Faultfinding is easy work. Those who set out to find fault with their
fellowman will never be disappointed. These can easily establish their
own arbitrary standards and then judge the actions of others according
to them. Arbitrary standards can be established either before or after
the other person acts. Such rules are, by their nature, portable and
easily exchanged for other arbitrary decrees. They can be completely
inconsistent with each other and yet remain in the same carrying case.
The arbitrary judge carries with him ammunition for any side of any
battle.
After he
decides to either attack or defend he can select the arbitrary standards
that work in his favor and apply them to his advantage. He can justify
any evil and vilify any good by the skillful application of his homemade
rules. He can paint matters that are morally neutral with the black
brush of contempt or with the pure white brush of virtue at his own
choosing. His arbitrary judgments, though, are condemned by God.
"Judge not,
that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be
judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to
you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not
consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother,
'Let me remove the speck out of your eye'; and look, a plank is in your
own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye"
(Matthew 7:1-5).
"Woe to
those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in
their own sight!"
(Isaiah 5:20, 21).
Jesus and
John the Baptist were both plagued with arbitrary judges who were able
to use their changeable rules to find fault with opposite behaviors!
"But to
what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the
marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played
the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you
did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they
say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and
they say, 'Look, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children"
(Matthew 11:16-19).
Learn to
ignore such critics unless you are able to find something valuable in
what they have to suggest. If such men are numbered among your
"friends" you will want to keep an eye on the relationships and avoid
having them take your "side" in any dispute. Their syllogisms are
slippery, their logic is leaky, and their reasons are unreliable. Their
"assistance" will sabotage the cause of truth every time and your
association with them will rob you of your influence for good.
God's
standards are revealed, fixed, and unchanging. He has defined right and
wrong. He has revealed what is good and evil and He has placed His
standards in an inspired volume for all to read. His children are those
who have discarded their own notions about what they, and others, ought
to believe and do, -- and they have replaced them with God's. When they
apply what God has revealed to men's lives (first to their own, and then
to others) they "judge with righteous judgment"
(John 7:24).
They apply God's wisdom and not their own. They see and know what God
has given them the standards to judge
(Matthew 7:15-20).
Learn to
listen to all that God's word has to say concerning your life and
conduct. Those who can and will show you your errors according to God's
standards are your friends and ought to be treasured as such. Those who
know God's standards and who will not show you your errors according to
God's word cannot reasonably be considered your friends or God's
servants
Other Articles by Tim Nichols
The Material From Which
Deacons Are Made
Modest Dress With Propriety and
Moderation
A People of Principle
The Futility of Communicating With Subjectivists
Count Your Many Blessings and Then Weigh
Them