5. You refuse to receive criticism.
Why do you hate criticism? Isn’t it because you hate to admit that you have faults?
But if you understand the gospel, that shouldn’t surprise you. So when others point out your depravity, you should be able to say, “Well, of course. In fact, I could tell you a thing or two you didn’t notice!”
6. You refuse to correct someone’s position.
Irony alert. As a Christian, when you refuse to correct someone, it’s for one of two reasons: (1) You don’t believe that the Bible is true, or (2) You don’t think the other person can actually change.
But by assuming the other person won’t change and won’t listen, you’re judging and condemning them from the start. You’re consigning them to their sin without ever giving them the chance to receive grace.
Which leads me to the last one …
7. You write someone off as hopeless.
Listen, we serve a Savior who raises the dead. It shouldn’t phase use if we think someone is hopeless. We are just as hopeless.
But if we keep our mouths shut because we think someone is beyond hope—or worse, if we’re just afraid of an awkward interaction—then we’re saying that we would rather our friends suffer the full consequences of their sins than speak up.
Where would you be if not for the courage of others to speak difficult truths into your life?
There is a balance here between grace and truth. So don’t judge others by withholding the truth. But don’t judge them by speaking the truth without grace. Instead, give them the grace and truth of the gospel.
Truth without grace is judgmental fundamentalism; grace without truth is liberal sentimentality.
The gospel combines both.
