You Cannot Love and Judge

Yesterday, we saw that the word “judgment” can be used in two ways. It may either mean to discern or to condemn. Discernment is an essential part of wisdom, and something Jesus expects his followers to do. The kind of judgment Jesus forbids, however, is the sort that condemns another person or group. It diminishes their inherent worth as those made in God’s image. Unfortunately, religious people regularly fall into the trap of believing that discernment necessitates condemnation. Or, said another way, that a person’s value directly correlates to their righteousness.

We may discern that a person or group is wrong about a belief or behavior, but too often this becomes an excuse to value them less. At that moment we have entered into the kind of judgment Jesus forbids. Sometimes we are drawn into this condemning posture of ungodly exclusion because it magnifies our own righteousness. The more forcefully we condemn those people, the more we simultaneously elevate the superiority of our people.

Sadly, this sort of rhetoric fills our culture and has become acceptable in the public square. A recent example was posted on the official White House webpage. The site is black with a glowing green font declaring “They Walk Among Us.” It is designed to look like a sci-fi website with space imagery and X-Files-like intrigue. It talks about a government cover-up, an alien invasion, and the threat to our families, communities, and nation. It features an “alien encounters” ticker and an “arrest map.” It takes some time before visitors to the site realize the White House is equating immigrants to extraterrestrials; to non-human invaders.

I generally avoid politics in this devotional and certainly anything partisan, but sometimes, as Karl Barth said, we must read the Bible and the newspaper together. Fixing America’s broken immigration system requires wisdom and discernment. No doubt that will lead faithful Christians to advocate for different solutions, and we should have a vigorous debate about what policies are best. What is absolutely unacceptable for Christians, however, is the dehumanization of anyone made in God’s image—even someone who has broken the law.

When the government declares a group of people to be sub-human, it is saying that they are not subject to the same rights or dignity as the rest of us. They should not matter to us, because they do not matter to God. In other words, condemning and dehumanizing rhetoric is not only a way of diminishing the value of those we disagree with, but it is also a way of elevating our own sense of superiority. This is why Jesus is so adamant that those who belong to the kingdom of the heavens not engage in condemning judgment. It is the antithesis of love. Author and pastor Greg Boyd puts it this way: “You can’t love and judge at the same time,” because “It’s impossible to ascribe unsurpassable worth to others when you’re using others to ascribe worth to yourself.”

Daily Scripture

Matthew 7:1–5

1 John 4:7-21

Weekly Prayer

From Ashton Oxenden (1808–1892)

God, I want your guidance and direction in all I do. Let your wisdom counsel me, your hand lead me, and your arm support me. I put myself into your hands. Breathe into my soul holy and heavenly desires. Conform me to your own image. Make me like my Savior. Enable me in some measure to live here on earth as he lived, and to act in all things as he would have acted.

Amen.