Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Grace
Not only is dealing with worry difficult for us, but seeing others from the perspective of grace is also beyond our capability if we will just rely on our natural strength. This is the next topic that Rev. Sang Ho Bae discussed as he continued his expository series in the Gospel of Matthew.
The word of Matthew 7:1 is not a mere moral exhortation but the Lord’s command that teaches the place and limits of human beings before God. “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged” (Matt. 7:1). This word is not a declaration that forbids all judgment but a warning that human beings must not invade the place of “condemnation,” which belongs to God alone. Condemnation is God’s exclusive authority.
The Lord said to us, “Beware of false prophets” (Matt 7:15), and the apostle John said, “Do not believe every spirit… but test them” (1 John 4:1). Therefore, careful discernment to protect the church is absolutely necessary. But what the Lord forbids is the “attitude of condemnation,” in which imperfect human beings sit on God’s judgment seat and try to judge others by determining their hearts and motives. Calvin said in Institutes of the Christian Religion that the greatest reason human judgment becomes distorted is “self-love and pride.” A heart that makes oneself the standard produces distorted judgments toward others.
The reason we judge others easily is our fallen nature. Because of sin, the human heart is bent, and the sight is clouded. Thus, another’s faults appear large, while one’s own sin appears small. The Lord called this “the log in your own eye” (Matt 7:3). An eye with a log in it can never see another person’s speck rightly. Augustine said, “A person who does not know himself cannot see anyone rightly.” The lack of self-knowledge leads to distorted judgment toward others.
We often judge without knowing all the facts. Cultural background, upbringing, emotional state, and personal bias influence our interpretation. The same action can be received completely differently depending on the person. Therefore, Scripture says that only God, “who looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7), is the true Judge. Human beings see only fragments and judge by conjecture, but God knows the motives of the heart and therefore judges all things perfectly.
The reason the one who judges receives judgment is not simple cause and effect but because the righteous God judges. The word, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matt 7:2), means that the standard we applied to others will ultimately be applied to us before God. Paul said, “We will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10). Believers must remember this and live examining themselves humbly before God.
The spirit of condemnation destroys communities and breaks relationships. When one person is criticized, one person’s heart grows distant; when five people are criticized, relationships with five people are broken. A person who cannot control the tongue eventually harms himself. James said, “The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness” (James 3:6). Though the tongue is a small member, it can set the whole community ablaze. Therefore, Scripture warns that the religion of a person who does not bridle his tongue is worthless (James 1:26).
Scripture says, “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). Love does not overlook sin but embraces the sinner and leads them to restoration. A person who has deeply experienced the Lord’s love does not easily condemn others but seeks to understand, waits, covers, and prays for restoration.
To see others rightly, we must first look at ourselves before God. When our relationship with God is set right, our view toward people is also set right; but when we grow distant from God, our judgments toward others become distorted. A person who knows himself before God does not condemn others carelessly.
Therefore, we must have a heart that seeks understanding rather than criticism. To ‘understand’ is to step down into the other person’s place and look from their standpoint. Just as the Lord became human in order to understand us, we also must think from the place of others in order to embrace their weakness. This is incarnational love, the mind of Christ.
In the end, what the Lord desires is not a community of condemnation but a community of grace—one where words do not tear down but build up, not words that deepen wounds but words that heal, not stones of condemnation but hands of love. When our lips are changed, our homes, our churches, and our world are changed. May God set a watchman over our mouths (Ps. 141:3) and fill our hearts with His grace so that the fragrance of Christ may always flow from our lips.
Now for the gracious song version of this article generated by AI, check See Through Eyes of Grace.