At the Bible study one week we chose to share our favorite
passages of scripture and explain why they are important to us. Below are a few of the scriptures mentioned
and some of the thoughts behind them:
1 Peter 1:3-9 This passage is a great reminder of how precious
our relationship with God is, and how important our faith in Him is. Verse seven talks about gold and declares
that our faith in God is more valuable than gold. If you really think about that... Gold is one of the most
valuable things in the world today. All
nations use gold and consider it a treasure. So how
ultimately valuable is our faith in God!?!
Verse nine: "The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of
your souls."
Matthew 7:1-6 "Do Not Judge Others" This passage brought
about a bit of discussion on 1 Corinthians 5 as well. In 1 Corinthians it talks about expelling the immoral
brother. Verse 12-13a says, "It
isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your
responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge
those on the outside[of the church]..."
So what do you think? Are we
supposed to judge others or not? After
bringing up this question and our discussion, the conclusion I came up with is
as follows:
There are times when judging others is appropriate. We are not supposed to judge others with a
prideful "I'm better than you" attitude. Our judging them should be out of love and having that person's
best interests in mind. It was also
brought up that the Bible tells us how to approach a brother who is sinning.
(Matthew 18:15-17) There are certain
ways to go about telling the brother.
Don't do it with the intent of getting the person in trouble, but pull
him aside quietly to address it in private.
If he refuses to listen, address it with a couple more witnesses. If he still doesn't listen, it may be
necessary to expel that person from the church. But the intent is never to expel them, it is to save them from
their sin. Also, learn all sides of the
story before making a judgment. Don't
be in a hurry to judge someone in a negative light. They are "innocent until proven guilty".
More to come! What is your favorite passage of scripture and why? I'd love to read them below!
Blessings!
~ S*
