Should Christians Expose Sin?

 

One of the most common phrases a Christian might hear while speaking to others about their need for Christ is, "You should not judge others." Living in our 21st century relativistic culture, these types of statements get thrown around often. The problem is, the statement is self-defeating. The person making this statement is guilty of judging the other person as being judgmental, thereby committing the same supposed offense themselves!

Christians often get branded as judgmental, oppressive, bigoted or intolerant of others' beliefs and behaviors. Sometimes when a Christian tells someone that they are wrong, a well known Bible verse gets cited as a defense:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged." (Matthew 7:1)

 

There you have it, from Jesus himself, Christians should not judge others, ...right?

Let's take a closer look at this verse.

The context of Matthew 7:1 reveals itself when looking further into the chapter. Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ...You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:3,5) Jesus is clearly speaking against someone judging another believer for immorality he himself is still guilty of. His advice is to repent of the sin, turn away from it, and then you can point it out when someone else is guilty of it. This does not however give the Christian the authority to unmercifully berate another person for their sins. In verse 12 Jesus adds, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you..." Jesus was not condemning judging all together, but the hypocritical, heartless judgement of others.

To be more accurate, it is God who is the ultimate Judge. When speaking to unbelievers, it is important for Christians, having a personal relationship with that Judge to inform them of the Judges' standards. In this respect, what is perceived as "judgement" is really a caring warning to those who do not know Him. Ultimately, if someone knows that certain destruction awaits another based on their behavior, is it not supremely loving to want that person to cease that behavior? When the Judge renders final judgement it will be by His standards not human ones. Christians have a moral olbligation to condemn immorality in the hopes that it will be seen as sin, and thus turned away from. For the unbeliever to be able to see his or her need for Christ, they must be brought face to face with their transgressions.

In the end, it is a concern motivated by love for another person's eternal fate that should initiate "judgment" of their actions, not arrogance or oppression. Once again, the words of scripture offer the best exhortation:

"Do everything in love." (1 Corinthians 16:14)