Devotional: Condemning Others John 3:16-21

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Rom. 8:1, NASB).

My daughter Abra was watching a news report about how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is dealing with persons from the LBGTQ community. The following day I am going through old papers. I come across one in which I state that the church should not condemn anyone. It disturbs me when the church condemns people.

I have not found in the scriptures any justification for condemning people. It is simply not the way of Jesus Christ. There was a time when John 3:16 was the best known and most often quoted verse from the bible. I first learned it as it is translated in the King James Version. It says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Now the NASB translates the Greek word katakrino to the English word judge. Both translations are correct because the idea is that one is judged and sentenced; they are condemned.

Although I remember hearing verse sixteen often, I do not remember hearing verse seventeen very much. It says, “‘For God did not send the Son into the world to judge (condemn, KJV) the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (NASB).

The traditional Christian community is guilty of doing the opposite of what Christ came into the world to do. The church has no need to condemn people, and verse eighteen tells us the reason. John writes, “‘He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (v. 18, NASB). You cannot make a rotten apple rotten. You cannot make green grass green. A thing, whatever it is, it is already. All people are condemned until she and he believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God whose name is Jesus.

The Christian community needs to stop categorizing sins and sinners. Paul makes an important statement in this regard. This statement tells us that those who judge others are just as guilty as the ones that are being judged. Paul writes, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Rom. 2:1, NASB). We often judge others so that we draw attention from ourselves.

It is true that Paul makes several lists of motives, attitudes, and behaviors that Christians should guard against. However, Paul did not list these things so that the church can have a reason to pick and choose people to discriminated against and condemn. Rather, Paul lists these things so that we can know that these things do not come to us from the Spirit of God. He gives us the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Instead of condemning others we are to love them, encourage them, and pray with them. Jesus tells us not to judge others (Matt. 7:1-5). Our job is to make disciples of people by teaching them to observe all things that Jesus has taught us (Matt. 28:19-20). Condemning others will not change their hearts, minds, and behaviors. Only the Holy Spirit can accomplish this task.

Prayer: Father, we thank you for saving us through Your Son Jesus Christ from our sins that condemns us. Amen