Judgmental Christians and God’s Grace
I talked with a young woman the other day who said she wasn’t religious. And, unfortunately, she had very judgemental inlaws. According to her, her spouse came from a very ‘religious’ family. And, they didn’t accept her very well and told her that she was going to hell without really seeming to care whether she did or not.
If I had to talk with this family, who call themselves Christians, I’d ask them:
“If you are concerned that someone in your family is going to hell, then why don’t you lovingly talk with them about their need for a Savior? Why don’t you first show her that you love and care about her eternal destination? You need to show acceptance to this young lady as a member of your family, and live a life in front of her that is consistent with the faith that you say that you believe, and not alienate her by the way you treat her.
Right now this young woman feels unaccepted by this family and probably unacceptable to God, when in fact, she is not any more unacceptable than any of us were before we came to know Christ. All of us, apart from God’s love and grace, are sinners in need of a Savior. She is not worse than any of us were before we were saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. None of has any reason to be ‘holier than thou!’ We all deserve hell and not heaven.
The Bible clearly teaches that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). And it tells us that ” God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
The interesting thing is that the Christ whom these inlaws said that they were following was once called a friend of publicans and sinners because he hung around them so much (Matthew 11:19). In the book of Luke, he was asked why he did this by the religious leaders of his day. Here is the interaction that took place:
“But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Luke 5:30-32).
While not condoning the sin in their life, Jesus let them know that he cared for them and wanted them to know His Father. Like the woman caught in adultery whom Christ saved from stoning, he wanted them to: “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11).
It is my prayer that those who read this will not forget where they were when Jesus found them. And, instead of judgmentalism, let them remember that all Christians are like beggars, showing a world of beggars where to find bread. What a wonderful and gracious God we have, who accepts us as we are. And what a loving God who loved us too much to leave us that way. May the Lord receive all of the honor and praise for what he has done for us!