that Jesus was not only gentle because he also braided a whip and overturned the money changers tables while driving people out of the temple.  Clearly, He was far from passive when confronting evil against God.  In my life I have seen how often our first response to evil has good intentions but is often devoid of prayerful consideration.  This is why in my sermon on this passage I asked,

“When was the last time you prayed for someone that you feel threatens your wellbeing?”

It is one thing to see this in scripture, but it is another to apply this concept of discernment without condemnation in our lives.  To become men, women, and children that live this way will take retraining our hearts and minds.  I will offer two things that need to become a part of our lives in this long process.  First, as a priority, we must plant and nurture the seeds of righteousness in our lives and grow in our discernment by studying scripture, praying, and learning to listen to the Holy Spirit.  This is non-negotiable for the maturing Christian as we learn to recognize right from wrong.  It is also just as important in shaping a Christ like response to evil and offensive things in life. 

Second, one practical discipline I would suggest Christians return to, is to not do or say anything in judgement of another person, group, or political movement unless you have taken an equal time to pray for those you are standing against. So for instance if it will take you three minutes to read and share a post online, research it first to make sure it is accurate, then take the same amount of time to pray for the person or people responsible for what you find evil before sharing anything. 

Fundamentally this is a call for Christians to lean into what Jesus tells us to do… to pray for those that threaten our own sense of well-being before opening our mouths to address any kind of evil.  The Truth will always remain sure even in the shifting sands of global cultural values and truth should be held up for others to see, but there is a way to share truth that pushes people away from the grace of God they need.  So wether it is confronting evil or calling out logical fallacies across society, as Christians, we are to stand for those without voices, we are to resist evil in the eyes of God, but we are to do it with gentleness, kindness, humility, and boldness like Jesus did.  All while being a people that actively pray about these things.    

Friends, continue to seek The Spirit in your life.  Wrestle to honor God with your decisions and speech.  Certainly to live this way is challenging but I would rather we strive to live the teachings of Jesus than to live any other way.  If you’d like to talk through this more, feel free to reach out to us at the Grove and we will do our best to set up a time where we can talk.

~Pastor Scott

“ So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” 

2 Timothy 2:22-26 ESV