Loving What's Right Means Hating What's Wrong
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Some of Jesus' harshest words were directed toward the hypocritical religious leaders of His day. (Read Matthew 23 and Matthew 3:7.) Jesus, in fact, tells Christians to "judge righteous judgment." (John. 7:24) and Leviticus 19:15 says, "...in righteousness shall thou judge thy neighbor. Isaiah 61:8 says, "For I the Lord love judgment..." Proverbs 21:15 says, "It is a joy to the just to do judgment." Judging is more of a discernment, looking at a situation with God's perspective and seeing what is truth from what is false. Those inside controlling groups love verses like Matthew 7:1-2 because they like to use them to shut down any and all criticism against them. But Christians are indeed to judge. A through study of the verses 3-5 of Matthew 7 shows that it is the hypocrite who is to refrain from judging, until he has cleaned up his own act. Those who try to divide these verses and make them say something else are condemning themselves as hypocrites. Christians are not violating Matthew 7 when they expose wrong for what it is and warn others. We are doing exactly what the Word of God tells us to do. And when someone has escaped an evil system or wrong way, they have a responsibility to expose that system. In addition, it is always right to come to the defense of those who have been hurt. If someone is going to use Matthew 7, then they must use it all. Those in bondage to any evil system should stay silent until they, too, come out of it. To not speak up about false prophets, false teachers and false gospels (which are an enemy of the truth) would be disobedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is common for others, especially those in the Worldwide Church of God (or an authoritarian offshoot such as Philadelphia Church of God, Restored Church of God, or Living Church of God) to feel that exiters (who were betrayed, abused and exploited at the hands of fraudulent, totalistic leaders) are being "hateful" if they talk or write about it. To deceive someone in a spiritual sense is one of the most wicked things anyone can ever do to another. Telling what was done and even naming the perpetrator is not about hate, but about truth, and it can serve the purpose of warning others. Abuse is always about revealing the abuser's heart, not the victim's. If we love what is right, we are going to hate what is wrong. Ecclesiastes 3:8 says there is "a time to hate." The Bible is clear that are certain things we should hate and not compromise with:
The Bible reveals that God hates certain things:
One of these seven things that God hates is lies:
God is a God of truth:
Love to others is to always be expressed with discernment and judgment. We see that Jesus was at all times merciful and compassionate with individual sinners; i.e., the woman at the well, the multitudes (i.e., Matthew 9:36) and others, but he was upfront with the false religious leaders who were hypocrites and liars, severely rebuking them. God has never told us that we are to love those who are an enemy of God:
We are to hate evil ways and deeds that harm others and bring to light (expose) their works of darkness. Most leaders of high demand groups will say that exiters are "filled with hate" If this does not bring the desired results, then they will often resort to saying that the former member or exiter has "psychological problems" and are "failing to heal." These are tactics that religious cults have always used to try and silence their critics. Is it Wrong to Judge?Christians are indeed to judge. The Word of God says:
When one has gained victory over an evil system or wrong way, they have a responsibility to point out another's fault in the same area. This is not speaking in hypocrisy, but obeying the direct commands of God's Word. "Speaking the truth in love" necessitates loving people enough to tell them the truth and to warn them of those who are deceivers and who pervert the truth. Jesus had compassion on the multitudes, but he publicly rebuked the hypocrites. By D. W. |