“For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “As I live,” says the Lord, “Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. (Romans 14:9-13a)
In the book, Denial of the Enemy, that I’m writing, one of my characters, Howard, acts so despicable that one of his scenes is comedic. We judge Howard as being mean; he clearly is. But his heart was broken when his father denied him music, his connection with the Holy Spirit. At book’s end, we understand Howard’s heart, and we’re willing to forgive him.
Whether living or dead, every Jew and Christian belongs to God. Jesus came to Earth not only to die for our sins but also to experience the scars of life. He knows what we’re thinking and why we’re thinking it. Therefore, Jesus, is the only one qualified to judge. So, why do people judge and look down upon others? It’s human nature. We want to understand more than we can. One day, we’ll give Jesus an account of our wrongdoings. When we discover we don’t know our own hearts, it will help us understand we can’t know others’ hearts. It’s fun to read because the author reveals everything about the characters, making us all knowing. We should continue to be all knowing of characters and not try to be God.
Much agreed! Very insightful.
Thanks for your encouragement. Blessings!