Lord, save me from a worse extreme,
When sin in others I condemn.
Assist me first to lay aside
The spiteful bitterness of pride;
Reflecting on myself, to see
A soul not half so vile as me;
And then my neighbor to reprove
In meekness, humbleness, and love.
(#111 in Ken Bible's Wesley Hymns)
I would point out both the call for humbleness and the call to reprove in love. That is to say, this is not the same thing as a harsh, judgmental rebuke. Neither is it the same thing as accepting sin in our sisters and brothers because we recognize and accept it in ourselves. This cuts down the straw man that is so often erected by those who want to embrace sin as being okay, and it destroys the judgmental position of pride by those who exhibit little humbleness, love or Christlikeness.
May we be those who heed Charles' advice.
May we be those who heed Charles' advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment