Judging Sin and Saying So

by Terry Wane Benton

Jesus commanded us to "judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24) and to not judge unfairly or hypocritically (Matthew 7:1-3), but to address our own sins "first" and then help others with their need to remove sin also. The church at Corinth was rebuked for failing to judge the need to judge and rebuke the man who had his father's wife (I Corinthians 5:1ff). Failure to judge opened the door to filling the church with all kinds of sin that would go unrebuked and unrepented. If sinners don't repent, they perish (Luke 13:3f). The church would then be facilitating people blindly going to eternal ruin (hell). If the blind lead the blind, they both fall into the ditch.

Satan really pulled the wool over the eyes of the modern church. He tricked people into thinking it was wrong to point out sin and that the church should only get upset if someone pointed out sin and error, that there was virtue in pretending that we loved when we accepted all sin except the sin of judging sin. And that is how our country got to the point of transgender, homosexual, pedophilia, and now even animal sex toys. The church was tricked into thinking we are not to judge sin or say anything about sin lest we be viewed as hateful, unloving, and judgmental.

Meanwhile, this message is swept under the rug and forgotten:

"No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:8-11 NKJV).

Pointing out sin is the first step toward repentance and salvation from it. Therefore, love points out the spiritual disease of the soul so that people can come to the Great Physician for healing. Failure to point out sin is the most unloving thing we could do, as it makes people think they are forgiven when they haven't repented. That is cruel deception!