Copyright 2011 by Randy Meulman
All of us have been injured in one way or another. I know that when my rotator cuff was shattered, and the doctor put nine pins in my shoulder, it hurt. I mean it really hurt. In reality though, the physical pains in my life have been short-lived in comparison to those injuries that have been inflicted upon my heart and spirit. I have been wounded by people and I have in turn inflicted hurt upon others in the very same way. Much of that pain endured for years. One of the instruments of pain I'm writing about is our propensity to judge other people. Often this judgment is directed towards our friends, our husbands, our wives, our parents, our children, our business associates and sometimes people we don't even know. The spirit of judgment I'm writing about has the ability to deeply wound us all.
Several accounts from those who wrote the New Testament warn us against a spirit of judgment, including the words of Jesus Himself. The spirit of judgment I'm writing about seems so right in the moment, but in the end produces death. This spirit is characterized by a lack of love and has the power to destroy.
Have you ever thought much about the spirit of judgment? What is judgment and why do we judge one another? I'm writing here about the same harmful form of judgment that the writers of the New Testament warned us against. In its essence, this judgmental spirit always assumes the moral high ground and affords us a feeling of righteous superiority over those we are judging. There is a form of power in this thinking that renders us justified in our own minds. It is a spirit that allows and encourages a person to set oneself apart and above another, and to establish a false sense of authority, control and well-being. We see ourselves as qualified to judge one another as though we have an innate ability to pass judgment. At the very heart of this judgment is a falsely elevated sense of self-worth. It is not only an artificial way of dealing with our fears and hurts but it is also a way to feel better about ourselves at the expense of another. When addressing this spirit the prophet Isaiah said, "…all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." Jesus addressed this very issue in one of His most pointed and powerful parables:
Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get." But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
This deadly spirit finds its genesis in the first book of the Bible when Satan came to Eve. God had warned Adam and Eve not to eat from a certain tree in the garden because eating of the fruit of that tree would cause death. But Satan said to Eve, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil". When Adam and Eve ate from the tree their eyes were opened and all of mankind entered into a broken relationship with God. Death! As a result of this broken relationship, we have been left with a world defined by "good" and "evil" rather than the loving presence of the living God. Man was ushered into a mindset now defined by "good" and "evil" in which he could consider himself to be the judge of others, just like God!
However, there is right judgment, and it exists in the form of true spiritual discernment. That discernment is always connected to the very Spirit of Christ which is life and love. Right judgment does not have an elevated sense of moral superiority or preoccupation with self. Neither right judgment nor the Spirit of Life will be involved in jealousy, gossip, moral superiority, haughtiness, unforgivingness or anything that represents a lack of love. Jesus said, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment". If we are connected to the Spirit of Life we are connected to the Holy Spirit, which is the very Spirit of Christ. If we are not connected to the Spirit of Christ we are connected to the spirit of Satan and the spirit of Satan rules this fallen world. In our fallen nature we want to believe the best about ourselves in regards to good and evil, so we get caught up in appearances and wanting to look good to others by deceiving one another and being deceived. This is what religious activities are all about. Religious people appear to have a relationship with God through these activities, when in reality no relationship exists. I am referring to the religiosity of many church goers in distinction from those who are in a true personal and spiritual relationship with Jesus. Jesus speaks directly to this subject in the Book of Matthew; "On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you evil doers."
Why do we judge? Why do we judge our friends, neighbors, spouses, children, parents, people of different races and nations? It's like we can't help ourselves. On the one hand we know we shouldn't judge, but on the other hand we feel completely justified in doing so. What is at the core of this matter of judgment? There are many reasons why we are so desperately flawed, but the heart of the issue is that we don't know that God loves us. We may recite what we know from church, that God loves us and Jesus died for our sins but we don't really know this love at the heart of our being. We are afraid of God. We are also afraid of death. John in the New Testament says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love." And Paul goes on to say in the Book of Romans, "There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Let's go back to the Garden of Eden. If we see eating the forbidden fruit as primarily an act of disobedience we will see an angry God. If God is truly angry with us, we need to appease Him and the solution is obedience - in short, good verses bad behavior. We work at obeying rules, Bible verses, the Ten Commandments, and a host of other social and personal behavior modifiers that we deem appropriate. We pursue all of this "Christian morality" so that we will be "good", so that God will not be angry with us. We try to do this because Satan promised we would be just like God and in our fallen state we believe his lie. We attempt to lead "good" lives outside of the presences God and we fail. The central issue is not about disobeying God. The central issue is one of not truly trusting God. The issue is a relational issue of trust, seeing God for who He is and trusting Him. All false judgment and fear stems from not trusting God. God is love. But we don't know Him and we fear He is angry with us. This fear is ultimately what led Adam and Eve to cover themselves with fig leaves after the fall - similarly we hide from God and one another in our own lives today. We are afraid of God so we cover ourselves, feeling ashamed, and cast our judgment upon others to further veil our own imperfections from ourselves. In truth, we simply are trapped within a lie - that we must hide and stray further from God's love rather than trust in Him.
The terrorists who flew the planes into the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001 defined their actions by good and evil. Those young men were willing to give up their lives because they were convinced that we Americans are evil. They believed what they were doing was for God. It was righteous indignation on their part and they sacrificed their very lives for the angry god whom they worshipped. They simply did not know the God Who loves them.
In many ways, today’s political and religious climate, (especially with the conservative Evangelical movement) parallels the religious and political atmosphere during Christ’s time on earth. I believe that if Jesus showed up today, He would be met by the same reaction that He encountered in His day. Many in the religious community thought they were close to God because of all they were doing for Him. Their lives were filled with religious activities. They studied and memorized scripture and gave a tenth of all they owned. Their lives revolved around many religious activities, including keeping hundreds of rules. They felt morally superior to those around them who did not believe as they believed. Jesus showed up in this religious environment. When He did, He not only turned heads, but He turned water into wine. He made the blind to see. He loved the people that many leaders in the religious community despised. He broke many of their rules. He raised the dead. There is no doubt in my mind that if Jesus were walking this earth today some of His closest friends would be homosexuals, and they would feel completely loved in His presence just as the tax collectors and sinners did in His day.
Talk about not being politically correct! Consider the story of the Roman centurion who came to Jesus to have his servant healed. Jesus said He would go to the centurion’s home, but the centurion said that wasn't necessary. The centurion believed that Jesus needed only to say the word and his servant would be healed. Jesus marveled at him and said, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." Remember, this man was a centurion in the Roman army- a killer in the minds of the religious community; a hated symbol of the Roman occupation. Can you imagine Jesus saying something like that to a soldier in Saddam Hussein's Royal Guard? I certainly can!
The reason many of the religious people hated Jesus was because He wasn't one of them in spirit. He didn't believe what they believed. They had hundreds of years of traditions, and He trampled on what many viewed as sacred. They believed that they knew who God was and what God wanted. They prided themselves on their commitment, but when God (in Jesus) showed up, they hated Him. In their rage and hatred those religious leaders demanded His death. In the end it was not the Roman government that killed Jesus; rather it was the religious community that demanded a death sentence from the Roman governor. What did Jesus do to those people who hated, beat and spat upon Him while He was hanging on the cross? He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." That, my friends, is the very heart of God.
The spirit of judgment that I'm writing about is joined at the hip with religious pride. What is at the core of the rage that crucified the Son of God? I have witnessed preachers on TV raging against homosexuality while I'm sitting and thinking of some of my dearest and kindest friends. What is at the core of an individual, who feels a sense of moral superiority over another person, that gives him the right to judge? What is at the core of our anger when people don't embrace or believe the way we do? We cling so tightly to our ideas of what we want, the way we think things should be or what we deem appropriate that we find ourselves constantly disappointed and frustrated. To truly understand this spirit I'm writing about one would have to understand the very nature of Satan, who is the father of pride and the accuser of those who are in Christ. The spirit of judgment which I am speaking of is intimately linked to Satan who is incapable of love, which brings us to the heart of the matter. Satan cannot love, but he can falsely empower us. He convinces us of our personal rightness and is relentless in doing so. He gives us the feeling of superiority to stand our ground. This spirit desires to suck the life out of others because it has no life of its own. This spirit or sense of superiority can turn into a whimpering victim when someone dares to hurt or defy us. How dare you hurt Me! I will never forgive you! Our flesh fans this fire of our personal righteous indignation. Much of what is taking place today in the name of Christianity is nothing more than us, as individuals, trying to change our fallen nature, which of course doesn't work. So we pretend and want to look good to others. Appearances are really important to people caught up in this spirit of judgment, and they themselves fear exposure as they tenaciously defend their positions of rightness. Jesus called the religious people of His day "whitewashed tombs". The reason trying to change our fallen nature doesn't work is because we need a new nature. You can't fix the old one. You can't put "new wine into old wine skins". Of course, this is at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus came to die for us and was raised from the dead so that we could really live. Life is about the new creation in Christ not patching up the old. There are no victims in Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. And when you know Jesus you know God. And when you really know who God is you know He is love and you have nothing to fear. The guilt is gone. Our own self-judgment that cripples us with despair, self-loathing and fear is gone. And when we know we are loved just for who we are then we can change because through that love He empowers us to do so by His Spirit.
When we are filled with the love of God, that love is directed towards others and the spirit of judgment is broken. It's like waking up to a new world with each day being new and exciting and we are filled with a beautiful sense of well-being and wholeness. The fear in us is gone and we know everything is alright. We don't worry about the world because we are no longer a part of it. In the new creation Satan cannot touch us. He is left to grovel in his own meaningless existence of hatred, unforgivingness and condemnation, forever wanton, seeking glory that is not his own.
So then how do we live? Frankly, I don't have a clue as to how that question should be answered for each individual. During this past year I have felt the brunt of this spirit of judgment being directed at me from people whom I know and love. I'm sure these people had good reasons and felt that their judgments were justified, but they were hurtful to me. I went to these people and asked if they would be willing to pray with me and ask the Lord to break the stronghold of separation that existed between us. They said, "No". When they refused, I was upset and wanted to lash out and judge them in return. From my perspective, they were saying no to the only possible solution as it concerned our relationship. It took weeks working through these issues and the healing came slowly. But I've learned many things about myself and am gaining new freedom daily. I have found that no one can rob me of my joy and peace. It doesn't matter what another person does, even if that person doesn't want reconciliation. How many people still detest and hate their ex-spouses, many years after a divorce was concluded? Think of the staggering number of people who, this very day, feel trapped in their marriages. The answer lies in working these relational issues out with the Lord. It doesn't matter if your spouse refuses to pray with you or to go through counseling. The Lord will lead you in areas of personal growth to the point where you may choose to leave or perhaps choose to stay in the marriage. Does God love your spouse as much as He loves you? You can bet your life on it! Does that mean He will be angry with you if you choose to leave? The answer is no because God is not angry with us. But if we think getting divorced is the answer to freedom we are no closer to freedom than staying in a bad marriage because we think that is what God wants us to do.
Nobody can define our individual relationships with God. The issue of trust must be worked out on our own with the Lord. We have to know who God is in order to be free. And if God is in whatever we are doing, love will be part of it. If a spirit of judgment comes over us that spirit is not of Christ. Christ said about Himself, "For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him". The true Spirit of Christ is about life, not judgment. For example, I could have told those young men who flew those planes into the World Trade Center that what they were doing was not connected to God. I don't care how committed they were. I don't care how much they believed. I don't care how much they sacrificed. God was not in it. I know that. I also know that God is not going to patch up our old natures so we can be better people. Salvation in life comes through Jesus Christ. This salvation is about a new creation and the process is one of death and resurrection based on our relationship with God.
I have come to realize another truth that applies not only to me, but to others. The truth is that most religious activities do not reveal God's love. Actually, many of the religious activities I participated in kept me from really knowing God. I was pacified by the illusion that I was connected to God through these activities. I gave twenty percent of my income to the church. I spent hundreds of hours in Bible study and memorized over fifty chapters of the Bible. I attended church weekly. I witnessed and successfully converted several people to my cause. This was my ministry. I felt that I was "God's man" - after all, everything I was doing was to be right with God. But the truth of the matter is I did not truly find God until I stopped defining my life by these religious activities. Think about this for a moment. What kind of a god was I serving? What kind of a god needs my money? What kind of a god needs me in the ministry? What kind of a god truly needs me for anything? In truth, I was serving a pathetic god through activities that in reality left me feeling empty.
The truth is, God doesn't need you or me - He is complete within Himself. No one can alter God's purpose, which is life. God is eternal life and this life is available to us in Christ. People in Christ are experiencing salvation and one day that salvation will be complete with new resurrected bodies. We will experience unspeakable glory in the presence of God. There are times in our lives when God comes along our pathways with His love and wisdom and leads us to do a specific function that includes other people. Some may call this ministry. When God is present I am energized in my spirit and motivated by love. There is no sense of sacrifice. There is no spirit of judgment or superiority. Life is about extending energy towards the people and the things we love. When we experience the wholeness of Christ's love we know what it means to truly be free.
I'm not saying that God is going to make everything safe and comfortable for us. God is concerned about our growth. God is not going to change our spouses, our children or the world around us so we can be comfortable and safe. We see this sort of behavior all the time. People pleading with God for things that God is not going to do. If we truly want to see God work miracles (I mean miracles in our lives) we should ask Him to change us; "Lord, deliver me from myself. Lord, give me the capacity to love this person I absolutely detest. Lord, help me to understand my reaction to this person and let me see this person through Your eyes. Lord, through Your Spirit give me the power to be free from this habit in my life that is controlling and enslaving me. Lord, be with me and fill me with your love and joy in this situation that looks impossible to me."
This relationship of trust must be worked out individually by each one of us. I talk to the Lord about things that would shock and embarrass many people. I can be emotionally naked with Him and I don't need to live in denial because He loves me and will be there for me. There are people who think of me as not being a good man. I always laugh when I think about that because I'm a lot worse than they know but what they don't know is that I am truly loved by the One who truly counts. When we really get to know who God is, our loneliness vanishes and all the needy things in our lives seem to disappear. I have found that, for me, true healing has only taken place when I know that I am truly loved by God; loved at the very core of my being. When we know this love, we have discovered the deepest truth about God that can be known. This is the truth that will set us free. "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
May God bless you with Himself,
Randy and Jim
If you want to know more about the God Who loves you please visit our website at http://thequestforglory.com
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