Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (Matthew 7 1-3 KJV)
It is there in black in white in the Gospel of Matthew (and appears elsewhere as well), do not judge others. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. We all make judgements about other people, whether it is by assuming what kind of a person someone is based on the clothes they wear, assuming they are immoral because of the friends they keep, or deciding they are a bad person based on a current or former addiction. We have all heard parents tell their children not to hang out with certain people. And there are even some Christians that do not want a certain class of people (meth addicts, alcoholics, gamblers, people that listen to different kinds of music) attending their church. Here's the thing, while it may be okay for a father and mother to decide who their children can and cannot see, it is certainly is not okay in my opinion for a church member to decide who can or cannot attend his or her church. A church is in many ways like a hospital. Hospital systems generally do not exclude people based on the ailment or injury they have. They admit everyone, and sometimes transfer them to another part of the hospital system. Nor should churches exclude people based on what kind of sins they have committed.
When I think of judging others and deciding on whether they should or should not attend your church, I am always reminded of this passage about Rahab the prostitute from the Book of Hebrews:
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. (11:31)
The tale of Rahab told in the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible was one of how a harlot was turned into a person of virtue through her faith in God. When Joshua sent spies into Jericho, Rahab instead of turning them in, hid them, and in return when Joshua attacked the city, her life and that of her family were spared and they became members of the Jewish nation.
Rahab showed faith in God, and as a result Joshua allowed her to join the Hebrews. Should we not also reward former and even current sinners that are seeking the Lord? We all sin, we are born with sin. Therefore, who are we to judge others simply because they do not sin as we do? So you do not condone drug use, does that give you the right to judge a recovering meth addict when you yourself have sins of your own?
Part of being a Christian is to help others stop sinning. Is there any better place to do that than in one's own church. Is there any better way to get someone to repent than by making them a member of a loving and caring congregation? So instead of looking down your nose at someone and saying, "We do not want their kind in this congregation," allow them to attend, show them the path back to God. Do you suspect they are continuing to commit the sins they once said they repented from? Have patience, some sins are hard to stop committing. Addictions can be tough to beat, someone raised in an unloving home might find it hard to be kind, a once shady businessman might find it hard to be totally honest. Our patience should be unending just as God's love for us is, and we should never give up on urging someone to stop doing what they know is wrong. And the easiest way to do that is as a community. Give fellow sinners the love and support they need to stop sinning. Do not turn them away at the door.
As Christians, we are supposed to be loving, caring, compassionate. It is not our place to judge others. My pastor, a very wise man of the world (literally, he was a Navy chaplain and travelled the world) once told me one sin is no worse than the rest. They are all just as bad. Lying is as bad as murder, theft is as bad as adultery. In the eyes of the Lord, they are all sins. So sure, that person you are judging may be a shoplifter...drug addict..compulsive gambler...ex-stripper...ex-con. but his or her sin is no worse than any sin, and none of us are free of sin, that you may have committed.
So I urge my fellow Christians, welcome the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, the rejects into your congregations. Many a sinner has been born again, and become loving contributing members of churches around the world. Wasn't that the whole point of our Savior Jesus Christ's self sacrifice, to save the sinners? Then perhaps we should be helping others find their own Salvation through the Lord.
Photo of cross by Carol M. Highsmith - Library of CongressCatalog: http://lccn.loc.gov/2014633749Image download: https://cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/highsm/29500/29549a.tifOriginal url: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.29549, Public Domain, Link
Well said Berry
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