John 7:24 English Standard Version (ESV) Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

I have always seen things in black and white. That is just part of who I am as a natural born, born in the flesh. When I became born again, that part of my natural born personality became enhanced and reinforce by the Holy Spirit.

Being born to know what is right does not make us able to do right. Being able to do right comes from righteousness which is not a natural born trait. It is however part and parcel to being born in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who is the third person of God, He is Holy and Righteous. He is the source of right judgment.

What is lacking in natural born judgment is how righteousness approaches truth. He sees beyond the obvious. In the natural born we see nothing but violations in our black and white world. There is no mercy or grace that emanates from a world that is either black or white, right or wrong.

Matthew 9:13 English Standard Version (ESV) Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Seeing who needs salvation does not teach you how to bring them salvation. Jesus did that by living God’s perfect love as the example. We did not walk in righteousness just because we knew right from wrong. Paul addressed those difficult issues in Romans 7. He finished that chapter by acknowledging Jesus Christ as being the answer to the problem.

In the very next chapter Paul begins with therefor there is no condemnation. Knowing the truth in black and white does not give us the right to condemn. We cannot walk by faith without Christ nor can we exercise right judgment without Him who is righteous.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 English Standard Version (ESV) So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Sometimes it is difficult to grasp just how much God loves us. We believe that Christ died to save us from our sins, that was two thousand years ago. We might have just come to the realization of that love in the past few years but the concept of love and all that loves does is in the present. If it were not our faith would fade and we would return to our beggarly ways.

What allows us to feel the love of God? It is the fellowship in the saints which has the most obvious and relevant impact of love. So much of Paul’s epistles lays out the conduct of the church age related in how we treat one another.

John 13:34-35 English Standard Version

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If the abiding love of Christ is not present in the body of believers that surround us, then something is desperately wrong. The definition of abiding love is selfless. We have to love one another or our faith is not in Christ. It is no longer a commandment, it is who we are in life.

Finding our place in a large family seems difficult in the natural. In God’s family we are to be met with open arms, embraced and made to feel like a valued part of the family of God.