Discipline Bring Sorrow Unto Repentance

People use that "judge not" mantra as manipulation to make us feel bad for holding them accountable for their sinful actions.

The Bible never told us not to judge, the instruction was to judge righteously. We are also told to judge all things. How could we possibly avoid error and develop discernment if we were not judging everything.

Ephesians 4:14-16...
"14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

If we are to know truth, discerning good from evil and implementing what we know in our lives, then we must judge things according to God's principles.

Far too many people have been avoiding judging, only to end up with no standards at all, allowing wickedness to have free reign in our gatherings, encouraging evil by not confronting it head on, while influencing weak believers to continue in sin.

Want to know the truth of the matter.......Often believers do not confront sin because they are more concerned about being loved by people, than they are devoted to God. It is not love to allow a brother or sister to continue in sin without challenge.

James 5:19-20
"19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that [s]he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."

God's kind of love, is to care deeply about a brother or sisters walk, much more than what others may think or whether or not the brother or sister is temporarily saddened by the correction.

2 Corinthians 7:8-9
"8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—
9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us."

2 Corinthians 7:10
"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."

Coddling the Wicked is injustice to the Victim

"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."

Elie Wiesel

Has anyone else noticed that the one who is protected and elevated in our culture is the one who acts wickedly?

 

The victim is often pressured to extend mercy to the evil man who refuses to repent. This is injustice at it's worst. If we feel we should forgive without repentance for yourself, then do whatever you want, but don't pressure anyone else to do something that God never commanded us to do. 

 

We often place undo and unjust pressure on the victim while coddling and helping the perpetrators of evil. We can see this clearly in the way we are handling Islam. They bomb us, rape our women, destroy our buildings and we stretch out the hand of "reconciliation" to them as though they are the victims. 

 

Islam is laughing, narcissists are empowered and growing worse because our culture does not require accountability and restitution. The evil person is feeling a sense of entitlement to their evil because few will confront them or punish them.

 

Proverbs 28:2 "By the transgression of a land many are its princes, But by a man of understanding and knowledge, so it endures."

There is little justice left in our land, foolishness abounds everywhere, increasingly worse every day. We can no longer expect justice, nor can we any longer hold to account the evil man.

 

Matthew 12:35-37 "…35"The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37"For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

 

Whenever we coddle the evil man while negating and ignoring the victim, we will be held accountable before God for our injustice.

Trusting Christ

Christ is called "The Law Giver." We no longer need the Law to convict us, that already happened, now the Law in Us convicts others who have not trusted Christ.

I do not "follow" the commandments, they are a part of me. Do I need to work real hard to breathe, no I do that because it is life to me. Do I need to ponder whether or not to feed myself when I am hungry? NO, I am compelled to eat naturally without thought.

Anyone who is working real hard in an attempt to obey the Law, does not understand that they will not be saved by that. We are saved by trusting Christ, He is the One Who works in us. As we grow in Lord, His desires become our desires, we don't have to work and worry about doing something that we love and want to do, it comes naturally.

When we are weak and fail at times, it grates on our soul until we confess and stop. We are compelled by our hatred of sin, to stop that which is tormenting our soul.

Galatians 3:24 "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith."

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"

We have works because we are saved, not to save us, works are the evidence that we have been changed from death into life.

1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death."

John 5:24 ""Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."

We do not work to be good or do good deeds, it is Christ Who works in us, His way in His timing. We can trust Him to take us where we need to go. When we fail He will discipline us to return to obedience.

Hebrews 12:6 "FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

Christ never leaves us, never throws us away because we are not perfect, He does keep us and spanks us when needed just as an earthly father should do to redirect His children.

 

Anyone who tells us that we need to follow the commandments to be saved, is spreading a religion by man's works. When we trust Christ He does the work in His children.

 

Those who have no conscience over their sin, defend it, love it and torment the believers, have never been born again, they have no love for the Word, God's people and worse yet, there is a contempt for Christ.