“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.” -2 Cor 5:16
Paul while speaking to some very external people in the church of Corinth exhorted them to not judge the true character of a person based solely on the outside. As it turns out some who were boasting “in appearance and not in heart” (5:12) were judging Paul this way - solely on his appearance. Paul has explained that his letter of recommendation were the fruitful lives of those he ministered to with the gospel, and that his sufficiency was in God not in himself. Paul’s authenticity was found not in his stars but in his stripes for Christ. Paul himself as Saul of Tarsus a Pharisee of Pharisees had committed this false judgement against Christ and His followers as well; to the religious leaders Jesus was just a poor carpenter from Nazareth, who might have done some miracles, but was in contradiction to the law of Moses (in their eyes). Paul now could see that the contradiction was in himself, now he could see the truth behind the man Christ Jesus.
Likewise as The Living Bible puts it “stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside.” (5:16a) We should stop judging Christians based on how they look and instead look for the fruit in their lives - the true character of a life changed by Christ’s love. Does this mean that we should never judge each other? No.. but it does mean that the flesh judges the outward person based upon how they look while the spirit judges the inward person based upon what they do (their behavior and actions). For you see the heart can be seen through the behavior of a person regardless of how they look externally. If I say I love Christ but hate my brother the truth is not in me and I can rightly be judged a liar (1 Jn 4:20). John puts it like this “..By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 Jn 2:5a-6) So stop judging others wrongly and start judging yourself rightly!
Likewise as The Living Bible puts it “stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside.” (5:16a) We should stop judging Christians based on how they look and instead look for the fruit in their lives - the true character of a life changed by Christ’s love. Does this mean that we should never judge each other? No.. but it does mean that the flesh judges the outward person based upon how they look while the spirit judges the inward person based upon what they do (their behavior and actions). For you see the heart can be seen through the behavior of a person regardless of how they look externally. If I say I love Christ but hate my brother the truth is not in me and I can rightly be judged a liar (1 Jn 4:20). John puts it like this “..By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 Jn 2:5a-6) So stop judging others wrongly and start judging yourself rightly!
- HAVE YOU EVER JUDGED SOMEONE WRONGLY? HAVE YOU EVER BEEN WRONGLY JUDGED? WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY JUDGE NOT LEST YOU BE JUDGED? (Mt 7:1-5)
- "Never look down on anyone unless you're helping them up." -?