Critical Attitudes

I think one of the easiest things for a believer to do is to be critical and judgmental of others.  Why does it seem so easy to look down on others and point out their flaws and overlook our own faults, which are many?  I would say the problem came from the fall of our first ancestors Adam and Eve.  They started passing the buck, so to speak, and not taking responsibility for their own actions and because of their sin we all have inherited a sin nature.

It says this in Genesis 3:9-13, “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’  So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’  And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked?  Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’  Then the man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.’  And the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’  The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”   Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent.  When will people start taking responsibility for themselves and stop blaming others for what they chose to do.

There is a penalty for those who cause us to sin; it says this in Luke 17:1-2, “Then He said to the disciples, ‘It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.’”   Pastors and teachers have a responsibility to teach truth.  This may have been a warning to the religious leaders that taught false doctrine instead of truth.  It says this in the footnotes of my Bible pertaining to these verses, “Like physicians, a teacher should keep his ancient oath in mind, ‘First, do no harm.’”

Temptation is something believers will always face but temptation is not sin.  We sin when we yield to the temptation and, if we do sin, we need to take responsibility for the sin we committed and accept the correction we deserve.  Not accepting the responsibility for our sins, then looking down on somebody else’s sin and being critical of them is hypocritical and wrong.  Don’t think because I am typing these things that I have never been guilty of this sin because I have on more than one occasion, which I am sorry for and hope to never do it again.  Have you ever been critical of someone you knew well and respected?  When you heard something bad about that person, did you jump on the band wagon, so to speak, and believe the lie and become critical of that person also?  

I have been on that side of the spectrum so I know what it feels like to be misunderstood and to have people I thought were my close friends turn on me because they were told something by someone else that they thought I said which I didn’t say at all.  Talk about being critical, this situation caused a lot of hurt that could have been avoided if the people involved would have just confronted me about what was said and what I meant when I said it.  This incident happened quite a while ago and it has never been resolved and I don’t know if it ever will be.  It seems very easy to believe something bad about someone when all you have is someone else’s word for it, even if it is someone you had a lot of respect for.  Be honest, have you ever believed a lie about a person you knew and respected and felt, when something happened to them, that they deserved it?  I am afraid this happens far too often.

Let me give you an example of this from the Word.  I think that most believers, and many unbelievers, have heard of the book of Job and his three friends.  Job’s three friends wrongly assumed that Job was in his situation because he sinned.  How many times have you thought, or said, to someone that you knew something to this effect, “you must have sinned to be in the situation you are in,” like Job’s three friends did to him?  They tried to get Job to repent of his sin and take responsibility for it, but in Job’s case this was a test and not a cause of sin.  These friends’ assumptions were wrong based on what they saw and not on real facts.  They were very critical and downright mean and ugly to Job, who was supposed to be their friend.

At one time they respected Job and probably were taught by Him but everything changed and these, so called, friends became judgmental and critical of Job.  At one time these three friends, if asked, may have said this would never happen between them and Job but it did.  It should have never happened but, like I said, it seems to come easy for people and believers to look down on others and criticize them.

If you have been or are in this situation, my advice would be to confess this sin to the Lord and repent and ask the Lord to forgive you and try very hard not to fall into this sin again.  The Word says this in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”  Praise the Lord!  I have given you food for thought. May the Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!