6 Words That Will Change Your LifeSample

If you’ve ever been around a group of legalistic Christians, you know how ugly it can get when humans set themselves up as judge and jury. I lived in that world for a few years, and once I found my way out of it, I discovered that grace is the only antidote for the poison of legalism gone wild.  

Judging and condemning—that’s what eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil unleashed. We desire to determine right from wrong in our own eyes, and once we arrive at our own conclusions, we strive to impose them on everyone around us.  

No wonder the world has been haunted by wars, murder and mayhem down through the millennia.  

Just imagine if there were no hope of ever escaping this judging, controlling manmade prison. What if your fate were sealed and your only prospect was to spend all eternity in this perpetual cycle of bearing the judgment and condemnation of others and your own guilty conscience—and most importantly, God?  

Which makes one particular verse in today’s reading so intriguing—a verse that’s often overlooked in this familiar story about the Fall: “He [man] must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”  

By banishing us and blocking our access to “the tree of life,” God kept the pathway to spiritual redemption open. By closing the gates of Eden and guarding them with His holy cherubim, the wheels were set in motion for redemption through the cross, in the course of due time. And the cross would make it possible for us to escape our fallen condition and spend eternity in restored relationship with God. 

Our human tendencies to be judgmental and hypocritical are part of the curse of the Fall.  Our propensity for these sins can only be battled with the help of the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in our lives.  

In light of the fruit of the Spirit, prayerfully ask God for His insight as you address the following questions. 

Are you personally judgmental? Are you quick to act as judge and jury when someone behaves in ways your Christian faith identifies as sin? Or do you approach others in a way that communicates that you are “just one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread”? 

Are you hypocritical? Do you hold others to a higher standard than the one you live by? If you’re really brave, ask your friends—including your non-Christian friends—whether they think you are judgmental or hypocritical. (Caution: Don’t ask if you aren’t willing to hear the truth without getting defensive.)