The Nelson Newsletter
Turning Many To Righteousness. Starting With Us! Arthur & Berta Josephine Nelson October, 2009
“Judge Me Please! and Encourage Me to Judge Myself.”
Heb. 10:31 “It is a FEARFUL THING to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Dear Saints & fellow containers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re wondering if you’ve ever confronted a person, (Christian or non-Christian) with the truth who didn’t retort, “You can’t judge me, only God can judge me.” Or “The bible says you’re not supposed to judge.” It makes me chuckle on the inside every time I think of some of the ones I’ve heard exclaim this in their defense to avoid taking responsibility for their actions! The first one is College Basketball coach, Bobby Knight, who proclaimed in an interview after being fired for abusing his students, “The bible says, ‘Thou shalt not judge.” In reality had he chosen to judge himself and sought the help of others to see himself as he really was he would’ve never been fired! Others can see us much more objectively than we can see ourselves. With their help he could’ve realized throwing chairs in a fit of rage and lashing out abusively at his students was unreasonable and destructive to himself and to others. Half the battle is seeing the truth and admitting the truth. James 5:16 says, “Confess your sin one to another, pray one for another, that you may be healed (made whole- cured)...” The second one is my older brother who hates God, good and righteousness, not to mention, he’s a white supremacist who hates everyone but the “incorruptible” Arian race. He spent most of his life from the time he was 13 to 32 incarcerated because he learned to hate authority and didn’t want to bow down to anyone. That tendency in Americans began in the 60’s when people started rebelling against the establishment and doing their own thing all the while disguising it as love. Joining your friends in disobeying the laws of God and the laws of the land is not love! Guess what? If we’re not walking in the Love of God, which means keeping His commandments (see John 14:21,23, 1Jn 2:3-5, our hearts WILL condemn us. That’s a GOOD thing! Why? Because guilt is to sin what pain is to cancer, it lets us know we’re deathly sick and in need of being cleansed, healed. The third is my mother who has been an enabler, adulteress, fornicator, rebel against truth and instruction, reveling in self-pity, forever defending and excusing both hers and her children’s and grandchildren’s errant ways which has turned them into alcoholics, drug addicts, criminals, and, in my sister’s case, paralyzed. What kind of life is that? Don’t get me wrong, I love these people and see redeemable qualities in all of them. Unfortunately, it seems that for now, they continue to choose to hang on to their rebellion and destructive paths which are leading them to hell and defeat here and now and in the life to come! Pr.12:1 says, “He that loves instruction loves knowledge: but he that hates reproof is brutish (stupid or foolish).” AND Pr.15:10 says, “Correction is grievous unto him that forsakes the way: and he that hates reproof shall die.” It’s extremely important for us to be teachable and open to God’s word and to reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness so that we can be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” See 2Tim.3:16-17. Matt.5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may SEE your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” People on the outside of the Church ARE watching us! How can we show them victory if we are living in defeat? How can we live in victory if we refuse to be judged? How will we stand in the judgment day in front of a holy God who expects us to be holy in thought and action, see 2Cor.6:14-7:1 and has provided us with the person of Jesus Christ to live His child like life within us which is “humble, available, teachable, moldable, and receptive” to the perfect will of God? There’s Absolutely no rebellion against the authority of God in Him! In one sense the three characters mentioned earlier are correct in that we Christians are not expected to judge those who don’t claim His Name. 1Cor.5:11-13 “But now I have written unto you NOT to keep company, if any man that is CALLED a BROTHER be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; WITH SUCH AN ONE know not to eat. But what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do NOT ye JUDGE them that are WITHIN? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person (the “brother” refusing to turn from his wicked ways. In this case he was doing something worse than the heathen would even think of doing in those days, sleeping with his dad’s wife— his mother!)” The leaders of the Church have falsely taught us all that God is an unconditional lover which infers that there’s no need for us to judge ourselves and turn from our wicked ways. Why should we? If He’s going to lavish His love and blessings upon us anyway and welcome us right into heaven even though we loved the things He hated and hated the things He loved? Folks, if we’re not abhorring sin here we won’t even want to go into Heaven! We won’t be comfortable there! We’re bound to throw ourselves head long into the pit of hell to escape the fierce holiness of God. There’s no purification in death. Look at the letters to the churches in Revelations when He warned them that IF they received the truth and corrected their ways they would make heaven. Those letters were written to the CHURCHES! To Christians! Not to the WORLD! One “Christian” woman seeking help to overcome captivity of fornication, gluttony, anger, etc. exclaimed to her mentor friend of the Calvinist faith trying to convince her that “once saved always saved”, “That’s not fair, brother, I’m behaving no differently than those of the world who are lost and going to hell, knowing I’m wrong and yet I’m going to Heaven while their destined to go to hell? That’s not fair!” She’s bound to wind up in Heaven after all because she refuses to accept that lie which would comfort her in her sin and instead is determined to change. Her spirit is willing but her flesh is weak. She’s captured. However, as she continues seeking sound counsel and resists the devil every chance she gets little by little she’ll gain the strength she needs to slam the door on the devil.
