Question:
How do I point out the sin of others, knowing that their initial response will be along the lines of 'You sin too, so how can you tell me my sin is wrong when you're not perfect yourself?'
You posed a very good question. And there is a biblical answer.
First, there are several factors to include in developing a biblical answer:
- Jesus said that we are to take the log out of our own eye
before attempting to remove the toothpick from the other person's
eye. (Matt. 7:3)
- Paul taught that if we see our brother caught up in a fault,
we who spiritual are to humbly and gently approach that person,
knowing that we too have a sinful nature. (Gal. 6:1)
- God warns the prophet that if he warns a person and they die
in their sin, then the sinner is held accountable but the one who
warned is okay, but if the person who sees the sin does NOT warn the
sinner and the sinner dies in his sin, then the sinner is still held
accountable, but the his blood is on the hands of the one who was to
give the warning. (Exek. 3:17-21) And under the Law, the Jews were
to warn their neighbor when they saw sin (Lev. 19:17). It was a
matter of national security under the Law Covenant. Tolerated sin
brought curses upon the nation; just as personal sin today curses an
individual life and national sins curse a nation.
- Proverbs states that if we warn a righteous man, he will grow; but a fool will return a rebuke (or possibly worse). (Prov. 9:8; Prov. 13:1)
There is more on this in the Scriptures, but let me put what I have shared together for you:
Basically, when you see someone caught up in a fault (engaging in some obvious sin habit), then it is appropriate to warn that individual. His or her response to your warning is not your responsibility; it is on the shoulders of that person—God holds each one of us accountable for our thoughts, attitudes, motivations, and actions. The spiritually sensitive person will listen to godly advice, but the worldly will just throw it off.
Of course, one person sinning is not an excuse for another to sin. We are all held accountable. But the manner of approach is an important issue when attempting to correct someone. If I am caught up in some sin myself, then why should the other guy listen to me—I appear to that individual like a hypocrite. So I really need to work on my obvious sin habits first. As well, when I approach the other guy, I need to be open to correction myself. So when I hear the response "well, you sin too", my answer is "Yes, and I need to make corrections too. After all, Judgment Day is coming for all of us. And that is why I felt I needed to bring this to your attention. We all need to change."
One missing item here so far has been any reference to the Spirit of God. The New Testament is clear that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. You can pray and believe God to bring conviction and change that person's will for the better. Prayer is a powerful, supernatural tool for the believer. Things change with effective prayer. So when dealing with correction of others, I strongly recommend spending an effective time in prayer before making the correction. God is able to "ready" that person to receive what you have to say. Otherwise, you are limited to working on the level of psychological factors—that is, talking mind-to-mind. The Holy Spirit can accomplish what the flesh cannot—change the heart. So be in prayer for the individual. It may take some time, but effective prayer will accomplish a lot.
Rev. Pat Reynolds
Wayne Parks Ministries/p>