Twitchy Finger
I once had a conversation with a non-believer, where, trying to understand his perspective, I asked about his main objection to Christianity. In response, he said, “Because Christians have Twitchy Finger.” Asking what he meant, he said, “Every Christian I have met has a twitchy finger, which stands poised ready to point it at someone in judgment. It’s like a reflex, where you can’t even help yourselves.” I have thought about that conversation from time to time. Certainly, in one sense, this person’s impression is an inaccurate over-generalization. However, in another sense, I found his comment helpful in that there are probably many people who harbor some version of this impression regarding Christians. We all remember the Church Lady character from Saturday Night Live. The issue actually requires some careful consideration because, as Christians, we are called to recognize sin, but we are also admonished not to judge others (Matthew 7:1-2). How can we do both? Aren’t we judging others when we see they are sinning? How can we, as Christians, recognize sin in others without judging them?
Let’s start with this: The Bible delineates sin. Scripture clearly defines sin and calls Christians to recognize it. Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Recognizing sin is our way of aligning our understanding with God’s revealed Word. Along those lines, Christians are called to hold one another accountable in love. For example, Matthew 18:15-17 outlines a process for addressing sin among believers, demonstrating that confronting sin is a part of discipleship and church discipline. Again, sin exists, and as a family in Christ, the Bible provides a method to address sin within the Church.
Now, let’s consider the Golden Rule, which is the admonition to treat others as we would want to be treated. As believers, we know that we are sinners and yet seek a relationship with the Father. We want God to know us. In our interaction with others, we want to be known and understood. It is rare that someone will knowingly cause harm to someone else. So often, when someone feels we have wronged them, we ourselves, internally, justify our actions. We want others to understand our explanation and perspective. If we seek this from others, and from God himself, then we must first offer it. In this sense, applying the Golden Rule when confronting sin calls us to try to understand the other’s perspective: That, no matter how objectionable we find someone’s actions, and even if those actions have hurt us, before judging, we should first seek to understand why. Seeking to understand the why does not in any way mean condoning the act. The act is wrong. Seeking to understand the why also does not mean that we forfeit our ability to protect ourselves from those whose actions would hurt us.
The key point is to recognize the difference between judgment and discernment. The command not to judge does not prohibit recognizing or addressing sin but warns against a spirit of self-righteousness and condemnation. Judging, which Christ spoke against, refers to arrogantly placing oneself in the position of God, who alone has the ultimate authority to judge hearts and motives (James 4:12). Jesus specifically warns against hypocritical judgment, where one critiques others while ignoring one’s own sin (Matthew 7:3-5).
In recognizing sin, we must treat others as we would want to be treated. This involves trying to understand others’ motives and intentions, even when they hurt us, because we would hope others would do the same for us. The purpose of addressing sin is not to shame or reject others but to restore them to fellowship with God and the community (Galatians 6:1).
While, for these reasons, we should seek to understand the motives of others, only God can judge their hearts, intentions, and eternal destiny (1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 14:4). Human judgment is inherently limited and should not attempt to assume God’s authority or jurisdiction. The act of recognizing sin focuses on behavior that violates God’s law. Judging a person as sinful, in the ultimate sense, implies a pronouncement on their standing before God, which is beyond human authority.
As Christians, we know that all people, including us, are sinners in need of grace (Romans 3:23). This levels the playing field and reminds us of our singular common humanity, underscoring the humility required when addressing sin. On some level, we are all living country music songs, bumbling and stumbling through life.
Christ is our example in navigating the juxtaposition between recognizing sin without judging. In my conversation with the unbeliever, I pointed him to the story of the adulterous woman found in John 8:1-11. There, Jesus said to the adulterous woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Jesus recognized the sin; her actions were wrong. Adultery is wrong – badly wrong. There was no condoning or justification of her behavior. But Jesus used the episode to teach that the blood lust and hypocrisy of the crowd was just as wrong; that to judge others in the ultimate sense you must first earn the right, and no one ever earns that right. We are all condemned – all – only grace saves us. There is no twitchy finger in that approach; only God’s love, where we seek to see glimpses of God’s Kingdom, and God’s will done on earth as it is in Heaven.
In Christ,
Mort Taylor