Who am I to Judge?

Recently, when a lady (let’s call her Sally), asked me about my blog, I told her it was called, Jesus on the Road.  I asked if she was a Christian. She said she wasn’t, but she respected all beliefs. She said, “Who am I to judge?”

I said that my blog was asking the big questions of life like: Where did we come from; What are we here for; and Where are we going.

She said, “Who knows? Nobody knows. Actually, everybody knows, but they can’t all be right.”

I’m not here to judge you

This conversation got me thinking about my purpose, both in life, and for this blog. PLEASE NOTE: I’m not here to judge you.

What am I here for?

I am here on this blog to ask the big questions, and to share with you what I’ve found on this road of life. I’m not here to preach to you or to hit you over the head with a Bible.

I can’t pretend that I have all the answers. But, I am here to share the answers that I have found to be true. I don’t know all the answers, but I do know Someone who does.

Sally is correct. Everybody has an opinion, but they can’t all be right.

Some things don’t really matter. Your favourite flavour of ice cream, or brand of car, or style of music may be very different to mine. But that’s OK. We don’t have to all like the same things. As they say, it’d be a boring world, if we were all the same.

However, in deeper issues, like, the “Big Questions of Life,” what we believe has greater importance.

As I wrote What’s Jesus on the Road About? it seems that the Big Questions of Life are:

1. Origin – Who am I? Where did I come from?
2. Meaning and Purpose – Why are we here?
3. Morality – What’s right and what’s wrong?
4. Destiny – Where are we going?

What is right and wrong?

There are consequences for believing the wrong things. I might believe that here in Australia we drive on the right side of the road. After all, they do in many other parts of the world. But, this belief is going to get me into big trouble when I start to drive on the road. I’ll have lots of people tooting their horns, or worse, letting me know that I’m wrong.

It seems there is one right and one wrong way, at least for road rules. If I was to tell all the other drivers that they had no right to judge me for driving on the right side (pun intended), I don’t think I’d get far. And certainly my argument wouldn’t stand up in court. For our road systems to operate smoothly, there is a need for absolute truth that is recognised and accepted by all.

This is a question of morality, what’s right and wrong. Apart from the road system, a peaceful society requires its citizens to believe the same moral code and accept the consequences for keeping or breaking the rules. Maybe they don’t have to accept the rules, but they will certainly face the consequences for breaking them.

You have no right to judge me

So, back to Sally’s comment that she has no right to judge anyone else for their beliefs. Perhaps. But I wonder how she’d feel if her neighbour built a fence several metres into her yard, and said he believed it was his property.

God has given us a conscience that guides our understanding of right and wrong:

They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

Romans 2:15

God has also given us free will. He doesn’t force anyone to believe in Him. We aren’t robots. Nor are we brainwashed or beaten into submission by those who would force us to do whatever they tell us. We’d call that abuse, and our conscience knows it is wrong.

“The problem, however, is that our consciences have been dulled by sin — and the more we sin, the duller they become. In fact, our consciences can become so dulled by sin that we no longer want to do what’s right, and may even lose sight of what’s right and wrong. Our moral sense becomes twisted, and we end up calling evil what is good, and calling good what is evil.” Billy Graham Our consciences can be dulled by repeated sin

God is the judge

So, I’m not here to judge you. You must make your own choices about how you live. You have your own worldview. I’m just here to help you think about the big questions.

I don’t want you to be ignorant of the importance of your answers to those big questions. There are consequences, both here, and in the hereafter:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

Romans 1:18

Eventually, we will all be judged. But God’s judgement isn’t like that of Santa Claus. God doesn’t sort out the naughty from the nice. God expects perfection!

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

So we are ALL going to fail. Every single one of us. Including, and especially me. I can never be good enough to escape God’s judgement in hell.

Jesus took our punishment

Jesus paid the price for my sin, and yours.

The consequence for sin is death and separation from God.

Jesus took that consequence for you on Good Friday. And then on Easter Sunday, He was resurrected from the dead.

The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

John 3:14-17

The purpose of this blog

So, no, I’m not here to judge you. This blog is part of my own answer to Big Question 2, What’s my purpose in life?

Jesus on the Road does have a purpose. It’s not meant to be judgemental, nor is it just light entertainment to fill in your time. Perhaps it may prick your conscience, and you can choose how you react to that.

I’m writing because God loves me. He loves me with an amazing, overwhelming love, that gave up everything for me.

Not because I deserved it. No! In spite of my ugly, hurtful, sinful nature, Jesus died for me.

And this wonderful love of God is for YOU too!

It’s free! You can’t earn it by good works. Jesus is the only one who could earn it, and He has already done that – for you.

I set up this website because God loves you!

God’s love is an amazing thing. I’m filled with it, and I can’t help but share it with you. I want you to have all the good things that God wants for you.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

1 John 4:7

So, dear reader, I’m writing this blog because I love you. And I want you to know that God loves you more than you can know.

God loves you to death, and beyond:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

John 3:16

What about you?

Do you believe that God loves you?

Why/Why not?

Why should God let you into heaven?