A couple questions for the "Bible isn't the word of God" believers

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Zobel
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AG
Hating homosexuals?
Quad Dog
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Should have phrased it as "used as justification for hating homosexuals"
I'll edit
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Ordhound04
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Quad Dog said:

What you end up with is one group of Christians deciding one book that a different group of Christians label as allegory is actual literal fact and the Earth is 6,000 years old. While a different group of Christians will claim sections about hating homosexuals used as justification for hating homosexuals are to be followed verbatim, while also claiming other similar sections are to be interpreted through a historical lens for a different audience thousands of years ago.
Meanwhile the rest of us see this nonsense, and just say "let me know when you decide what your religions says before I decide to follow it" Who are we supposed to believe?

This is where I think that that their have been certain conceptual frameworks to reading scripture that have ben severely detrimental to "the church/Christianity/organized religion in Christianity". One of those is blunt literalism, the other is confusing dogmas with tolerated opinion. Not every teaching or theological theory said from the pulpit is, or should be, a dogma. In short, where the Church has allowed diversity, we should not demand conformity. I think a fair number of groups have splintered off explicitly over this issue. (probably wrongly IMO)

Quote:

Meanwhile the rest of us see this nonsense, and just say "let me know when you decide what your religions says before I decide to follow it" Who are we supposed to believe?

Issues like that are very "How the sausage is made". I mean we have, historically speaking, early councils in Christianity that addressed disagreements. In the Bible, an example is the "Council of Jerusalem" that takes place in Acts. In history, we have the first ecumenical council of Nicea. I think seeing that process play out in real time can be disheartening. However that does get into questions about authority, and whether or not one thinks the bible is self interpreting.
Zobel
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That looks nothing like Christ. And, just to be clear, the scriptures don't say to judge with love. They say to not judge.

Groups like that are a horrible witness to the faith.
Ags4DaWin
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Zobel said:

That looks nothing like Christ. And, just to be clear, the scriptures don't say to judge with love. They say to not judge.

Groups like that are a horrible witness to the faith.

You misinterpret the scripture.
1Judge not, that ye be not judged. If you take this single scripture out of context it makes it sound like Jesus is commanding us not to judge. But doing so is like taking this paragraph "Do not eat food or it could kill you. Make sure and check that it is not spoiled first." Eliminate the second sentence and it makes it sound like noone should eat food. Read the two together and it becomes clear that it is spoiled food that can kill you.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. So here is the second sentence which clarifies. The second sentence makes it clear that here "judging" does not mean merely discerning sin from righteousness. In this context judging means discerning sin from righteousness and seeking to take on the role of God and punish people for the sins you perceive. God has made it clear that punishment for sins is his job and his job alone. And of us it is expected to forgive everyone. When God judges people he not only determines the righteousness of their actions he also rewards or punishes them accordingly. This prohibition is not against discerning sin from righteousness it is a prohibition against taking on the role of God. Only God knows the whole story. Only God is perfect. Therefore only God is allowed to cast the first stone. When read like this it meshes perfectly with Jesus' other teachings. Jesus never preached to not discern sin from righteousness. In fact being able to discern sin from righteousness and call people to repentance when needed is one of the tenants of Christ's church and one of the stated purposes of the Christian fellowship
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? But be careful about calling people to repentance. Make sure that you have your own life straight with God and that you are walking with him and are as Christlike as possible.
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Because if you don't have your life as straight as possible then how on earth can you help anyone else? This is not a prohibition against helping others who are sinning it is an admonition to be careful and ensure that your own sins are not obstructing your ability to help others, because if you are not close to God then how can you help others come close to God and be converted. If you are not living the Gospel or living false teachings and you teach those false teachings to someone else, then as the Bible says you will suffer extreme punishment for it.
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. And this clarifies it completely. Once you have straightened yourself out and are walking with God to the best of your ability so that you can see properly then you are ACTUALLY CALLED UPON to help your brothers overcome their own sins. And when you are in that place you will be a true instrument in the hands of God

One of the passages on the NT which has been falsely taught in modern Christianity as it has become twisted by post modern thought.

We are called upon often I the NT to be able to judge good from evil. We are also called upon to lift each other up, support each other, and help our brothers and sisters in Christ to overcome sin.

However we are not called upon to punish others for perceived sins or judge as God judges when we all stand before him. In fact this scripture makes it clear that if we do so we put ourselves at risk.
Zobel
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I don't understand how you could say what I did or did not interpret by what I wrote. Do the scriptures not say to do not judge?

Further, in the context of the discussion I was responding to is that those being judged are outside the Church. The Lord directs His teaching about judging one of the brethren. St Paul says - "What business is it of mine to judge outsiders? God will judge those outside." The first question then is are these people even looking to the right people? Is it our business to judge those outside? The answer is no.

Second, discerning sin from righteousness isn't judging someone else. And discerning sin from righteousness doesn't mean the next step is to go tell people what they're doing is sin.



The problem is the verses don't say what you paraphrase, they don't make those conclusions. It doesn't say anything about "as possible." It says you have a doggone tree trunk sized beam in your eye. You can't see clearly, you can't discern that person's sin. You observe their behavior, or what you think you see, but your own sin blinds you. It doesn't say "to the best of your ability," it says - remove the beam. Who can say they have removed the sin from their eye? Who sees clearly? Only the Lord judges the heart and mind.

This isn't the only scripture. St James says - the one who slanders a brother or judges his brother 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. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

St Paul says - let us stop judging one another, instead make up your mind not to put a stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

This is radically different than what you are saying! Does this mean the person doesn't have a speck in their eye? Nope. Does this mean that we suspend our moral judgment and critical thinking? Absolutely not. It means it is not our place to judge the sin of another, because on the line between the sinner and the judge, that puts us on the wrong side. We are on the side with the sinner, not the side with Christ the Judge.

The fathers teach clearly:
"He who seeks the forgiveness of his sins loves humility. But he who judges another strengthens his own evil deeds against himself."

"To judge sins is the business of one who is sinless, but who is sinless except God? Who ever thinks about the multitude of his own sins in his heart never wants to make the sins of others a topic of conversation. To judge a man who has gone astray is a sign of pride, and God resists the proud. On the other hand, one who every hour prepares himself to give answer for his own sins will not quickly lift up his head to examine the mistakes of others."

"A discerning man, when he eats grapes, takes only the ripe ones and leaves the sour. Thus also the discerning mind carefully marks the virtues which he sees in any person. A mindless man seeks out the vices and failings...Even if you see someone sin with your own eyes, do not judge; for often even your eyes are deceived."

"Without knowing what each one is trying to do, what he wants to do, what right do we have to judge his effort?"

"A brother at Scetis committed a fault. A council was called to which Abba Moses was invited, but he refused to go to it. Then the priest sent someone to say to him, 'Come, for everyone is waiting' for you.' So he got up and went. He took a leaking jug, filled it with water and carried it with him. The others came out to meet him, seeing the trail of water behind him, and said, 'What is this, Father?' The old man said to them, 'My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am coming to judge the errors of another.' When they heard that they said no more to the brother but forgave him."
Ags4DaWin
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You still never addressed my point about the entire scripture clarifying that statement. The clarification is right there in the following verses of the initial admonition. Verses 4 and 5bare very clear that you ARE to cast the beam out of your own eye and THEN remove the mote from your brothers.

This is word for word in the verses.

I am not sure how the scripture can be anymore clear.

Verse 5

first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.


The admonition doesn't stop with do not judge in verse 1.

It says "If you judge- then this will happen so be careful. Then it says examine yourself and correct your own sins before trying to correct the sins of others. Then once you have set yourself straight you will see clearly enough to be able to perceive and help others overcome their own sins"

This is literally word for word what it says. What you are doing is taking the first sentence and ignoring the rest of the passage and that is a mistake and leads to pretty bad interpretations of scripture.
Zobel
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One, it's not literally word for word what it says.

Two, go ahead and demonstrate that you've removed the beam. That you're set straight. Your assumption is someone has. I haven't. Have you?
Zobel
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What's interesting is over and over the scriptures say things like don't judge, instead make sure you don't lead others into sin, if you judge you will be judged, the standard with which you judge will be reflected back on you... and then some Christians say "right but if I square myself away first I'm good to go judge right?" Where's the upside here?
Ags4DaWin
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Zobel said:

One, it's not literally word for word what it says.

Two, go ahead and demonstrate that you've removed the beam. That you're set straight. Your assumption is someone has. I haven't. Have you?


ummm read the direct quote again.

first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly TO cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.


Nowhere in there does it say...remove the beam from your own eye and THEN ignore the mote in your brother's eye.

it literally says the opposite.

Second- the question of how do you know? The admonition is not that you have to be perfect as God before you can help someone overcome their sin. The admonition is to 1)remove the beam from your own eye-direct quote- (correct your own sins which are hindering your ability to perceive the world and sin accurately)
2) Then clearly see the mote in your brother's eye. (see the sins that are hurting other people and preventing them from becoming closer to God)
3) Then help them remove the mote (help them overcome their sins)
Zobel
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I was funning a bit with you. You paraphrased and then said that's literally what it said. That isn't what literally means.

I understand the admonition against hypocrisy. The beam is sin, yes? Is your sin beam gone? How do you know? We know sin makes it so we can't discern. You assume you have a beam and they have a mote. How do you know?

No one said to ignore anything. Go reread my response. I specifically said that is not what I am suggesting. My observation is you're walking past step one like it is simple. I don't think that's correct.

Anyway. This isn't the only scripture. And it is talking about a brother, not a random person you think you see sinning.

During Lent the Orthodox pray the prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian.

O Lord and Master of my life
Take from me the spirit of sloth, meddling, lust of power, and idle talk
But give rather the spirit of chastity, patience, humility, and love to thy servant
Yea my Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not to judge my brother
For Blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages amen.
Zobel
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On the other hand we are told, absolutely, to tell a brother his fault if he sins against us. (Matthew 18).

We are told that if someone is caught in a sin, we should restore him. Not do we think, not do we hear. Caught. And always minding ourselves to avoid our own temptation. (Gal 6) Similarly the Lord says to watch yourslef before He says if your brother sins rebuke him.

Then another place, if someone wanders from the truth and someone turns him, that is a good thing. (James 5)

We are supposed to be kind and tenderhearted and forgive each other (Eph 4:32). We are not to hate our brother (Lev 19:17, that's a bit obscure). We should have sympathy, love, tender heart, and humble minds (1 Pet 3:8).

Proverbs says it is glory to overlook an offense. (12:15).

Here's the bottom line, in my opinion. We are to rebuke the immoral brother. As St John says - "What then! say you: if one commit fornication, may I not say that fornication is a bad thing, nor at all correct him that is playing the wanton? No, correct him, but not as a foe, nor as an adversary exacting a penalty, but as a physician providing medicines. For neither did Christ say, stay not him that is sinning, but judge not; that is, be not bitter in pronouncing sentence."

But this isn't something that should be done eagerly, or that we should seek out. It's not for people we see - "Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine." The world is the world, that is not our business. If asked, answer - but don't seek trouble with people. Going to random people to rebuke their sin is ineffective, whatever else it may be. These are for the brethren, the people of God, people who are struggling. And even then we are always eager to justify our own motives, our own behavior, put the best interpretation on what we do - and not extend this same grace to other people's motes.

All of us have plenty to work on, and the Lord is gracious. I think the underlying truth of the log in the person's eye is that we should ask the brother with the speck in his eye to help us. He can remove our beam, then maybe we can help them with the speck.

It's ironic that even in this story when we accept the premise that we have to remove a log from our eye, that we'll be ready to go and to help someone else with their speck before they're able to help us.

Some other commentary:

St Augustine
Quote:

I suppose the command here to be no other than that we should always put the best interpretation on such actions as seem doubtful with what mind they were done. But concerning such as cannot be done with good purpose, as adulteries, blasphemies, and the like, He permits us to judge; but of indifferent actions which admit of being done with either good or bad purpose, it is rash to judge, but especially so to condemn. There are two cases in which we should be particularly on our guard against hasty judgments, when it does not appear with what mind the action was done; and when it does not yet appear, what sort of man any one may turn out, who now seems either good or bad. Wherefore he should neither blame those things of which we know with what mind they are done, nor so blame those things which are manifest, as though we despaired of recovery. ....

First cast the hatred away from you, and then, but not before, shall you be able to amend him whom you love. The word hypocrite is aptly employed here, since the denouncing of evils is best viewed as a matter only for upright persons of goodwill. When the wicked engage in it, they are like impersonators, masqueraders, hiding their real selves behind a mask, while they portray another's character through the mask. The word hypocrites in fact signifies pretenders. Hence we ought especially to avoid that meddlesome class of pretenders who under the pretense of seeking advice undertake the censure of all kinds of vices. They are often moved by hatred and malice. Rather, whenever necessity compels one to reprove or rebuke another, we ought to proceed with godly discernment and caution. First of all, let us consider whether the other fault is such as we ourselves have never had or whether it is one that we have overcome. Then, if we have never had such a fault, let us remember that we are human and could have had it. But if we have had it and are rid of it now, let us remember our common frailty, in order that mercy, not hatred, may lead us to the giving of correction and admonition. In this way, whether the admonition occasions the amendment or the worsening of the one for whose sake we are offering it (for the result cannot be foreseen), we ourselves shall be made safe through singleness of eye. But if on reflection we find that we ourselves have the same fault as the one we are about to reprove, let us neither correct nor rebuke that one. Rather, let us bemoan the fault ourselves and induce that person to a similar concern, without asking him to submit to our correction.

Hilary of Poitier
Quote:

Otherwise; He forbids us to judge God touching His promises; for as judgements among men are founded on things uncertain, so this judgment against God is drawn from somewhat that is doubtful. And He therefore would have us put away the custom from us altogether; for it is not here as in other cases where it is sin to have given a false judgment; but here we have begun to sin if we have pronounced any judgment at all

Ags4DaWin
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I don't think we are too far apart. That being said, when a common belief is sinful and leading society as a whole down a dark path, I do believe it is important to speak up.

The Do Not Judge scripture has become an excuse for professed Christians to stay silent on issues to avoid conflict and to try to keep people from looking ill upon them and that has been a horrible mistake for our society.

when a christian says that they refuse to comment on a sinful thing because they "don't judge".

or when Christians are told not to judge just to shut them up they are twisting scripture and that leads to some pretty dark places.

You can be gracious but resolute at the same time in calling sin what it is and rebuking it when it is needed.

You asked how do you know? Well you know the beam is out of your own eye and that you are being called to rebuke sin when you are calm, when humility and a desire to help your brothers prompts you instead of pride and arrogance and anger. You know when the Holy Spirit, it's still small voice or through its intense purifying fire prompts you to do so. When the Beam is out, the Holy Spirit will help you see clearly
Zobel
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AG

Quote:

I don't think we are too far apart. That being said, when a common belief is sinful and leading society as a whole down a dark path, I do believe it is important to speak up.
Speak up to whom? "Society"? We have scriptures telling us how to interact with society. None of them say to speak up. On the contrary I think it is fairly clear from the scriptures that our witness as Christians is how we live, not what we say.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

As foreigners and exiles, abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us...For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.

In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.
Quote:

The Do Not Judge scripture has become an excuse for professed Christians to stay silent on issues to avoid conflict and to try to keep people from looking ill upon them and that has been a horrible mistake for our society.
Again, what is our society? America? No - our kingdom is the Lord's. Our king is Christ Jesus. Our people are the people of God. Our society is the kingdom of heaven, and in the kingdom we are called to be righteous.
Quote:

when a christian says that they refuse to comment on a sinful thing because they "don't judge".

or when Christians are told not to judge just to shut them up they are twisting scripture and that leads to some pretty dark places.
What is this random hypothetical? Refuses to comment? Are we having moral press conferences now? We are to speak the truth in love - but in time, and place. Not to the world, and not to comment on generalities. And not to society, because you don't speak to the world in love. We don't love the world, or society - we love people and God.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."


"When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise."

"A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit."

"Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few."


"Be angry, yet do not sin; on your bed, search your heart and be still."

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man's anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls."

"We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body."

"I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present"

Quote:

You can be gracious but resolute at the same time in calling sin what it is and rebuking it when it is needed.
This is what I don't understand. When is it "needed"? When you see - or think you see - someone you don't know sinning, is that "needed"? When someone asks you to comment on a hypothetical, is that "needed"?

When society is wrong, is that "needed"? We've already established that it is not our business to judge those outside the Church. Rebuke and teaching and even speaking the gospel require a bridge, a relationship. The words of rebuke are heavy - especially rebuke of deeply seated issues or problems. A weak bridge will collapse under the weight. Look at how St Paul speaks to his spiritual children - "you know we lived among you for your sake" "You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed." "We have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God" "I urge you to imitate me." "We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one." " I was not a burden to anyone" You can't say these things to strangers. It does no one any good to have a random person tell them they're a sinner. That's not love. That's not how Christ acted!

"First remove the log," to me, means be without sin. There is only one person who can fix us, and that is Christ Jesus. In the metaphor, it makes a LOT more sense to ask the brother with the mote to help you with the log.

But - yes, some people are called to speak to to the world, to be apostles, one sent, to be a prophet, to be a teacher. Some, but not many. "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?" Some are fishers of men - the rest of us are fish. And our job is clear, to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." As St Seraphim of Sarov said, "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved."

Or again, "You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives."

And again, "All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each otherinstead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace."

And again, "Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult, and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil."

We should always err on the side of peace, of forgiveness, of humility. Judgment is an invitation to pride and hypocrisy. Rather than looking for all of the boxes we have to check and all the excuses we can make in order to be able to judge, we should instead be continuously forgiving others, ascribing the best motives to them, and seeking to "judge ourselves properly."
dermdoc
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AG
Zobel said:


Quote:

I don't think we are too far apart. That being said, when a common belief is sinful and leading society as a whole down a dark path, I do believe it is important to speak up.
Speak up to whom? "Society"? We have scriptures telling us how to interact with society. None of them say to speak up. On the contrary I think it is fairly clear from the scriptures that our witness as Christians is how we live, not what we say.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

As foreigners and exiles, abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us...For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.

In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.
Quote:

The Do Not Judge scripture has become an excuse for professed Christians to stay silent on issues to avoid conflict and to try to keep people from looking ill upon them and that has been a horrible mistake for our society.
Again, what is our society? America? No - our kingdom is the Lord's. Our king is Christ Jesus. Our people are the people of God. Our society is the kingdom of heaven, and in the kingdom we are called to be righteous.
Quote:

when a christian says that they refuse to comment on a sinful thing because they "don't judge".

or when Christians are told not to judge just to shut them up they are twisting scripture and that leads to some pretty dark places.
What is this random hypothetical? Refuses to comment? Are we having moral press conferences now? We are to speak the truth in love - but in time, and place. Not to the world, and not to comment on generalities. And not to society, because you don't speak to the world in love. We don't love the world, or society - we love people and God.

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."


"When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise."

"A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit."

"Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few."


"Be angry, yet do not sin; on your bed, search your heart and be still."

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for man's anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls."

"We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body."

"I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present"

Quote:

You can be gracious but resolute at the same time in calling sin what it is and rebuking it when it is needed.
This is what I don't understand. When is it "needed"? When you see - or think you see - someone you don't know sinning, is that "needed"? When someone asks you to comment on a hypothetical, is that "needed"?

When society is wrong, is that "needed"? We've already established that it is not our business to judge those outside the Church. Rebuke and teaching and even speaking the gospel require a bridge, a relationship. The words of rebuke are heavy - especially rebuke of deeply seated issues or problems. A weak bridge will collapse under the weight. Look at how St Paul speaks to his spiritual children - "you know we lived among you for your sake" "You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed." "We have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God" "I urge you to imitate me." "We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one." " I was not a burden to anyone" You can't say these things to strangers. It does no one any good to have a random person tell them they're a sinner. That's not love. That's not how Christ acted!

"First remove the log," to me, means be without sin. There is only one person who can fix us, and that is Christ Jesus. In the metaphor, it makes a LOT more sense to ask the brother with the mote to help you with the log.

But - yes, some people are called to speak to to the world, to be apostles, one sent, to be a prophet, to be a teacher. Some, but not many. "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?" Some are fishers of men - the rest of us are fish. And our job is clear, to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." As St Seraphim of Sarov said, "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved."

Or again, "You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of him who gives and kindles joy in the heart of him who receives."

And again, "All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each otherinstead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace."

And again, "Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult, and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil."

We should always err on the side of peace, of forgiveness, of humility. Judgment is an invitation to pride and hypocrisy. Rather than looking for all of the boxes we have to check and all the excuses we can make in order to be able to judge, we should instead be continuously forgiving others, ascribing the best motives to them, and seeking to "judge ourselves properly."
Great post. And a great way to start off the Lord's Day.
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