Main news for 12 July 2017

Paul's words that the one that judges others, has nothing to defend himself (it is in particular like that can be translated literally this Greek word, which in the translation King James Version is transmitted as "inexcusable"), remind the words of the Savior about the Judgment, that each will be judged in the same way he judges the neighbor. But the apostle accentuates here one concrete aspect of the problem connected to the fact that only the one who does not commit what the defendant is charged has the morale right to judge others. At first sight, there is nothing here which could prevent the judgment and the condemnation. Indeed, not all people on earth are thieves, murderers, debauchees or blasphemers.

But Paul, as we see, has another Christian vision on righteousness, which is required from the man, pretending for the Kingdom (and every Christian pretends to it by definition) complete freedom from sin. Of course, according to the not transformed world such kind of request loses any sense. In practice it would end simply in the impunity justified by the principle emitted by Dostoevsky in the mouth of one of his heroes, saying that "everyone is guilty before everyone". That sounds good, but in practice "everyone before everyone" usually means "nobody owes anything before any body". The world not transformed admits the evaluation not of man, but only his concrete act, and asks in particular for such evaluation, an evaluation of a concrete sin or crime committed by man. But the Torah supposes all the same that such an evaluation is given by the righteous man.

And for Paul righteousness is in particular the freedom from sin, because he speaks about the Kingdom, and not about the not transformed world. And nobody of those who seek for the Kingdom cannot boast of such a freedom, because seek for it fallen people. And if we evaluate man and his works from the point of view of the Kingdom, from the point of view that who and to what extent is ready to enter there, it will simply not remain those worthy. Except, of course the Christ Himself, Who came, however, not to judge, but to save. That is why the apostle says that should not judge others the one who commits the same sin of which he condemns. In the Kingdom can judge only the one who has no sin. For others it is better to be more modest. And do not think about the sins of others, but about one’s own salvation.