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Mirror

I believe that those unwilling to extend grace to others have had a difficult time accepting it themselves. On the other hand, those who have a firm grasp of their own need for grace-- along with their acceptance of it-- not only empathize with others' shortcomings, but far more readily accept others in spite of those shortcomings. Far from acting bitter toward those who fail you or themselves, you're simply reminded of your own place in God's eyes. When you look at them, you're really looking at yourself. When you judge them, you judge yourself, and when you accept them, I believe it can be a sign that you understand God's acceptance of you (or at least a sign that you understand your own shortcomings).

The idea of judgment is found throughout Scripture. For Christians, the most pertinent type of judgment is found in the notion of the judgment seat of Romans 14:10, called the bema. While in the gospels and Acts, it was used to refer to a raised seat from which a Roman official would decide a case and mete out judgment, it was used in the New Testament letters in reference to a raised place of judgment in the Isthmian games. Here, following an athletic competition, an athlete would ascend to a judge either to receive reward, or fail to receive reward. The idea in the latter reference does not include punishment, and involves shame only insofar as you missed chances at reward. Seen this way, we as Christians have no reason to be afraid of judgment.*

Honestly, I'm not completely convinced of assured salvation, in light of passages like Hebrews 6:4-8 and Revelation 2-3 (please research this on your own to come to your own conclusion); but I do know that understanding just how much you've been forgiven paves the way for you to offer that same forgiveness to others.** In the believer's life, judgment-- or acceptance-- is like a mirror. When you judge someone-- in the sense that you are condemning the person, and not in the sense that you are pointing out sin for the purpose of correcting the person-- you ultimately see more of yourself than you see the person in front of you. The same is true when you show acceptance of someone. Jesus did this with the woman accused of adultery in John 8:1-11. He recognized her sin, and told her to leave her lifestyle, but did not condemn her. This instance offered a clear picture of Christ's-- and God's-- character as one who fully extends grace, while not condoning hurtful or self-destructive behavior.

*Keathley, II!, J. Hampton. "The Doctrine of Rewards: The Judgment Seat (Bema) of Christ." Bible.org, 2011.
**I don't pretend to minimize how difficult forgiveness is for some. I only know that being in relationship with Christ gives you that ability to forgive where you may not have been capable of doing so previously. It is not a matter of forgiveness being easy, but a matter of it being possible.
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