A judgement-free community

"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:17, NIV)
 
“There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” (James 2:13 NLT)

“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NLT)

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 NLT)

There are several issues that divide the church today...skirts vs. pants, short hair vs. long hair, piercings, tatoos, even public school vs. homeschool. Is there a right way to dress? To educate? To raise your kids? And if so, what is the right way?

But when you meet someone--whether they're a teen from your church, from your neighborhood, from your school, or otherwise--what should you see?

Should you see their tatoos or piercing (or lack thereof)? The way they dress? The length of their hair?

Or should you see their heart?

You see, each of us is at a different point in their faith. You, right now, know of some obvious things you shouldn't do but do anyway (perhaps lying, being deceitful, or being disrespectful to parents). You, today, will probably do something wrong that you aren't even aware is wrong And in both cases, whether you know you're sinning or not, you need to grow in your faith and let God purify you from the inside out. You need to learn to trust God with the sins you know you shouldn't commit. You need to learn about the sins you aren't aware of. And you need forgiveness every step of the way.

The same goes for other people. Maybe that girl in the skimpy clothes with five piercings and a tatoo is a brand-new Christian. Maybe she's committed to following Jesus, and God is teaching her first to simply listen to His voice. And maybe having a tatoo isn't a big deal, and you just haven't realized it yet. Or maybe it is, and eventually she'll realize it. But you are no better than anyone else. And you need forgiveness just as badly as every other person on this earth.

The point is this: we need to keep an open mind about others and remember that we need forgiveness, too. Remember: when God said that we would know other Christians by their love, and eventually by other traits, hair length and education and tatoos and divorce and clothing weren't on any list. That's because those issues all have roots in our character, no matter how we dress--and if each person does their best to follow God, then each person is exactly where God wants them to be (and we shouldn't judge them).

So how do we know that someone is a Christian? By their love.