“Hey, your left front tire is almost flat.” I informed a
neighbor one day.
“You shouldn’t be judging me like that.”
“I’m just letting you know of some potential danger. It could cause an accident or at least be
very inconvenient later today.”
“It’s ok just the way it is.”
Well, it really didn’t happen that way. He thanked me, grumbled a bit and changed his
tire. But many people live with “Flat Tire” Christianity. They don’t want to hear something should be
changed. When a person says not to judge, they are meaning to disarm a
Christian from reproving evil. Its code for “get off my back, leave me alone, I
am happy just the way I am.”
I think too many Christians are buying this line. Yes the Bible says it, but the context always
reveals that the Christian should do a little introspection before talking with
someone. Seriously, we all make judgments and form opinions every day, I know I
do. The proper way to form an opinion on spiritual matters is to compare things
with scripture and judge accordingly.
The Bible says that we can confront the issue if appropriate. We can approach someone about the Lord
because of what they are doing. The Bible says we can make a judgment (form an
opinion) and talk to someone about it.
No, I am not meaning to just jump on someone and thump on
them with the Bible. I mean to confront
them with love and compassion. Just as I
cared about my neighbor enough to inform him of a dangerous tire, I should care
enough to talk to people about their relationship with God. And I should be receptive to reproof when
someone confronts me about something in my life, too. It helps me avoid “Flat
Tire Christianity.”
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:11.
© copyright Kevin T Boekhoff
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