"I am not as bad as they are"
"I am not as bad as they are"
Someone said that we judge others based on their actions and judge ourselves based on our intentions. I believe there is truth to that statement because I have done the same many times. We are prone to think we are better than the other person. We often and quickly forgot we are all cut from the same raw material. Read the following passage from Romans and make a note of whom you think it is referring to.
Romans 1: 18-32
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Now if you stop your reading at chapter 1, you will miss the point. We often think this passage is referring those out there - the “sinners”. Read on to Romans 2 as follows:
Romans 2:1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
Is it possible that you and I are still trying to win the argument that we have some form of self-righteousness? Until it becomes very clear to us that there is no element of goodness or godliness in us without Christ, we really have not started our relationship with God. The psalmist declared, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:2-3).
The understanding of the obvious fact of our unrighteousness changes our attitude to God and toward other people. We are humbled by God’s grace and mercy that declared us righteous in Christ. At the same time, we are humbled to see everyone else (no matter what “big” sins we can point to in their lives) needing to receive God’s grace. Can we now pray for that murderer, the homosexual, the adulterer, the liar, and whoever else you can think about? Can we now extend the same grace and mercy to others who “fall below” our standard of righteousness? Remember, you and I (with the rest of the human race) have fallen short in glorying God.
Are you still better than the other people? Did you see yourself described in Romans 1:18-32? “I am not as bad as they are”. Really?
Someone said that we judge others based on their actions and judge ourselves based on our intentions. I believe there is truth to that statement because I have done the same many times. We are prone to think we are better than the other person. We often and quickly forgot we are all cut from the same raw material. Read the following passage from Romans and make a note of whom you think it is referring to.
Romans 1: 18-32
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Now if you stop your reading at chapter 1, you will miss the point. We often think this passage is referring those out there - the “sinners”. Read on to Romans 2 as follows:
Romans 2:1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
Is it possible that you and I are still trying to win the argument that we have some form of self-righteousness? Until it becomes very clear to us that there is no element of goodness or godliness in us without Christ, we really have not started our relationship with God. The psalmist declared, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:2-3).
The understanding of the obvious fact of our unrighteousness changes our attitude to God and toward other people. We are humbled by God’s grace and mercy that declared us righteous in Christ. At the same time, we are humbled to see everyone else (no matter what “big” sins we can point to in their lives) needing to receive God’s grace. Can we now pray for that murderer, the homosexual, the adulterer, the liar, and whoever else you can think about? Can we now extend the same grace and mercy to others who “fall below” our standard of righteousness? Remember, you and I (with the rest of the human race) have fallen short in glorying God.
Are you still better than the other people? Did you see yourself described in Romans 1:18-32? “I am not as bad as they are”. Really?
Comments