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Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.

Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Opus 29, Christian Cliches: Judge not.

A generation ago the best known Bible verse was John 3:16:
(John 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We live in a different age.  The new best known verse is much shorter:
(Matthew 7:1 KJV)  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
The change reflects the different focus of the generations.  The older generation was oriented more toward absolute truth and the belief that man was a sinful creature.  The post-modern youngsters and their gurus are more into relativism, self actualization and relationships.  The older folks wanted to get right with God.  The younger ones feel they are alright and the world needs to adjust.

This verse is usually quoted by people who know that they are wrong but don’t want to hear about it.  They want to use the words of Jesus to keep you from pointing out their sin.  As usual they miss the point of what Jesus was saying. 

Jesus was saying not to be arrogant and try to tear other people down.  He was not telling us we should never try to straighten others out.  If you read over the passage it points out that we usually have bigger issues in our own lives than the person we are looking at.  We are to examine our own lives.  We are to repent.  We are to confess.  We are to change.  Then notice the last verse in this passage:
(Matthew 7:5 KJV)  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Notice what the ultimate goal is:  to get the mote out of the other person’s eye.

The warning is to live humbly ourselves and keep checking our own pulse so we don’t get sick.  The goal is to help the other person.

Always read the full context of a verse.  Even if a verse is quoted accurately in itself, it may not convey what it is meant to convey without the context.

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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.