Our Loving Son Rajan,

It was so good to have you with us for a short duration of just four days. We were delighted to note all the progress that was apparent in your life. However, you must be careful to avoid your new tendency to be critical of others. The habit of criticising is quite common among mankind, and it is an expression of man’s basic insecurity. People seem to get a great relief when they have established that others are great sinners or wrongdoers.

Every human seems to think that he can vindicate himself by laying down stern and inflexible standard for others, while at the same time he himself is violating even the most accommodative guidelines. It is strange how people can feel themselves to be innocent after they are able to tarnish the character of another person.

There is no person on earth who is perfect. Except for the Lord Jesus (when He was on the earth) no one will ever be able to live a perfect life. Even Saint Paul who was the greatest of the apostles says that he was not able to do what he wanted to do; on the contrary he found himself doing things which he hated to do. When the Scriptures make it very clear that every person is fallible, it is idiotic to base our own goodness on the shortcomings of others. In this process we are betraying a far more degenerate behaviour than what we are trying to condemn.

Sins of the tongue have been condemned in the harshest words in the Word of God. We are told in very clear words that we should not criticise. If we fail to maintain our balance in this matter, the measure with which we condemn our brother will be the same measure which will be used against us. In other words, if we magnify their shortcomings, our own shortcomings will be judged by the Lord on the same level of magnification.

It is typical of mankind that people find it very easy to spot the tiny speck in the eyes of their brothers while the huge log in their own eyes remains unseen by them. Lord Jesus put it quite interestingly when he said that “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Once we recognise our own short-comings, we will be able to see the minor faults of our brethren in its proper proportion. This will really help us to deal properly and in Christian love with our brother, if such a human intervention is really necessary.

Once a person fully recognises his own shortcomings and its implications, he will find it easier to understand that others do not need his correction and instruction. He will become more patient towards others, and will realise further that most of the things which he did not like in others do not need his human intervention. This realisation, put together with the headship of the Lord Jesus will help us to understand Romans 14:4 which says, “Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another? It is before his own Master that he stands or falls.” If a person is accountable to the Lord, then we had better not try to replace the Lord in judgement. Also, the same verse goes on to say that the Master is able to uphold our brother so that he may stand without falling down. Continued criticism instead of prayer for those people betrays our attitude (conscious or unconscious) that the Master is not able to uphold them from falling. Whoever in his right mind can dare to doubt the Master’s ability?

The more we grow on towards spiritual maturity, the more we will understand that he who has been forgiven much should learn to forgive lesser things. We will understand that none of us is a doctor. We are all patients and invalids due to the Sin Nature inherited from Adam. The best we can do is to support a person who is more an invalid than us. Having gone through the same ordeal in the past, the person offering the support and understanding can do much to uplift others who are invalids at this moment. The Lord does not want us to increase each other’s distress, but to help and support each other towards better health.

This implies that he who indulges in criticism is making a public announcement of his spiritual immaturity. Once a person starts growing into the likeness of the Lord Jesus, he will start developing the same mentality as his Master has. Since the Lord Jesus died for all the sins and shortcomings of all the people of the world, we will learn to forgive these whom the lord has forgiven. Once we fully grasp that we are accepted and forgiven by God through the work of Lord Jesus, we will be set free from the need to frantically defend ourselves and condemn others.

All of what I have said relates only to criticism or judgement of others meant for condemning them. This is sinful. But there are certain areas where we have to make a judgement as to the value of a behaviour or the conduct of another person. For example, we must judge all our personal activities and also whether the way in which we move with others are right. Also, a teacher has to evaluate his students, a coach has to correct his team members, and a judge has to pass a verdict on the accused. All of these judgements are allowed, and they are different from criticism that we have been discussing. The Lord himself has established these systems of authority for the proper functioning of the human society. No society can function without authority, and authority involves what is known as “forensic judgement.” We will discuss these matters some other time.

May the Lord help you to grow much more. May He help you to overcome the habit of criticism that you have shown recently.

God bless you, son.

Your’s loving

DADDY & MUMMY.

TOM & ANN