Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Enabling or Judging

When we allow people to continue to violate us, we are prolonging their behavior. Psychologist call this enabling. We need to do what is best for those we love. Jesus told us to love our enemies. That means we do what is best not only for those who are easy to love but for those who we find more difficult to love. Confronting poor behavior or allowing consequences to play out is often necessary to rescue someone from destructive choices (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).

When we don't particularly like someone, we find it easy to confront them out of our anger, but far more difficult to confront in love and a spirit of humility (Galatians 6:1). We find it harder still to resist pronouncing judgement on them (Romans 14:4; James 4:12).

Recognizing sinful behavior is not forbidden, but encouraged, nor is it judging a person (1Corinthians 6:1-6). But to say someone is beyond God's ability to rescue or to say someone has no value, that is wrongful judging. There is only One who sees into the heart.

Both enabling and condemning are wrong.