Category: Suffering

Does “Judge not” Mean what we all Think it Means?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or judges his brother or sister, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. – James 4:11 NASB

 Judge not lest you be judged (Matthew 7:1) is without question, the best known, most memorized verse in the history of history. Bible believing Christians as well as those who have never darkened the door of a church know it by heart.  Precious few hesitate to whip it out anytime a discussion veers into any sort of moral judgement call about any activity under the sun. 

But what did Jesus really mean when He said “judge not”? 

Is Matthew 7:1 really a blanket condemnation of condemnation? Is Jesus flatly forbidding the making of moral judgements? 

Nope.

 Jesus made all sorts of hard and fast judgments concerning all sorts of issues. Those issues include (but are not limited to) divorce and remarriage (Matthew 19:1-10), those who refused to care for aging parents (Mark 7:6-9), murder (Matthew 5:21-22), unforgiveness (Matthew 5:23-26) and adultery (Luke 18:19). Moreover, the entire New Testament was in a very real sense written by Jesus (John 1:1-3, 1st Timothy 3:15-16). The New Testament includes all sorts of passages that make judgments concerning a myriad of behaviors and attitudes (1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:8-10, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5, 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8). Furthermore, Jesus is God, if He was concerned about the Bible coming off as judgmental He could have easily done something about it. 

Seriously. 

 The notion that Jesus somehow forbids moral judgments concerning right and wrong is absurd. Matthew 7:1 is (in my opinion) more about making assumptions (which are really just judgments) concerning how and why people end up in certain situations. Jesus wants us to understand no one can really know anyone else’s backstory. Therefore, it is totally inappropriate for anyone to make judgments about who does and does not deserve to be in a particular situation. 

Individuals have always tended to assume every mess or bad situation is a consequence of sin. Jesus confronted this thinking head-on in John chapter nine. Jesus and His disciples met a man born blind. The disciples just naturally assumed that the man was blind because someone sinned. They weren’t sure if it was the man or his parents but they KNEW someone in this situation must be a terrible sinner. 

 Jesus responded with: 

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him”-John 9:2-3. 

 Christians today are every bit as inclined to believe people in difficult situations “did something” to deserve their misery as those in Jesus’ day.  This is because the modern-day church has been intensely impacted by the enlightenment and modern psychology.  

The enlightenment was a period of scientific discovery that impacted every sphere of life. Prior to the enlightenment individuals were utterly clueless as to why stuff happened. Superstition was the norm. This was not good. Prior to the enlightenment many people groups were convinced a baby born with red hair (who didn’t have a parent with red hair) was a bad omen. The vast majority of people believed illness was the result of sin and judgment.

Enlightenment scientists taught that things happen for a reason.

Thanks to the enlightenment now we know recessive genes can be tricky and illness are caused by microorganisms called germs. Modern psychology sought to explain the roots (or reasons) for human behavior. Freud normalized the idea that everything we do is directly related to our childhood experiences. The western world has been deeply impacted by the teachings of Freud, they literally color how we see almost everything (Colossians 2:8). 

It’s not wrong or sinful to believe there are explanations for why things happen. It is wrong and sinful to assume that we know the “reason” why certain things happen, it is (in my opinion) a direct violation of Matthew 7:1. There are scenarios that breed judgement concerning the backstories. Some of those include:

Divorce

Cirrhosis of the liver 

Problems with their adult children 

Getting fired 

In the case of divorce, our assumptions will depend a little bit on our life experiences but typically we tend to assume the woman wasn’t a good wife or the man was abusive. We assume no one ever gets cirrhosis of the liver unless they’re a raging drunk. We assume issues with adult children are always due to bad and/or abusive parenting. Everyone assumes one ever gets fired unless they “deserve” it. 

I have been deeply convicted of my own tendency to make these kinds of assumptions. I do not believe I am alone in this. We all do it. However, truth-be-told, none of the above are universally true. Sometimes bad things happen. Period. Anytime, we make an assumption concerning a backstory we quickly lose our compassion. Or we stop listening to the hurting person and look for opportunities to instruct them on how to fix the problems that we believe got them in the bad situation in the first place. When we do this, we often end up giving advice that’s not related to the person’s problem and it ends up isolating the hurting person (Colossians 3:12, 1st Peter 3:8)

However.

Because we know Jesus we do better. We can learn to withhold judgment, we can take the time to really listen to their stories without assuming anything at all. We can love them like Jesus loves them.   

Winning the Battle with Discouragement-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged- Deuteronomy 31:28 NIV

Discouragement. 

It’s just kind of an ugly word. 

It’s an even uglier reality.

The Cambridge dictionary defines discouragement as:

The state of having lost your confidence or enthusiasm. 

With all due respect to the word wizards at Cambridge, a protracted case of discouragement is much more serious than merely losing one’s confidence or enthusiasm for a situation. If discouragement goes on for long enough it’s a fast-track to depression, despondency and hopelessness. 

Because discouragement can be so demoralizing, it one of the most powerful tools in Satan’s toolbox. The enemy understands that if he can bring enough trouble, pain and pressure into our lives in a short enough of period of time it is possible we will become so discouraged that our faith in the goodness of God will collapse like a house of cards in a hurricane (1st Peter 5:8). A lingering case of discouragement can leave us angry and bitter towards God (Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:26). It’s just too easy to conclude God doesn’t care about our pain or that He has completely forgotten about whatever situation feels so unending and bleak. 

God is big enough to handle our feelings, even the really ugly ones. However, this does not mean we should allow anger with God to go unchecked indefinitely. Anger towards God becomes problematic when in our anger we quit seeking and serving God (Galatians 6:9, Matthew 6:13-16). Anytime our desire to do good and glorify God is lessened in any way we are well on our way either a life of spiritual rebellion and sin or lukewarm Christianity. Both lead to spiritual ineffectiveness and eventually even deeper despair. 

It’s simply a fact that we are most likely to hit our limits, encounter a season of discouragement and experience spiritual warfare when we are busy seeking God and doing exactly what He wants us to do.  Self-focused, unruly or wayward Christians create no problems or issues for the enemy (Proverbs 1:32). As a result, he tends to just leave them alone. 

Sigh. 

Discouragement occurs anytime a limited being hits a limit. Human beings are by nature limited beings. The limits that stretch our ability to cope can be physical, emotional, mental or spiritual in nature. Anytime we go through a season where we hit all our limits all at the same time there’s a pretty good chance the discouragement we are experiencing is a spiritual weapon Satan is attempting to form against us (Isaiah 54:17). Prayer is without question the most powerful weapon we have in our spiritual tool box. We will never come out of a season of discouragement stronger and healthier without it. (Matthew 26:41, Ephesians 6:18-20, Romans 8:26). No season of life (good or bad) goes on indefinitely. This (whatever “this” is) will pass. In the meantime, there are four things God wants us to ask Him for in a season of discouragement.

The first is:

 Spiritual effectiveness- 

Few Christians have faced the kind of trouble, discouragement and hardship the Apostle Paul experienced (2ndCorinthians 11:24-28, 2nd Corinthians 4:7-16). Anytime the going got tough Paul would ask his friends to pray for increased spiritual effectiveness (Romans 15:30, Colossians 4:3, Ephesians 6:19, Philippians1:19). Paul wisely understood that struggle and difficulty brings with it great opportunity for spiritual effectiveness, personal growth and fruit. We should follow his lead and pray for spiritual effectiveness in our personal struggle or hardship.  

Spiritual insight- 

 God does not bring hardship in to our lives to punish us. That said, God does use the difficulties of living in a fallen world to refine us, grow us, and make us more like Jesus. If a season of discouragement is handled with wisdom and integrity it will result in greater spiritual insight and a deeper commitment to Jesus. The key to growth in a season of discouragement is to seek God with a greater intensity in spite of any discouragement we feel. When we seek God in the face of pain and/or spiritual confusion God blesses our faith with greater wisdom, understanding and insight. 

Grace-

Grace is so much more than simply the kindness and forgiveness God shows to unworthy sinners (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:23-24). Grace is the empowering presence of God that allows us to do more and endure more than we ever could in our own strength (2nd Corinthians 12:8-10). In seasons of hardship God’s grace is critical not just to our spiritual growth but also to our emotional survival. Everyday should begin with a prayer for an extra measure of grace. 

To get the work done-

Christians are called to be continually on mission for Jesus (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 5:13-16, Philippians 2:12-16). This means doing whatever work we have been called to do in spite of our circumstances (1st Chronicles 28:20). The details of our “work” in the Lord is different for everyone. For all of us it means living righteously and doing our best to bring the hope of Jesus into whatever situation God has called us into.

Seasons of discouragement are almost always a test of our faith and spiritual resiliency.  If we persevere through a discouraging season it always leads to a refining of our faith and a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ (1st Peter 1:3-9). Being refined is always difficult and painful, but the results are beautiful. 

What Gets us through the Tough Stuff of Life with our Faith in Tact?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them- 1st Thessalonians 3:2-3 NIV

 There are three fundamental truths Christians must embrace in order to be holy, healthy and honest:

 Life is hard.

God is good even when life is hard.

When life is hard it doesn’t feel like God is good.

 Most Christians readily agree with truths one and three. However, many Christians (including myself), struggle to fully embrace truth two all the time. This hypothesis is backed up by an increasing number of Christians who have “deconstructed” their faith in an emotional moment and then turned their backs on God because life got hard or other Christians disappointed them.

Some who walk away from Christianity are spiritual snowflakes. These folks truly believe an unkind comment on social media is a brutal form of persecution.  Deep down in their heart-of-hearts they think God is lucky to have them on His team and they are too special to suffer. When life gets just a little bit tougher than they are comfortable with they melt under the heat of adversity, get miffed at God and stop being Christians. Spiritual snowflakes are easy to spot:they tend to carry their snow-flakiness into other areas of their lives including relationships. They’re quick to take offense and get their feelings hurt. They readily abandon anything that challenges them in any way.

 Then,

 There are individuals who turn their backs on God after experiencing legitimately horrific situations. They lost a child or had a loved-one murdered or lived through horrible abuse of some sort. The folks in this category all came up against a situation they couldn’t find a reasonable answer for and they simply determined they could not live the Christian life without that answer. So, they turned away from God either in anger or unbelief.

 The two groups are vastly different in nearly every way and one group is far more worthy of  compassion than the other. However, both groups share a common problem that has become endemic in Christianity.  

 They lack a theology of suffering.  

 Theology is not just for bookworm-y types of Christians. Theology is the most practical thing in the world. It is one-hundred-percent necessary to survive this life with our faith intact. Theology explains life and how God uses the stuff of life to accomplish His purposes in our lives.  Every believer in Jesus must have a solid theological grid to view life through; if they don’t they will never be able to effectively explain to themselves and others why they are experiencing the things they are experiencing.  

  One reason Christians lack theology in this area is because life is easier now than it has ever been before in human history.

 Think about it:

 Thanks to the miracle of central heat and air no one is ever too hot or too cold, unless, of course, they are freely participating in an activity that demands they be too hot or too cold. Just a hundred-years ago, most people spent the majority of their lives in a state of perpetual discomfort. Today, it is unheard of for people in the Western world to experience hunger unless they are attempting to lose weight. Even just a hundred years ago famine was still a reality even for much of the “developed” world. Illnesses that once wiped-out large portions of the human population have been controlled or eradicated with drugs, surgery and public health programs. It wasn’t that long ago when it was simply accepted fact that most mothers would not see all their children live to adulthood.

 This progress is undeniably awesome. However, improved living conditions have raised our expectations for happiness to a level that cannot always be met. Truth-be-told most of us (including me) feel entitled to be comfortable, healthy, happy and entertained all of the time. We tend to get a bit cranky with God when life is anything less than perfectly pleasant.

 A couple of theological facts:

 First, we live in a fallen world that is not fully redeemed (Romans 8:19-22). This simply means that no matter how good humans get at making the world a comfortable place to live we will never be completely free of adversity and tragedy (John 16:33). Secondly, Christians probably experience more difficulty and hardship than non-Christians. This is because God is relentlessly working to conform us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29, 2nd Corinthians 3:18).  This is no easy task and apparently it requires some hardship to get the job done (James 1:2, 1st Peter 1:6-7, Revelation 2:9-10).  Furthermore, we have an enemy who is personally invested in seeing our faith in God crumble (1st Peter 1:8, Job 1:6-8, 1st Thessalonians 2:18). On top of all of that life is full of tests (Luke 4:1, 2nd Corinthians 13:5, 1st Thessalonians 2:4, Hebrews 11:17, James 1:12). God does not test us so He can find out where we are at. He already knows everything there is to know about us. However, God sometimes allows us to be tested so we will know where we’re at so we can make changes that lead to growth.

 Finally,

 In order to develop a theology that takes us through the tough stuff of life we must change HOW we view the Christian life: Someday we will dwell in heaven. When we get there there will be no more tears, sickness, longing, pain or evil (Revelation 21:1-7). Life will be perfect and we will be perfect. We aren’t there yet. At this point in the story we are soldiers in a war living an in-between (Philippians 2:25, 2nd Timothy 2:3-4, Philemon 1:1-2) where we are fighting for the hearts and minds of our fellow human beings (Ephesians 6:10-20) and our own growth. Wars are messy and painful.  In order to survive the war we must treat God as our source of safety and run to Him in times of trouble, suffering and difficulty instead of away from Him (Proverbs 18:10, 1st Peter 5:7).