.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

JimfromOhio

I am happlily married with 5 kids. I am an accoutant and worked in an accounting field for over 25 years. I like to make a habit of writing down whenever I have deep thoughts about God (so I won't forget). I really into Reformed Theology that is connected to Presbyterian Church in America.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Columbus, Ohio, United States

I enjoy having deep thoughts about God and put down what I actually think about (so I won't forget).

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Discern or Judging

Are we judging Christians and non-Cristians? For as we judge others so we will be judged by God. Are we heavenly minded or earthy minded? In Romans 14:5 "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." 1 Corinthians 10:28-29 "both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake, the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?" Romans 14:10 "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat." Judging relates to pride that magnifies the faults of other Christians and diminishes their graces, while it diminishes the faults and magnifies the graces of its subject. Appearance is one thing but fruit of the Spirit is the other. "You should not judge", is not the same as "fruit inspector", or "discerning true and false teachings". We have to be careful how we discern to make sure that we are not "judging" when we are discerning. To avoid causing others to stumble when judging is itself strong incentive to walk by the Spirit. Biblically, Christians are no longer "in the flesh": "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Rom 8:9). For me as a believer to reach out to those who are lost is a privilege and a responsibility. I have to be careful to do it for God's glory and not mine. Discern between right and wrong Hebrews 5:14 (New Living Translation) "Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right."