Compassion and Condemnation

What is true compassion and what is true condemnation? What does it mean to have biblical compassion on another and what does it mean to condemn another? To condemn another is to effectively judge them as lost, damned. It is also to esteem yourself as being intrinsically superior to another and/or to judge that other as being intrinsically inferior to yourself. It is to also judge them unrighteously, that is, to not judge after righteous judgment but to judge according to personal whim, tradition, or belief. This is what the Pharisees did. They did not adhere to the perfect letter of the word of God; instead, they interpreted the letter according to their traditions and used their traditions, their notions, as the lens through which the letter was to be viewed; and when they did rightly look upon the letter, they did so with no right spirit to discern, so they indeed judged according to appearance (according to what they saw and interpreted) and not according to righteous judgment — what the word of God alone declares in its totality.

What is compassion? It is to have mercy; it is to succour the afflicted, the repentant, the down-trodden. It is to help one suffering or seeking aid and to feel, to have real empathy for the condition they reveal to you. This is not my definition only but that found in the lexicons and borne up by the scriptural usage. It is to seek to help the saints, help them to grow, help edify them, help them to understand as you, yourself, seek such help. It is to comfort and refresh them through the word. But true compassion encompasses true warnings. It is not some fluffy, superficial, “can’t we all just get along” type of notion. It requires action that is in obedience to the word of God and not in obedience merely to our own emotions and opinions on a matter. All accusations, and judgments, all trying of the spirits, must be backed by scripture. Scripture after the spirit and not the letter? Of course… but after the scripture nonetheless. After part of the scripture, that which we prefer and like? No, after all of the scripture as God enables.

If I see a brother drinking too much; flirting too much; watching something he ought not watch; I am to encourage him but it is not for me to air his shortcomings. I am to pray for him not condemn him, or shame him, or make him feel small in his eyes or in the eyes of others. Likewise, if two brethren fall out; it isn’t for me to air their dispute — it is between them and not them and the world within or without. If one owes another money; or they say some ill words about each other; or they get into a physical altercation… I do not need to shed this abroad before men. Proverbs 11:13 declares “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” We ought to conceal these matters and strive to serve as mediators, peace-makers, and promoters of unity.

Nonetheless, some things cannot stand. It does not matter how blessed your milk is; how tasty and nourishing it is; if you start to introduce rotten meat into the diet, it will make the partakers sick. It may not kill them; they may still grow thereby in various ways; but it will make them sick nonetheless. The same is true with anyone who faithfully preaches the word; faithfully proclaims the cross of Christ; faithfully expounds upon Christ and His finished work. If they are faithful with the milk but not so much so with important meat — then there is no compassion in not speaking out against such things when that meat has been put forth unrepentantly for months, years, and even decades. There is no humility (beyond false humility and a prideful show of such) in abstaining from warning and in speaking out against those that do put forth such meat. The same Holy Ghost that declares that we should be patient and long-suffering with one another also moved Paul to write in Galatians 2:11 “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed” and in 1 Timothy 5:20 “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear” and in Galatians 4:16 “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” It is the same message to Jeremiah 1:17 “Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.” When a sin, or doctrine, or set of doctrines are so egregious, so harmful to the church, that something must be said… then something must be said even if we are judged as Pharisees for saying it.

Are we all sinners saved by grace, in need of grace, wholly dependent upon grace? Absolutely! But we have been called for a purpose and that is to serve the living God. Not to just declare the Gospel (as vitally needful as that is, we should always do so as God gives opportunity but that is not our only calling); not to just quote comforting passages; not to just make us feel good about ourselves via portions of the Bible. Sometimes the greatest “comfort ye, comfort ye, My people” is found in needful admonition and rebuke centered on the Scripture alone as illuminated by the Gospel truth (which reveals forgiveness and justification despite the sin requiring the rebuke and admonition). You should never be made to constantly feel beat up; and yet, if you are you made to constantly feel good about your self, even in a state of spiritual complacency, indifference, and lethargy… something is very wrong.

What are we called to do as Christians? We are called to profess Christ, to confess Christ with the mouth before men; that is, we witness to them so that God, for each whom He so willed, will quicken them (without means) and then convert them via means — even the means of the Gospel Truth that we just witnessed to them. We must, as faithfully holistic brethren do, exhort each other to be lights in the world (experimentally as we are objectively) and to proclaim the Gospel before all men as God gives opportunity; the Gospel of what Christ did for us at the cross and the resulting good news of what He continues to do for us and in us — in our lives. We confess with the mouth, we profess our faith, we spread the word knowing that God can and does use such proclamation either unto damnation or salvation as it pertains to the hearers.

Romans 15:8-12  Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, FOR THIS CAUSE I WILL CONFESS TO THEE AMONGST, and sing unto thy name. 10   And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. 12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

What are we called to do as Christians? We are called to edify one another. To point them to the word, keep them (experimentally) in the word, keep their minds focused on things above and not on the vain and carnal things below. Everyday, we should go back to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” We must seek to understand how every word, every passage, every biblical doctrine supports, reinforces, and further educates us on the whole. No Christ-given, Spirit-declared doctrine should ever be passed over or ignored. We should never be afraid to peacefully and rationally discuss any teaching or instruction in the Bible. We must exhort one another to leave no doctrinal stone unturned, unconsidered, unpondered. We are not to just “talk about the righteousness and sanctification found in Christ” but to desire to live it, and that, even with fervency, consistency, and God-wrought, effectual power. But God works through means and one of His primary means is exhortation. We must be more apt to discuss the Bible and all that it contains than we are to discuss sports, work, entertainment, people, etc. And when we must discuss such things, or when we do so with right judgment recreationally, let us do so (and exhort each other to do so) always with CHRIST in mind.

Also, we are called to refrain from giving an answer (or rejecting) a doctrinal matter before it is truly heard. Those who are fearful to consider unfamiliar things; unwilling to do so; or conditioned not to do so are not strong in the faith. We are not to proliferate doubtful disputations; however, we are called to reason with one another day and night and to cease to do so only if it can cause a weaker brother to stumble or if the discussion turns ugly or otherwise unprofitable. Yet real, true, patient and long-suffering effort must be made nonetheless to labour together in the word.

What are we called to do as Christians? We are called to love Him; that is, to keep his commandments in our heart and to strive to do them even knowing that we will fall far short of the mark set by Christ. We are to exhort one another unto lively obedience to the commands of God; we are to exhort one another to show forth grace, mercy, love, compassion, long-suffering, encouragement, rebuke — not according to our definitions and opinions of such things; not according to some examples over hear whilst ignore other relevant, and revealing, examples in scripture over there; not according to hasty accusations and judgments; but according to all of the commandments, caveats, exhortations, and admonitions found throughout scripture on each and every matter. If we love Him, we are to keep His commandments and feed His sheep, encouraging others unto the same.

What are we called to do as Christians? We are called to come out of her as God’s people, to come out of those congregations that promote false gospels, and to abstain from promoting men who give false hope to Arminians, Romanists, and other such by speaking peace to them when there is no spiritual peace. We are to declare that if the will-worshiper, be he a Methodist, Adventist, Freewill-Baptist,  Roman Catholic, etc. is your brother in Christ, then you are no brother of mine. If the Arminian God worshipped within the confines of a freewill church, a charismatic church, or any other such assembly is still the God that you worship within reformed, Predestinarian, or Calvinistic walls… then you are likewise no brother of mine — not while you continue to be under the umbrella of such wickedness, even yoked to it. To many, this sounds harsh; cruel even. To some, it may even sound Pharisaical… but to endorse a man who endorses Arminianism, endorses it even to the degree that He endorses those who hold to it (endorsing them as fellows-saints in Christ and co-labourers in the work), to endorse such a one is to endorse a heretick and to wink at his heresy. “But he proclaimed the Gospel” some will say. Yes, he may proclaim the Gospel, but He denies it with his affiliations and stances and thus encourages others to do the same. Preaching the Gospel goes beyond the mere words we use, as important as those words are; preaching the Gospel requires consistency in both doctrine and association or else your good words become empty, meaningless. 

Most importantly, what are we called to do as Christians? We are called to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. We are called to deeply, spiritually, quietly, humbly (especially before God), contemplatively, and (dare I say) fearfully WORSHIP and PRAISE our Lord. We are called to be more ready to hear than to speak. We are called to worship him not in ritual or ceremony, and not in bodily exercise, but in the sincerity of God-wrought truth.

Now any teaching; any failure to teach; any exhortation against these things; or any exhortation to freedom from these things… that’s not compassion — that’s slothfulness and a gross lack of judgment. That’s poisonous meat even if served at the same meal with perfect milk. Do I say this to condemn? To esteem myself and denigrate others? To play the Pharisee and to hate God and His people? No, I say it to exhort you unto re-examination, research, prayer, meditation, and unto godly action — hoping that others will send that same intent my way as several already do.

But if we are so hardened in our stances that our declarations are expected to be taken as the “Gospel truth” (received and believed rather than searched out and verified); if we never exhort others unto a Berean spirit but encourage them to be as dependent upon us as a newly hatched bird is dependent upon it’s mother for regurgitated meat; if we have such a level of doctrinal inerrancy that not once, not once have we ever had to change a doctrinal stance; if we teach doctrine that destroys the zeal and impetus behind professing and confessing Christ before men; if we make serving the law after the inner man distasteful to our hearers because we have provided such a lopsided view of the applicable law/commandments of God that many view such commandment-keeping as legalism; if we make men and women fearful to even consider certain biblical doctrines for contemplation and re-examination (via biblical study and peaceful discourse); if we promote secular acts from the pulpit that can cause weaker brethren to stumble; if we take a haughty attitude that, when adopted by others, kills the likelihood of edifying discussion; if we promote our decades of study, our collections of study guides/texts to such a degree that it intimidates others (causing them to think that they cannot possibly come to a right conclusion themselves); if we emphasize our denomination’s traditions and history over the word of God; or if we do any other such thing, then something needs to be said and done… not just once, not just twice, but until the underlying issue is addressed (or until separation is in order — after the first and second admonition).  So it must never be about some perceived lack of compassion, or some perceived condemnation… it must be about all of us being spiritual Nathan’s and stating thou art the man when it is just and right to do so — fully hoping and expecting that the brethren will do the same for us when we step out of line unto the hurt of the body of Christ. 

To God be the glory.