Define being judgemental...

The past couple of months I've been dealing with a very difficult question regarding an area of daily Christian living that is very controversial. I find myself asking myself the question all the time, "What's the line between being considered judgemental by somebody and sharing the Word of God with that person ?" It has not been an easy journey, I've had to examine so many of the beliefs that I hold very close concerning issues like homosexuality, accountability and a few others. A few months ago I got into a spirited discussion with a couple people that I know about the issue of our beliefs about love, grace and acceptance. As somebody who wholeheartedly believes that the Word of God is completely inspired and infallible and is the primary source of what I believe and why I believe in Jesus Christ, I hold to a personal standard that if somebody believes something, and if it doesn't line up with what the Bible says about that topic(in this situation it was concerning how a Christian receives guidance from the Lord), then that belief isn't right. I realize that by holding that belief set, I've been called a judgemental, fundamentalist Christian who doesn't understand how to treat somebody with love, grace and acceptance. Never mind that the love, grace and acceptance that these people say I lacked in my life was nothing more than glorified tolerance, which, I have come to learn is not just an expectation to respect a differing viewpoint, but that I have to agree with what they believe, even if I don't.

It is that situation that caused me to start a process of soul searching and examining God's Word to learn how I can truly love other people the biblical way, not the way the world wants me to, which is, to me, nothing more than an expectation for me to shut my mouth and not have a differing viewpoint from somebody when we talk about core issues of the Christian faith, namely, is it judgemental for me to speak to somebody from the Bible that they are a sinner and need to repent to receive God's grace ? It hasn't been an easy process, and I am still searching for that tension of living in grace and love while not sacrificing the standards of the Word of God.One of the main points of examination in this process was how somebody tried to use Matthew Chapter 7 vs 1-4 to make me feel guilty for calling out an unbiblical belief. In that passage Jesus talks about the plank in your own eye and how we shouldn't be judgemental towards somebody else because we have our own sin to deal with. It seems to me like alot of people use that verse as a means to stop you from saying something about sin that is clearly present in their life. The tension that I struggle with this issue is this, if, as a believer, I sin on a daily basis, both wilfully and unwittingly, does that mean that I am never allowed to say to someone that what they believe is sinful or unbiblical ? Because that's what it feels like when i come across somebody who tosses that verse out to me when I express what I perceive to be a biblical opinion. Where's the line with being judgemental and speaking from the truth of the Word of God to somebody ?

The other hard part of this issue for me was so many Christians toss out so casually how we should love and accept people for who they are, and that it's judgemental to say to somebody who doesn't know Christ as Lord and Savior that they are a sinner and need God's grace. I know that love and acceptance should be a daily part of the relationships that I have with others, but I'm not willing to be accepting the way the world expects me to accept somebody, which is nothing more than saying that living a sinful lifestyle is perfectly ok and we shouldn't comment on the way somebody chooses to live their life. When did it become an act of judgement and not an act of grace to tell somebody that they are a sinner and need to be saved ? I could go on and on with this issue, but I'm going to stop here. I welcome your comments on this blog.