#DailyDevotion Convicting People Of Sin With God’s Word Is Not Judging
January 25th
Read Rom 14:1–23
Rom 14:7-12 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. (8) For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. (9) For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (10) Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; (11) for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (12) So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
People who wish to live immorally generally will point to passages about not judging people. Indeed we are not to judge people. But what are not to judge people about? Certainly Paul has already made judgments concerning all sorts of moral issues in this letter. Assuming Paul is consistent, telling people they are sinning when they are being immoral is not judging. So we may always go to the moral law of God in the scriptures and call people to repentance.
The kinds of things Paul is relating in this chapter are not part of the moral law. We are not called to judge the motives or the value of people according to how they are living their lives. Sometimes we may like to call something sin when it is not. We must be careful in looking at someone else’s piety. We might even consider asking someone why they are doing something a certain way before passing judgment. They might have some information you do not know.
Each of us is accountable to God individually. Certainly we who are Christians are one body with one another, but what do individually we are accountable. Yet as parts of the Body of Christ, we do not live or die to ourselves but unto Jesus Christ. Whatever someone is doing they will be accountable to Jesus for it. Unless they are doing something God has specifically forbidden or not doing something God has specifically commanded, keep your business to yourself. They are answerable to Christ.
Even those who are not in Christ must eventually confess Jesus as Lord and stand accountable to Him and to the Father. Jesus is the judge of the dead (unbelievers) and the living (believers). But you and I in particular belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. And this in itself is good news. It is not to the world, Satan or our flesh we belong. We belong to Jesus. He has made us a promise—our sins will not be remembered, they are forgotten. This is the essence of the New Testament. His Word to His people is, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” So keep an eye on yourself to make sure you do everything to remain in this faith.
Lord Jesus Christ, we confess you now as Lord and God and that we are poor miserable sinners deserving only death and punishment. We thank you for your promise and for your blood in which we have the forgiveness of sins. Even as you do not judge us give us a spirit that does not judge our brothers and sisters in You. Amen.