Romans 2:1

Romans 2:1 - You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things.

As we first look at this scripture we see that it begins with a “therefore”. In our men’s bible study when we see this we always ask the question, “What is it therefore?”, because it is always referring to the scripture that comes before it. At the end of chapter one of Romans we see Paul telling us not to approve of the evil of men’s deeds. Then he goes on to tell us not to judge men. At first glance it almost seems to be a contradiction, but then we look closer.

As we see in this verse we are not to judge others, but we must also be careful. Just because we do not judge the person, doesn’t mean we don’t judge the sin. We need to take a stand against sin and judge whether something is right or wrong. When we see sin we do not accept it or associate with it. Sin leads to death and we have been given life.

Then there’s the sinner. Do not judge that person. We are to Love them. Jesus Loved sinners; not their sin, but the sinner. All through the gospels we see Jesus hanging out and associating with sinners, but He was never a part of their sin.

So we must be careful. It is easy and almost natural for us to judge others. We see someone on the street or someone enters the room and we immediately form an opinion about them. Now this will never change, but how that opinion is formed needs to change. Instead of judgement we need to bring Love. Learn to look at a person through the eyes of Jesus. Love them for who they are; don’t hate them for what they do. Love the sinner and hate the sin.