Condemn
Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a political radical arrested for treason in czarist
Russia. Condemned to death, he was in front of the firing squad when a
last-minute pardon came from the czar. Rather than death, he received
life. The experience lead Dostoyevsky to write about redemption versus
condemnation in his novels Crime and Punishment and The Brothers
Karamazov.
Before
we trusted Jesus Christ as Savior, we were condemned. Our sin promised
death - eternal separation from God. But then God pardoned us. Almost
daily, we have the option of condemning or forgiving people. Jesus Christ
urges us to love each other and to let our righteous God do the judging.
Only
the Lord can condemn us for our sins.
Matthew 12:41-42
Romans 2:12
2 Corinthians 5:10
The Lord tells us not to condemn others. If we judge, we too will
be judged.
Matthew 7:1-2
Luke 6:37
Romans 14:10
We need to rebuke fellow Christians who sin. We also need to listen
when we, in turn, are rebuked by fellow Christians, as this is ann important
part of our Christian training.
Psalm 141:5
Ecclesiastes 7:5
1 Timothy 5:20
2 Timothy 3:16; 4:2
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