“I can’t condemn them, because I am a sinner too.”

Have you heard these statements by Christians:

“I am not going to condemn them, because I know I am a sinner too.”

“Well, it is not my place to judge, because I know I have my faults.”

I understand it is not a Christian’s place to judge the eternal destination or heart of anyone else.  Jesus is the judge (John 5:25-30).  We are not to be prejudice, hypocritical, or hypercritical in our judgment of one another (Mat. 7:1-5, James 4:11-12).  Yet, I fear many in today’s generation have gone to the extreme of not wanting to condemn any sin.  Above statements are made when an issue that should be black and white is turned into gray.  A stand should be taken, rather than opting out through a humble statement about their own sin.  

I fear this type of attitude presents itself when discussing moral issues like pre-marital sex, homosexuality, lying, and abortion.  It presents itself when discussing doctrinal issues like baptism, church attendance, worship, and non-denominational Christianity.  

Let me make a few observations about this type of thinking:

1. One is not claiming, and certainly is not, sinless when they take a position and hold to it as binding and authoritative because it is what the Word of God teaches.  All of the inspired men who wrote Scripture and the holy Apostles who preached the gospel were sinners (see the examples of Peter and Paul as a great illustration).  They had failures and shortcomings, yet they could strongly pronounce truth and take a stand for truth.  I stand up each week and preach and teach truth in an authoritative manner, but I am not sinless.
2. There is a difference in living in willful sin, and occasionally falling to sin as is common unto a human being.  John points this out well in 1 John 3:4-10.  The ESV text is helpful as it renders the verbs with the proper tenses.  John says, “whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil . . . no one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 4:8-9).  The Christian should not make a continual practice of sinning, but rather should repent of known sin and work to overcome it, because we have been born of God.  The Hebrew writer says that if we continue to sin “deliberately” or “willfully” there no longer remains a sacrifice for our sin (Heb. 10:26).  We need to remember this distinction today, I think it is easy for us to buy into the thought, that I am a sinner, it is just how it is.  No!  Christ died to set you free from sin.  A Christian has died to sin and is alive to God (Romans 6).  We should not be continually walking in sin. 
3. We must stand for truth, despite our imperfect examples.  We are never going to present a perfect example to the world, but our weaknesses demonstrate the power of Christ (2 Cor. 12:9-10).  Thus, the church should not allow this to keep us from teaching and standing for truth.  We must take clear positions and not yield to the tolerant gods of this world.  It is not the humility that God desires, when the church does not hold forth the banner of truth in love (Eph. 4:15, 1 Tim. 3:15).  The church must call sin sin and those who are practicing sin must be warned of their lost condition!    

I hope this has challenged your thoughts.  Would you like to share them?  Please leave a comment or question.

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