Monday, October 6, 2014

Don't Judge Me Because I Sin Differently Than You and Why You Shouldn't Be Saying This



When I first read this quote, I smiled. It was on Facebook, and I know I “liked” it. It made me feel good.

Then it became vile tasting. Somehow it lost it's flavor and authenticity and I was left with a lingering uneasiness about it.

Telling people to not judge me because I sin differently than they do, might make me feel better about not using the whole overused “judge not” line. But in actuality, its saying “I know I sin, but I like my sin, so I'm going to keep doing my sin, because my sin makes me feel good. If anyone dares point it out, I'm going to be Christian enough to admit it. But I'm not going to be Christ-like in my attitude in addressing it. I'm going to make myself feel better by pointing out theirs.”

I want to do what I want to do, because I want to do it, how I want to do it, when I want to do it, why I want to do it, because I am I and I need to feel good about I.

...read that again...

Sure, it makes people back off because I'm pleading my case. But, in actuality I'm just saying their sin makes my sin OK. 

Their sin makes my sin tolerable. 

Their sin makes my sin less sinful. 

Their sin makes my sin in less need of repenting of.

That's wrong. It holds about as much weight in God's book as does a feather providing a windbreak in a blizzard.

Yes, you and I are loved by God more than we'll ever know, and are covered in more grace than we'll ever need. But, we should never assume that because of His love and grace, we needn't confess and repent of our sin. If we have knowledge of sin in our life, we are responsible for repenting of it, not justifying it.

What are your thoughts on this?




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14 comments :

  1. OH, You just wrote a Dandelion Seed post! I LOVE IT! You are 100% right here! I agree with every word.
    Here is the link to my on-going Dandelion Seed series label: http://rensredeemed.blogspot.com/search/label/Dandelion%20Seeds
    You have to scroll to the bottom to get to the explanation post. If i remember, on the next post, I'll link this one in!

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  2. Agreed. I'm always looking for friends who will hold me accountable and call me out for my sanctification instead of continuing this whole "I'm okay, you're okay" nonsense.

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  3. I've had the same reaction to that quote! Yes! and Amen!!

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  4. Sin is sin... and God is the One who convicts our hearts.. satan wants us to focus on the sins of others and not our own... at the same time, we are not to just "love" and "accept" every sin because we also sin... sin is sin... and sin is wrong. As we walk with the Lord and allow Him to change us and mature us, we become sensitive to His Spirit and also to when we should say anything... and when we should NOT. Our becoming more like Him will take our whole life.. and it is a very worthy task. :)

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    1. So true! I like that you mentioned "we are not to just "love" and "accept" every sin because we also sin" but that we are to speak up in love when we feel convicted to do so. It's hard to approach someone about their sin, because so often we get things thrown in our face. Yet, when done in sincerity and genuine love it is, how you said, a very worthy task. Thank you for shedding light on this very important subject!

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  5. I liked this one of FB, too, because at first glance it says that we're all sinners and shouldn't be judging one another, which is Biblical. Yet, you make an excellent point that it does almost glorify and lessen the severity of the idea of sin. Thank you for this post, Kaylene. I love reading things that give me a different point of view to consider. Blessings.

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  6. Hmmm, interesting thoughts. Would you have the same thoughts if the meme said "Don't judge someone because they sin differently than you?" Looking forward to your response! :)

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    1. I like you, Lisa!! I love that you ask this! While thinking through this post I had that very thought! I consider all my writings for myself first. Lately a few of my posts have been harsh sounding & could be taken as judgmental of others. They were extremely hard to write because I knew it would cause women to take offense. However, I also know I am not the only one who struggles with complacency & self righteousness. As sinners we all do, "of whom I am chief" as Paul wrote in 1Tim. I sincerely consider this for myself first.The last thing I want my blog to be is one that makes me feel good about myself. I tend to be most adamant about subjects that have my shortcomings written all over them. Again, I love that you asked! I hope you return & continue helping me grow in my walk! With love & blessings ~ Kaylene

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  7. It isn't always easy to be the mirror that reveals truth. Whenever that statement is said to me it makes me laugh at the shallow way we move around the real heart of the issue.. I sin. When we justify someone else's sin, we are just saying we don't want to deal with our own. Justification is only an effort to keep me from feeling bad about myself and dealing with the truth. I agree... we should never say that, Kaylene.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

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  8. We are all so tempted to pretty up our sin, aren't we. Makes it easier to swallow. When we should be spitting it out. Important words here. Thank you for linking with Unforced Rhythms.

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  9. This just fits right in with the tolerance that our society has so blindly accepted. Sin is sin. Everyone needs to put away their me measuring sticks and repent.

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  10. I see your point on this... I think the message not to judge is proper but it sounds like we are accepting our own sins instead of trying to sanctify ourselves...

    Thank you for sharing this thought on the Art of Home-Making Mondays last week. Please join in again this week as the new link up is up and running :)

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  11. While I see your point, I would disagree mainly because I interpreted the quote differently. To me it was simply a reminder not to judge an entire person based on their sin. Today the words judge and condemn go hand in hand, and many people judge others so they can feel better about their own sin, making the other person worse than they are. When I read the quote it's a reminder that when pointing out someone's sin, we should come from a place of love wanting them to grow in faith with God rather than judging them so we feel better
    I know everyone has their own interpretations, but I thought this might give another perspective. We are called to hold others accountable, but we are called to do this from a place of love. As the Bible says "make sure you remove the beam from your eye before removing the speck from your brother's eye." Just another interpretation. :)

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