Judging

Are we to judge or not? It seems there is much confusion over this issue. Are we to never judge in any way? When we see someone in sin (defined by the Bible) what are we to do? Say something? Sit back and watch passively in the name of "love"? What does the Bible tell us to do? Is there a difference between redemptive judgment and vengeful judgment?

In the book "What is a Healthy Church?" Mark Dever touches on this in the chapter about biblical church discipline. Here is the excerpt from pages 103-104 that I hope helps you like it has me to bring some clarity.

"This whole idea (referring to discipline, specifically Matthew 18:15-17) can sound harsh to many people today. Besides, didn't Jesus forbid his followers from judging others? In one sense, he certainly did: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matt. 7:1). But in the very same Gospel, Jesus also called churches to rebuke - even publicly - their members for sin (Matt. 18:15-17; cf. Luke 17:3). So whatever Jesus meant by "Do not judge," he did not mean to rule out everything that might be called "judging" today.

Certainly God himself is a judge. He judged Adam in the garden. In the Old Testament he judged both nations and individuals. In the New Testament he promises that Christians will be judged according to their works (see 1 Corinthians 3). And he promises that, on the final day, he will reveal himself as the ultimate judge of all humanity (see Revelation 20).

In his judgement, God is never wrong. He is always righteous (see Joshua 7; Matthew 23; Luke 2; Acts 5; Romans 9). Sometimes his purposes in judgement are corrective, redemptive, and restorative, as when he disciplines his children. Sometimes his purposes are retributive, vengeful, and final, as when he bears his wrath upon the ungodly (see Hebrews 12). Either way, God's judgement is always just.

What may surprise many people today is that God occasionally uses human beings to carry out his judgment. The state is given responsibility to judge its citizens (see Romans 13). Christians are told to judge themselves (see 1 Cor. 11:28; Hebrews 4; 2 Peter 1:5). Congregations are told to occasionally even judge the members of the church - though not in the final way God judges.

In Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 5 and 6, and elsewhere, the church is instructed to exercise judgment within itself. This judgement is for redemptive, not vengeful, purposes (Rom. 12:19). Paul told the church in Corinth to hand the adulterous man over to Satan "so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved" (1 Cor. 5:5). He says the same to Timothy regarding the false teachers in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:20).

We should not be surprised that God calls us to exercise certain forms of judgment, or discipline. If churches expect to have anything to say about how Christians do live, they will have to say something about how Christians do not live.

Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend together with Papa, Nana, Amy and the Elliott family. We all stayed in our house Saturday night. It was fun. We had an Easter egg hunt and grilled burgers on Saturday and we all went to Crosspoint on Sunday. This was Amy's last Sunday at Crosspoint so it was special for us all to be there as we commissioned her as church. We then had a big dinner Sunday evening.

Amy's Going Away Soiree

This past Thursday night a group of us girls threw Amy a going away party tailored just for her. It was so fun and I believe she felt like the belle of the ball! We all wore black and white and had Amy wear a bright color to stand out, and she did! We had an open mic share time and ended the night with some fun dancing. It was a great night celebrating Amy as we send her off. She will be so missed!

coos

a carson quote

So I was sitting here with my kids and we were talking about shopping and Carson said, "I don't like clothes shopping, the only shopping I like is hardware stores where you buy hardware stuff." I know a few other men like that....I think I know where he gets it...

hand-me-downs

I love hand-me-downs and am so grateful to those who share the goods with us! These 2 coordinating outfits came from 2 different people and just the right size for each of my girls. What a blessing!

A Sweet Journey

It's been a sweet journey for Cayce and I to share in as we waited and then welcomed babies Nathan and Spencer. I'm so thankful for my friendship with Cayce that started way back in college. Who knew we'd be raising our families together. What a sweet gift it is from our Father! I love you friend and am so thankful for you and your precious family.

Started in June 2010...

by December we were lookn like this...

and in February we welcomed these little guys...

and here they are at 8 and 7 weeks

What a blessing they are!

My babies at 2 months

Spencer is 2 months

Spencer turned 2 months old today, where is the time going???? He is such a sweetie, I'm so in love! He's been such a joy. He is laid back and sweet. I took him for his well check today. Bryn came along and she was a good helper. The shots were killer and he's been struggling since, poor guy. Here are his stats and some pictures of him today (had to put some funny ones too)...

Head: 16 in. 75%

Weight: 13 lbs. 9 oz. 90%

Length: 23 in. 60%