The Burr in the Burgh

A lot of people don't care what the Bible says. They don't want to hear that it condemns homosexuality or abortion. They don't want to hear that you have to believe certain things to be saved. But one thing even the most hardened unbeliever knows about the bible is this saying from Jesus, "Judge not."

To them, this trumps everything and anything else Jesus may have said. Judge not. Or as it is usually understood, make no value judgments about anything I do, think or say.

Scripture certainly does condemn self-righteousness. But it does not restrain us from saying something is wrong or bad or evil.

All of us make value judgments all the time. The rapist who got caught. Let's put him in jail. That's a value judgment. The corporate exec who cheated his investors. Let's oust him. We don't like the policies of a given politician. Let's vote for his opponent. All of these are judgments. God does not - indeed cannot - forbid us from judging people.

But what about those words of our Lord? The difference is this. When I speak a word of judgment against lust or pride or gossip, it is not ME speaking. It is not MY word; it is the Word of God. God condemns those things, not me.

Certainly Jesus wants his followers to worry less about the sins of the bad ol' world than about our own personal shortcomings. "Unless you repent, you will likewise perish." He hates spiritual pride. He hates those who seek to justify themselves while sneering at everyone else. He is not Mr. Politically Correct I-Tolerate-Everything. God is not that way at all. God is not polite. He is good, but not nice. And certainly not tolerant. Forgiveness is not tolerance. Forgiveness is mercy, but mercy based on the penalty being exacted on a proxy.

God is not judgmental? Tell that the Jesus on the cross.

Most of you have too much money. God has blessed you and you use it on yourself. If you ate three meals yesterday, wore shoes, and used a toilet, you are wealthier than most of the world's population. So spend that hundred bucks on things you don't need or give it to a worthy cause. I recommend Friends of Mercy. I know you've heard a zillion appeals. I know you hate being asked for money. But you should give to this agency and you should probably do it right now. First, tithe to your local congregation but then consider making a special gift to help orphans in Kenya, refugees in the Sudan, and hurting people everywhere. See Pastor Sell's blog on Friends of Mercy here.