Chapter 18 - The
Disciple and Unbelievers
Bonhoeffer-
'Judgment is the forbidden
objectification of the other person which destroys single-minded love. I am not
forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to realize his
shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an occasion for
forgiveness and unconditional love, as Jesus proves to me. If I withhold my
judgment I am not indulging in tout
comprendre c'est tout pardonner and confirm both his grace and his judgment.
Judging others makes
us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to
our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
But in the love of Christ we know all about every conceivable sin and guilt; for we know how Jesus
suffered, and how all men have been forgiven at the foot of the cross.'
My thoughts-
Judgment of another
person- that's when we stop loving them, isn't it? We might think it's nothing,
Satan wants us to believe it is nothing. Satan wants us to shrug it off and not
even concern ourselves with the fact we judge other people. So what, doesn't
everyone do it? How else are we supposed to determine if someone s a fool or
not? Don't we have to judge others, they're not being good, right? So we have
to judge their sinning to know they're sinners, yes? Do we even hear what we are saying, what we
are thinking, the lengths we'll go to in order to justify ourselves?
There are a lot of
fools in the world, a lot of stupid people, a lot of sinners...wait… that
describes ALL of us! Seriously, it does. You might think you're not stupid and
you're no fool, but guess what? I'm sure there are those out in the world who
you've met during your life who wouldn't hesitate to call you both. People form
opinions all the time about those they meet and they're not always favorable.
And even if NO one has ever considered you a fool, or stupid, you are still a
sinner and you always will be. You've committed actions that could be judged by
others if others choose to judge.
We cannot JUDGE
except we comprehend that HOW we judge we are to be judged. If we are harsh in
our judgment, that same judgment will be given to us. If we are lenient we have
to realize that that with God - our being allowed to be judged at all by Him is
lenient. That we've been given a life with the chance to choose Salvation
through Jesus Christ our Lord is the greatest of leniencies.
When we judge we are
judging based on our own opinions and our opinions mean so very little in the
grand scheme of things.
Bonhoeffer says
this- ' I am not forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to
realize his shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an
occasion for forgiveness and unconditional love, as Jesus proves to me'
We are not forbidden
to think about others, and their SHORTCOMINGS- but we MUST think about them in
that way with the goal in mind to EXTEND forgiveness, not to gossip, not to
tear someone down. We have to truly LOVE them, all of them from the strangest of
strangers, to the one you love and know that best. That love isn't a love that
will HURT, regardless of the songs and such love is NOT SUPPOSED to hurt, only
Satan has made it acceptable for us to say we love and all the while we are
loving we are hurting those we love.
Whenever we notice
what we believe is someone sinning, or someone caught up in a way of life
contrary to God's truth and ways, we need to forgive and ask for forgiveness
for them. Will it be extended to them, only God knows. God is the One who
extends forgiveness, it is HIS to give. We can ask and know that if at all
possible He will forgive all we ask Him to forgive. We do NOT love as Jesus would have us love if
we do NOT ask for forgiveness for others and forgive them ourselves.
Bonhoeffer wrote-
'Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others
we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as
entitled to as we are. But in the love of Christ we know all about every conceivable sin and guilt; for we know how Jesus
suffered, and how all men have been forgiven at the foot of the cross.'
It is true, judging
makes us blind, deaf, and dumb to the point we can't see that our judging
itself is our sinning and we will be judged for that sin if we don't confess
and seek forgiveness, repenting of that sin.
We have to WAKE UP
and realize that we must truly LOVE as our Savior would have us LOVE if we are
truly HIS disciples!
By the grace of our
LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST may we live our lives in HIM, loving others as HE
would have us LOVE them, as HE loves US.
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