1 Corinthians 4:5
Thoughts from Katie Fox
Dive Deeper
“So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever is due.”
1 Corinthians 4:5
Behind the Scenes
Humans love to judge others. We judge each other’s behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. We judge our coworkers, our friends, our fellow church members, and our families. It is not just a Christian thing, it’s a people thing. Yet God reminds us that our judgment is limited because only He knows our hearts and motives.
If we are honest with ourselves, we are all guilty of this act. The apostle Paul cautions us about judging others in this letter to the church in Corinth. Corinth was a Greek city in the old Roman empire noted for its debauchery and immorality. The local Christian church had lots of issues including sexual immorality, divisive quarrels, and a lack of concern about the poor. One issue involved factions in the church where some members followed Paul and some members followed another leader. The factions judged and condemned each other. Even Paul found himself criticized by certain individuals who judged his actions without knowing the full story behind them.
Paul wrote this letter to provide guidance and counsel to these Corinthian Christians. Paul reminded them that Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church and not any one popular leader, including himself. Paul further explained that Jesus Christ is the only one truly qualified to judge. He alone can see our heart and the complex inner motivations that cause us to act as we do.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reserved his harshest criticism for religious leaders. These guys know God’s word so well they could quote it from memory. In public, they prided themselves on their godly behavior, habits of prayer, and acts of charity. But Jesus saw their hearts. Their hearts lacked love and humility. Their hearts failed to see their own corrupt behavior. Their hearts were arrogant and proud and had little room for God Himself. These people fooled others but not Jesus. Jesus knows their true hearts and he knows yours and mine.
Make it Real
As Christians, we are called to advocate for God’s Holy standard of living, and we are called to disciple one another. Such acts involve calling out wrongdoing and sin, but we must always do so from a position of love and humility. Often, when we call out wrongdoing, we feel prideful about our own behavior and little love resides in our hearts. It is so easy to think we are somehow better than others in these situations. We must exercise great care and wisdom. It is so easy to slip from condemning wrongdoing to condemning the actual person. The goal should be restoration, not condemnation.
God calls us to love, first and foremost. He calls us to kindle a love within our hearts for Himself and for others. We must realize that we all fall below His standards for Holy living. The only way we get back in good standing is accepting Jesus’s death on the cross as atonement for our sins. Nothing we do by ourselves can earn a ticket to Heaven. When we advocate for justice and call out wrongdoing, we must do so with a heart empty of pride and full of humility because our own thoughts and behaviors condemn us.
Pray that God fills your heart with love, wisdom, and humility and empties it of pride, judgment, and malice.
Johnny Spence
ACF Devo Team
End in Prayer
Father God, please give me the wisdom to let Jesus do the judging and give me the power to do the loving. Give me the wisdom to advocate for your justice and law without falling to pride and the sin of judging others. Help me realize that each person has a heart so deep only You can see the depths. Only you have the wisdom and authority to judge. Thank you for this wisdom and love. Amen.