I, like many others, have taken that statement literally and done just that. After talking with hundreds of people who did just as that passage promises, we had all come to different understanding of what the truth is, or so it seemed. Some found the Mormons, some the Baptists, some the Baha'i, some Buddhism, some Catholicism, some atheism, etc. This puzzled me to no end, so I asked for clarity: to each in his own understanding was the reply.
Now, you can accept that people come to the spirit according to their understanding or you can judge everybody who doesn't see things your way, but you run the risk of breaking the law that Jesus laid down, judge not lest ye shall be judged. If you wish people to respect you and your beliefs, then it would only be politie to grant them the repect you desire. Otherwise, you are running afoul of your own beliefs which, I believe, is being hypocritical.
Matthew 7
Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Jesus here is speaking to his disciples - those that follow his teaching. He is speaking to believers who may at times fancy they know more or are better than other believers. He is not speaking to unbelievers. This verse - do not judge - is by no means instruction to withhold or deny the gospel. God has already proclaimed that judgement and his verdict is that we are guilty of sin and are sentenced to eternal damnation.
Nowadays, the popular spiritual movement is to imagine oneself to have obtained the Spirit for oneself. Even beyond that, the current spiritual darkness promotes the elimination of Jesus’ teachings. Scripture is now used to create for themselves a new ‘spirit’, or a new ‘life force’. Such abandon the Word of God and then shout “stop judging me, Jesus said not to judge!”. Moreover, the lost proclaim, “God is love, no one is going to hell”. Do you imagine Jesus would be talking out of both sides of his mouth like this?
Mark 2:17
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 5:22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Matthew 10:34
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
I, like many others, have taken that statement literally and done just that. After talking with hundreds of people who did just as that passage promises, we had all come to different understanding of what the truth is, or so it seemed. Some found the Mormons, some the Baptists, some the Baha'i, some Buddhism, some Catholicism, some atheism, etc. This puzzled me to no end, so I asked for clarity: to each in his own understanding was the reply.
Now, you can accept that people come to the spirit according to their understanding or you can judge everybody who doesn't see things your way, but you run the risk of breaking the law that Jesus laid down, judge not lest ye shall be judged. If you wish people to respect you and your beliefs, then it would only be politie to grant them the repect you desire. Otherwise, you are running afoul of your own beliefs which, I believe, is being hypocritical.
Matthew7:6
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Mark 4:9
Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear
The Parable of the Sower
4*Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2*He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3*“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4*As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5*Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6*But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7*Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8*Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9*Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10*When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11*He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12*so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
****and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13*Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14*The farmer sows the word. 15*Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16*Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17*But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18*Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19*but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20*Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
May we not trample the Good News of our Lord underfoot. May we not invent gods for ourselves. May we not imagine our experiences, thoughts, or beliefs are higher than the wisdom and righteousness of the One and Only Living God.