To the begining
The sin of condemnation lies in the fact that a person believes that the person he condemns has done or said something not pleasing to God. Something he himself would never do, say, or think.
Where condemnation and censure reign, there is no place for sincere brotherly forgiveness. After all, the goal in re-educating a lost neighbor is not to ridicule and condemn, but to save his soul and direct it to the true path. Saying "don't judge"
, The Savior calls us to renounce condemnation, reproach and slander of our neighbors, although they are sinners. Because the use of criticism alone in the form of condemnation, slander and ridicule cannot achieve the re-education of the sinner.
“If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3)
And the sinner must be re-educated in such a way as to avoid judgment himself. Because according to the law of God's retribution
“With the judgment you judge, you will be judged” (Matthew 7:2)
“Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37)
While prohibiting judgment in the sense of condemnation, reproach and slander, Jesus Christ does not prohibit actions related to understanding the actions of a neighbor and correcting his behavior. But a person can correct other people after he corrects himself. The right not to condemn a neighbor, but to discuss (analyze) his actions with the aim of correcting another person, was granted by the Savior to a person who himself was able to correct himself first of all. This is confirmed by the words of the Savior: “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” That is, when you correct yourself, removing the log of shortcomings from your own eye, then you will see how to correct another person, that is, you will be able to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Along with this, Jesus Christ did not forbid discussing (in the sense of logically analyzing) the actions of a neighbor in order to help him correct his shortcomings and sins.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother” (Matt. 18:15)
However, correcting the shortcomings of your neighbor must be done with love for your neighbor, showing regret instead of gloating, and mercy instead of condemnation. It is this idea that is confirmed, and in this form, the analyzed words of the Savior are understood by Saint Nile of Sinai, who wrote:
“Reason the one who sins, but do not condemn the one who falls, for the latter is the work of the slanderer, but the former is the work of the one who wants to correct.”
It is difficult for us not to cross the line between condemning a person and condemning an action! But it is said: do not judge a person’s personality, do not judge him as the image and likeness of God. The Holy Spirit does not accept it when we arrogate to ourselves the power to judge another harshly . Yes, even if his bad, ugly act is worthy of condemnation, but don’t judge the man himself as a person! He can correct himself tomorrow, follow the path of repentance, become different - this opportunity is not taken away from a person until his last breath. We do not fully know the Providence of God about him, nor how dear he is to God, - after all, Christ shed His blood for everyone, redeemed everyone and condemned no one. So judge for yourself
we simply don't have the right!
The Monk Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain writes: “In addition, when you strictly judge some unkind act of your neighbor, know that some root of this same unkindness is also in your heart, which, due to its passion, teaches you to make guesses about others and condemn them .
“An evil man brings forth evil from the evil treasures of his heart” (Matthew 12:35)
On the contrary, a pure and dispassionate eye dispassionately looks at the deeds of others, and not evilly.
“A pure eye cannot see evil” (Hab. 1:13)
Therefore, when the thought comes to you of condemning another for any mistake, be indignant at yourself, as the doer of such deeds and guilty of the same, and say in your heart: “How am I, damned, being in the same sin and doing even more serious sins, dare I raise my head to see the mistakes of others and condemn them?” By acting in this way, you will turn the weapon with which an evil thought inspires you to hit another, on yourself, and instead of wounding your brother, you will apply a plaster to your own wounds .”
Yes, Christ dispersed the merchants near the temple with a whip, but this is not a condemnation, but a volitional action directed against lawlessness. The Scripture says: “Zeal for Your house consumes me” (John 2:17). Similar examples occur in our lives. When we see that someone’s actions go beyond the spiritual and moral framework, that someone communicates a lot of evil to people, then, of course, we can react, call to order, pull the person back: “What are you doing? Come to your senses! Look what that in itself means.” But such is our nature, distorted by sin, that negative emotions immediately ask to come out in any situation, without any reason: you just look at a person, and you are already measuring him, assessing his external merits - but you have to stop yourself. Judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the same judgment ye judge, so shall ye be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1-2) - these words of the Lord should be a reminder to us at any time, in any place. A lot of sobriety is needed here. And adherence to principles: “No, Lord, You are the One Judge, You are the One Lover of Mankind, You do not want death for anyone and You have not uttered words of condemnation even over the most terrible sinners. Even crucified, You prayed:
“Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.”
Therefore, the Orthodox Church teaches us to pray:
“Lord, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother! "
Holy Scripture about the sin of condemnation
Judge not lest ye be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the mote in your brother's eye, but do not feel the beam in your own eye? Or, as you say to your brother: let me take the speck out of your eye; But is there a beam in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Gospel of Matthew, 7:1-5
Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you: good measure, shaken together, pressed, and running over, will be poured into your bosom; For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you. He also told them a parable: Can a blind man lead a blind man? won't they both fall into the pit? A student is never higher than his teacher; but, having been perfected, everyone will be like his teacher. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? Or, as you can say to your brother: brother! Let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself cannot see the beam in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Gospel of Luke 6:37-42
Who are you, judging another man's slave? Before his Lord he stands or falls. And he will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up.
(Rom. 14:4)
Why are you judging your brother? Or are you also why you humiliate your brother? We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ.
(Rom. 14:10)
Do not curse one another, brethren: whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who can save and destroy; and who are you who judges another?
(James 4:11-12)
So, you are inexcusable, every person who judges another; for by the same judgment with which you judge another, you condemn yourself, because in judging another, you do the same.
(Rom. 2:1)
Therefore, do not judge in any way before the time, until the Lord comes, who will illuminate what is hidden in the darkness and reveal the intentions of the heart, and then everyone will receive praise from God.
(1 Cor. 4:5)
Causes of Judgmentalism
The motive for condemning the actions of another person may have nothing to do with his behavior, and in general, only indirectly relate to the object. Often the opponent is chosen almost by random selection, and the direct reason for the slander lies in the low self-esteem of the judge, who thus decided to compensate for his grievances by belittling the chosen “victim”.
Other reasons for putting someone else’s life on public display may include:
- outdated concepts and values (for example, the unacceptability of couples cohabiting before marriage);
- lack of objectivity and narrow view of various circumstances;
- envy, which pushes to belittle other people's merits;
- a method of manipulating someone else’s opinion (imputing a person’s feelings of guilt or responsibility);
- denial of one's shortcomings through emphasizing and exaggerating the shortcomings of another person.
And finally, a common reason for censure and condemnation is considered to be banal boredom and the lack of other topics for conversation. Basically, the manner of communicating through hidden condemnation (in the form of sympathy) is inherent in the fairer sex.
JUDGMENT AND CONDEMNATION
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724-1783)
“No one should be condemned or judged, and praising is also pointless; for we don’t know what’s hidden in someone’s heart, and we often foolishly call someone evil who is actually good inside, and someone good who is evil inside, and so we become unjust judges.”
Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (1783-1867)
“When you hear a word reproaching and condemning your neighbor, beware lest through your hearing you take part in the sin of another’s tongue.”
Venerable Mark the Ascetic (4th-5th centuries)
“Do not want to hear about the deceits of others, because at the same time the features of those deceits are written in us.”
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian (4th century)
“Do not like to hear about other people’s failures, lest your sin be heard by everyone. One should not trust those who speak evil, because slander often occurs out of envy; but we must better seek the truth. A person who praises his neighbor in his absence is the same as one who collects good things into his treasury.”
Venerable John Climacus (+ 649)
“Never be ashamed of someone who speaks evil of your neighbor in front of you; but it’s better to tell him: “Stop it, brother, I fall into the worst sins every day and how can I condemn him?”
Venerable Isaac the Syrian (7th century)
“If you are not able to stop the mouth of someone who condemns your friend, then at least beware of entering into communication with him.”
Venerable Isaac the Syrian (7th century)
“If a brother slanders his brother in front of you, then do not say: “Yes, exactly like that”; but either be silent or say: “Brother! I myself am a sinner—being among those condemned, I cannot in any way judge another.” This way you will save both yourself and the soul of the one speaking to you from condemnation.”
What to do if someone is condemned in front of us
- First, some general advice: Find friends with whom you can pray, not gossip. The Psalter begins with this advice: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” (Ps. 1:1), the Apostle Paul: “Do not be deceived: evil societies corrupt good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33).
- As for behavior in a specific situation, we should prepare in advance and think about what words and thoughts we will use to distance ourselves from the sin of condemnation. Phrases of this kind that have worked well in practice can be: “well, everyone has their own weaknesses,” “who knows what’s really there,” “it’s a big temptation, I don’t know how I would behave.”
- We can say frankly that we have no desire to discuss other people's shortcomings.
- A good way is to shift the topic to the virtues of the person being condemned. For example, someone says: You heard that she did such and such. - No, I haven’t heard, but I always remember her with gratitude; she helped me (or someone) a lot or she has such and such a good trait.
- You can simply move the conversation to another topic. Preferably in advance; Judging others usually begins with discussing them.
Why you shouldn't judge people for bad deeds
Epistle to the Romans of the Holy Apostle Paul, 2:1
You are inexcusable, every person who judges another, for by the same judgment with which you judge another, you condemn yourself, because, judging another, you do the same.
Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans, 14:4
Who are you, judging another man's slave? Before his Lord he stands or falls. And he will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up.
Russian folk proverbs
Do not look for truth in others if it is not in you. Whoever you laugh at will cry at you.
Venerable Thalassius (7th century)
A mind that has acquired spiritual love does not think anything about its neighbor that is not appropriate for love.
Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow (1783-1867)
It is a dangerous temptation, brothers, to unnecessarily consider the shortcomings and sins of other people and deceive ourselves with the thought that we are not like them. This means deceiving ourselves. By mocking the vices of others, we violate the commandment of love for our neighbors, we offend God, who has mercy on them, we defile our minds with unclean ideas, and we run the risk of being reproaches of innocents and even future saints.
Venerable Macarius the Great (4th century)
Christians should not condemn either an obvious harlot, or sinners, or disorderly people, but simply look with a pure eye.
Saint John Chrysostom (+ 407)
By judging and not tolerating others, you do not allow the Lord to be lenient towards your sins.
Venerable Isaiah the Hermit (+ 370)
Cowardice and reproach of one's neighbor confuse the thought and do not allow it to see the light of God. He who despises the careless destroys repentance in himself.
Venerable John Climacus (+649)
Whatever sins we condemn our neighbor for, physical or mental, we ourselves will fall into; and it cannot be otherwise. To judge means to shamelessly steal the dignity of God; and to condemn means to destroy your soul.
Venerable Dorotheos of Palestine (+ 620)
What do we want from someone else's burden? We have something to take care of, brothers! Let everyone take heed to himself and his sins. God alone possesses the power to justify and condemn, since He knows the spiritual structure of everyone, and the strength, and the way of upbringing, and talents, and physique, and abilities; and according to this He judges everyone, as He Himself alone knows.
Unknown old man, from "Fatherland"
Do not condemn someone who has fallen into fornication if you are pure, because by condemning him, you, like him, are breaking the law. He who said: “Do not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14; Matt. 19:18) also said: “Do not condemn” (Luke 6:37)
Schema-abbot Ioann (Alekseev) (1873-1958)
Condemnation is always erroneous, because we do not know the reasons for the sinner: what prompted him to do it; for we see only our neighbor’s sin, but we do not see his repentance.
Venerable Isaac the Syrian (7th century)
Do not think badly about anyone and do not look at anyone as bad: at another time you will see him differently—the one who now seems bad to you.
What is condemnation in social studies
In a science such as social science, much attention is paid to the concept of social control, which can also be called the regulation of an individual’s position in his group. The public always reacts sensitively to manifestations of deviant (distorted) behavior of individuals. Depending on the area in which a violation of social norms is detected, society, through existing control mechanisms, takes appropriate measures to eliminate factors of failure.
Sociologists call the following forms of manifestation of social control:
- Internal - a person controls his own actions, taking as a model the norms of behavior accepted in his society. In this case, the individual’s conscience is considered an indicator of control.
- External - control is carried out by the public, using such levers of moral or legal condemnation as publicity, reprimand, court decision or complete (partial) isolation of the individual from social life.
It has been proven that the lower a person’s sense of self-control is developed, the more likely it is that he will have to face the harsh influence of public control institutions (court, attention of supervisory authorities, compulsory treatment, etc.).
A reward from God for those who do not judge others
Schema-Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), born 09/08/1919 - one of the most revered Orthodox elders of the mid-20th - early 21st centuries, the spiritual father of three Russian patriarchs - Alexy I, Pimen and Alexy II
And I will also remind you of the story of one monk who led a careless life. I neglected my salvation, my prayer, my fasting. In a word, he lived carelessly. And when he began to die, his brethren surrounded him. And everyone was amazed: he was dying the death of a righteous man, he did not tremble before death. On the contrary, he thanked God and smiled. The brethren, knowing that he led such a careless, such an absent-minded life, turned to him: “Be strengthened by the power of Christ, rise up and tell us why you are dying so easily?” and he, indeed, standing up a little, says: “Yes, brothers, indeed, I lived carelessly, I lived carelessly. And just now an Angel presented all my sins before me. I expected severe punishment, retribution. But the Angel said: “Since you did not condemn anyone and were gentle, then you will not be condemned.” And that’s why I’m leaving, dying such an easy death.” What would we do with the Apostle Peter if we saw him in those moments when he denied Christ three times? And with the Apostle Paul, when he was a fierce persecutor of Christians? What would we have done with the Venerable Mary of Egypt or the Venerable Martyr Eudokia if we had seen them at a time when they were committing bad deeds? Perhaps we would judge them harshly. But their sincere, true repentance and righteous deeds won them forgiveness from the Lord, and they now enjoy themselves in the palace of the Heavenly King. And our neighbors, neighbors, acquaintances, whom we condemn, can’t they become virtuous and righteous?
What it is?
The conviction of most people that they have the right to their opinion in assessing other people’s lives is based on their confidence in their own infallibility, about which Andre Maurois wrote: “Everyone is sure that others are mistaken when they judge him, and that he himself He is not mistaken when he judges others.” The notorious position of “fair retribution” becomes most noticeable when the condemner himself is in great need of open and public confirmation of his “perfection,” and precisely when he least deserves it.
So what is condemnation of a person? Ideally, this would be considered the sincere intention of one object to point out the erroneous action of another in order to correct the model of its behavior. However, in fact, constant and painful dissatisfaction with one’s own person has become so ingrained in human nature that the need to condemn, strike morally, and humiliate has become akin to the need to rise, and has even taken the form of a synonym for this definition. What is condemnation and how does it help the self-realization of an evil-tongued person?
Why do we judge others?
Russian folk proverbs
Your sins behind you, others’ sins before you. Evil Natalya's people are all crooks. He who has bile in his mouth, everything is bitter.
(Matt. 12:35) (Luke 6:45)
A good man brings good things out of a good treasure, and an evil man brings evil things out of an evil treasure. (Matthew 12:35) A good man brings forth good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings forth evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)
Venerable Thalassius (7th century)
He who has evil treasure (Matt. 12:35; Luke 6:45) thinks evil. The mind, driven by love for one’s neighbor, constantly thinks good things about him (see 1 Cor. 13:5); moved by the opposite, he assumes something bad in him.
Venerable Macarius of Optina (1788-1866)
With the purity of our thoughts we can see everyone as holy and good. When we see them as bad, it comes from our dispensation. Let the following be a sign of humility and pride for you: the second one looks at everyone, reproaches and sees blackness in them, while the first one sees only his own badness and does not dare to judge anyone.
Venerable John Climacus (+640)
Quick and strict judges of the sins of their neighbors suffer from this passion because they do not have perfect and constant memory and care for their sins. For if a person saw exactly his evil deeds, without the veil of self-love, then he would no longer care about anything else related to earthly life, thinking that he would not have enough time to mourn himself, even if he lived a hundred years.
Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (+1833)
Why do we condemn our brothers? Because we do not try to know ourselves. He who is busy knowing himself has no time to notice others. Condemn yourself and you will stop judging others.
Venerable John Cassian the Roman (+435)
An obvious sign of a soul that has not yet been cleansed from the filth of vices is when someone does not have a feeling of regret for the misdeeds of others, but pronounces strict judgment on them. For how can such a person have perfection of heart who does not have what, according to the apostle, is the fulfillment of the law? Bear one another's burdens , says Paul, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). He who condemns does not have that virtue of love, which is not provoked, is not conceited, does not think evil, which covers everything, endures everything, endures everything. believes (1 Cor. 13:4-5,7) For the righteous has mercy on his cattle, but the heart of the wicked is unmerciful (Proverbs 12:10).
Venerable Ambrose of Optina (1812-1891)
Some are subjected to the sin of condemnation from habit, others from remembrance, others from envy and hatred, and for the most part we are subjected to this sin from conceit and exaltation; Despite our great incorrigibility and sinfulness, it still seems to us that we are better than many.
Schema-abbot Ioann (Alekseev) (1873-1938)
The property of pride is to see only the good in oneself, and only the bad in others; and the property of humility is to see one’s sins, and good qualities in others.
Venerable Isaiah the Hermit (+370)
He who has a pure heart considers all people to be pure, but he who has a heart defiled by passions does not consider anyone pure, but thinks that everyone is like him.
What are the main causes of vice?
For a successful and fruitful fight against passions, it will undoubtedly be important to find out their cause. In the same way, a physical illness can be finally defeated only by neutralizing its source, and not by reducing the symptoms. What is the main cause of the sin of condemnation? The same thing that made the once highest of all Dennitsa the lowest of all is pride.
A proud and self-confident person lacks self-criticism. He is able to notice only other people's shortcomings, see the speck in his neighbor's eye and not notice the “logs” in his own. And indeed, if everyone could look at themselves impartially, it would become obvious that we are much greater debtors to God than those whom we have condemned.
A very clear example of this from the Gospels is the parable of the unmerciful debtor. The king forgave his slave ten thousand talents, after which this slave immediately demanded from his fellow debtor the much smaller sum of one hundred denarii, without any delay. The king, who learned about this, of course, became angry and ordered his debtor to be imprisoned, that is, he treated him in the same way as he did with his neighbor (Matthew 18:23 - 35). The Gospel story about the forgiveness of an adulterous wife is also consonant with it (John 7:53 - 8:12).
That is why judging others is always based on incorrect self-esteem, on not seeing one’s sins, which is very erroneous, incorrect and requires a lot of work on oneself. In addition, we forget that at any moment the sinner can repent, while we ourselves will certainly be punished for our condemnation. If you condemn your neighbor, then together with him you are condemned for the same thing that you condemn him for,” said St. Seraphim of Sarov. The psychology of the sin of condemnation also shows that we often blame others for what we sin ourselves, without noticing it in ourselves. Or, according to immutable spiritual laws, we soon fall into a similar, only most severe sin, in which we condemned someone.
How to resist judgment?
Epistle to the Romans of the Holy Apostle Paul, 14:12-13)
So, each of us will give an account to God for ourselves. Let us no longer judge each other, but rather judge how not to give your brother any chance of stumbling or temptation.
Russian folk proverbs
Someone else's soul is darkness. Fight with sin, and make peace with the sinner.
Saint Gregory the Theologian (329-389)
Know, judge, that you yourself will be judged, and you will sin less.
Venerable John Climacus (+649)
Whoever wants to defeat the spirit of slander should attribute the guilt not to the sinner, but to the demon who taught him.
Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina (1845-1913)
When you notice other people’s weaknesses and are mentally proud of others, you must respond to the demonic thought: “I am worse than everyone.”
Venerable Anthony the Great (251-355)
With self-reproach, a Christian will see all people as holy angels, and himself as a sinner among sinners, and will plunge, as into an abyss, into constant tenderness.
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian (4th century)
If you see that your brother is sinning, and you meet with him the next morning, then do not recognize him as a sinner in your thoughts: perhaps, when you left him, after his fall, he did something good and appeased the Lord with sighs and bitter tears.
Venerable Nile of Sinai (4th-5th centuries)
Breathe for your sinning neighbor, so that at the same time you can breathe for yourself, because everyone is guilty of sins and subject to punishment. Give reason to the one who sins, but do not condemn the one who falls, for the latter is the work of the slanderer, and the former is the work of the one who wants to correct.
Venerable Ambrose of Optina (1812-1891)
If we want to correct ourselves from the sin of condemnation, then we must in every possible way force ourselves to humility before God and people and ask for God’s help in this. Whenever you judge someone, say to yourself: “Hypocrite! First take the beam out of your eye (Matthew 7:5) The Monk Macarius of Egypt, seeing a man sinning, said to himself: “Even though he sinned, he will be able to repent; and if you sin, you will not be able to repent.” And with this understanding he placed himself lower than the sinner.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) (1807-1867)
The doer of the Gospel commandments has the eyes of his mind constantly fixed on his own sinfulness; by confessing it to God and crying, he takes care of discovering new ulcers and spots in himself. He does not look at the sins of his neighbors. If on some occasion he has to look at the sin of his neighbor, then his glance is the most superficial and fleeting.
Venerable Nicodemus the Holy Mountain (1749-1809)
And then, when your brother’s sin is not secret, but obvious, visible to everyone, you try to see the reason for this not in what the unkind passion of condemnation inspires, but in what a brotherly attitude towards him can indicate. When you are tempted by some unkind deed of your brother, do not let your eyes sleep until you have driven out this temptation from your heart and have completely reconciled with your brother. Moreover, when you strictly judge some unkind act of your neighbor, know that some root of this same unkindness is also in your heart, which, due to its passion, teaches you to make guesses about others and condemn them. “An evil man brings out evil from the evil treasures of his heart” (Matthew 12:35) On the contrary, a pure and dispassionate eye dispassionately looks at the deeds of others, and not with evil. “The eye is pure to see no evil” (Hab. 1:13) Therefore, when the thought comes to you of condemning another for some sin, be indignant at yourself, as the doer of such deeds and guilty of the same, and say it in your heart : “How can I, the damned one, being in the same sin and committing even more serious sins, dare to raise my head to see the mistakes of others and condemn them?” By acting in this way, you will turn the weapon with which an evil thought inspires you to hit another, on yourself, and instead of wounding your brother, you will apply a plaster to your own wounds.
Venerable Dorotheos of Palestine (+620)
I heard about a certain brother that when he came to one of the brethren and saw his cell unswept and unkempt, he said to himself: “Blessed is this brother who has put aside worry about everything, or even about everything earthly, and so the whole He directed his mind upward, and did not find time to put his cell in order.” Also, if he came to another and saw his cell decorated, swept and clean, then again he said to himself: “As the soul of this brother is pure, so is his cell clean.”
Venerable Nectarius of Optina (1853-1928)
The main thing is to beware of judgment from loved ones. Whenever condemnation comes to mind, immediately pay attention: “Lord, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.”
Venerable Nikon of Optina (1888-1931)
Meet everyone, no matter who he is, with a good feeling, with the hope of finding one good thing in him, seeing the image of God before you.
Many often ask the question: “what about the “active life position” , compliance with the Law ?”
Let us remember what the Savior said to the sinner who was condemned in the same way by the scribes and Pharisees:
And I do not condemn you; go and sin no more (John 8:11)
Even the persecutors of Christ did not dare to condemn an obvious sinner after His words:
... whoever is without sin among you, be the first to throw a stone at her! (John 8, 7)
No one threw a stone at the sinner; everyone, both the proud scribes and Pharisees and the simple-minded people , were all forced to admit that they were sinners, everyone withdrew in shame .
Some interpreters believe that these words of Jesus include forgiveness of the sinner for her sin. But such an interpretation is hardly correct. In those cases when Christ forgave sins, he directly said: “Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2); (Mark 2:5); (Luke 5:20); (Luke 7:48) and then he said: “and I do not condemn you”
Non-judgment is not the same as forgiveness. I don’t condemn - that means I don’t subject him to responsibility for sin, but I don’t free him from it either; go and sin no more! And if you really do not sin, then, and only then, will you be finally freed from responsibility for previous sins; only then will they be forgiven. This is, so to speak, a conditional condemnation, which, due to its conditionality, is tantamount to conditional forgiveness. Go and sin no more! Then your previous sins will not be imputed to you either here or at the final Judgment; but if you start sinning again, you will call down punishment on your own head, even for those sins for which you were not condemned at the time, and could have been finally forgiven.
Let us not condemn, reproach, or reproach our neighbor for the sin he has committed. Let us first look at ourselves, at our past, and, probably, we will find there a multitude of all kinds of sins; and then, remembering what was said - “he who is without sin among you, be the first to throw... a stone!” - Let's refrain from judging others. Let's be strict with ourselves and lenient with others. Let us repeat the Lenten prayer more often:
On the danger on the path of transforming passion into virtue
- The first beatitude speaks of the need for humility. In relation to the fight against condemnation, as soon as the first successes appear in the fight against it, the same pride will turn to us the other way and will whisper: what a great fellow you are, how famously you overcame this sin. Pride in general is very resourceful: if we dress well, we are proud of it; if we dress in rags, we are even more proud of our humility. Therefore, we must be careful not to overcome one sin and acquire an even more serious one.
- Abba Dorotheos wrote: In the cenobitic monastery, before I left there, there was one brother whom I never saw embarrassed, or grieving, or angry with anyone, while I noticed that many of the brethren often annoyed him and insulted him. And this young man endured [insults] from each of them as if no one embarrassed him at all. I was always amazed at his extreme gentleness and wanted to know how he acquired this virtue. One day I took him aside and, bowing to him, asked him to tell me what thought he always has in his heart, that when he is insulted or suffers an insult from someone, he shows such long-suffering. He answered me contemptuously, without any embarrassment: “Should I pay attention to their shortcomings or accept [insults] from them as from people? These are barking dogs."
- To avoid spiritual delusion, we should try to consider any of our good deeds as the norm, and not as something outstanding. Good is natural, but evil is not. In addition, any of our good is imperfect, because... has an admixture of vanity, therefore there is no reason for pride.
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“Even if we had not committed any sin, then this sin alone (condemnation) could bring us to hell,” says St. John Chrysostom, - Whoever strictly investigates the misdeeds of others will not receive any leniency towards his own, because God pronounced judgment according not only to the nature of our crimes, but also according to your judgment about others... Let us not judge others strictly, so that we too may not demanded a strict account - we ourselves are burdened with sins that exceed any mercy. Let us have more compassion for those who sin without deserving leniency, so that we can hope for the same mercy for ourselves; although, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to show such love for mankind as we need from the man-loving God. Therefore, is it not foolish, when we ourselves are in such great trouble, to strictly examine the affairs of our fellow men and harm ourselves? Thus, you are not so much making him unworthy of your good deed, as you are making yourself unworthy of God’s love for mankind. Whoever disciplines his fellow man strictly, God will discipline him much more severely.”
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St. Basil the Great “Don’t be a judge of other people’s downfalls. They have a righteous Judge.”
St. John Cassian the Roman: “(A Christian) is subjected to the same offenses and vices for which he would think to condemn others. Therefore, everyone must judge only himself; prudently, carefully observe yourself in everything, and not investigate the life and behavior of others... In addition, it is also dangerous to judge others because we do not know the need or reason why they act in one way or another. Perhaps what we are tempted by is right or excusable before God. And we turn out to be reckless judges and thereby commit a serious sin.”
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk: “Beware of judging your neighbor, since he stands or falls before his Lord, since you yourself are a sinner. And a righteous person should not judge and condemn anyone, much less a sinner - a sinner. And judging people is the work of Christ alone: the Heavenly Father handed over the Judgment to Him, and He will judge the living and the dead - you yourself stand before this Judgment. Beware of stealing the dignity of Christ for yourself - this is very serious - and judging people like you, lest you appear with this vile sin at the Judgment of God and be rightly condemned to eternal execution.”
Rev. Isidore Pelusiot: You need to turn your spiritual eye from considering the mistakes of others to your own and accustom your tongue to speak strictly not about your neighbors, but about yourself, for the fruit of this is justification.
prpmch. Mitrofan Srebryansky: There are no bad people in the world, but there are sick souls, pitiful, prone to sin. We need to pray for them, we need to sympathize with them.
St. Nikolai Serbsky: Just as dirty water cannot whiten a dirty linen, so a sinner cannot cleanse another sinner until he cleanses himself. Therefore the Lord warns: heal yourself! If you want to correct others, correct yourself, and then be jealous of others. This is the law of Christ.
Archimandrite John (Krestyankin): You read a lot, but did not understand the main thing - spiritual life begins with knowing yourself and your weaknesses, and not with judging others. The most destructive sins are temptation and condemnation. So begin with your attention to drive out these two sins from your soul and heart.
priest Alexander Elchaninov: Look at your enemies as if they were suffering from the same disease as you.
NOT. Pestov: We cannot judge our neighbor, because... we don't know him:
- heredity;
- the environment of his life in childhood and youth;
- the character of his parents and educators;
- the knowledge he received;
- the direction of his destiny according to God's providence.
archim. Rafail (Karelin): We must generally avoid saying anything about people, evaluating them, praising or blaming them, because the human heart is a deep sea, and we see only the surface of it.
from memories of archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkina): Condemnation was completely alien to him. If someone came to him with a complaint about a neighbor and began to talk in detail about what had happened and about his offender, the priest would politely stop him, but so as not to offend the speaker, and called on him to pray for the offender. Immediately all the embarrassment dissipated, the resentment subsided. He achieved this by the fact that, while praying, he remained calm internally, impervious to everything bad, alien to his soul, according to the word of Christ’s commandment: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).
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Judge yourself first, learn this art, and then judge your enemy and your neighbor on the globe. First learn to yourself not to forgive a single mistake, and then shout to your enemy that he is an enemy and his sins are serious. Defeat the enemy not in others, but in yourself. And when you succeed in this, You won’t have to play the fool anymore - So you will become a man. Bulat Okudzhava
Condemnation returns like a boomerang
“There is such a law in spiritual life: as soon as you condemn someone, you will certainly fall into the same sin. Before judging others, it is better to know yourself. What are we?”
schema-abbot Savva
The Monk Paisiy Svyatogorets told an impressive and very revealing story.
One day a woman came to the temple where he served for some time. It was said about her that she destroyed many families by seducing men. The monk shouted at her and ordered her to leave the temple.
“Then,” the elder recalls, “something terrible happened to me. For the first time in my life, I felt a carnal temptation of such strength that it resembled burning.”
At some point, the temptations became so strong that the elder plunged a small hatchet into his leg in order to somehow stop the flow of thoughts. Blood sprayed.
“And then,” says the saint, “I thought: now, I have experienced this hell only once in a short time. And this, Lord, unfortunate soul who always lives in hell, how she suffers!”
And immediately after this thought the saint felt that he was freed from passion.
see also: miracles of Paisius the Holy Mountain
A simple story with a moral
So what is condemnation? In conclusion, we may recall an old story, often used in the sermons of moralists, about a certain family who moved to a new house. The woman, who was a wife and mother in this family, was known as a good housewife and did not miss an opportunity to boast of her ability to manage household chores.
And so, the heroine of the story began to notice that the woman from the house opposite every day hangs clothes on drying lines, all speckled with dirty spots. Every time this happened, the evil-tongued wife called her husband to the window and told him that their neighbor was a completely unfit housewife, unlike her, who was so attentive and caring.
This went on for a week, until one morning the gossiper saw the neighbor hanging out the laundry again, only this time it was white, like fresh snow. Surprised, she called her husband again and shared this news with him. What did he answer? That, tired of his wife’s eternal injustice, he simply got up early that day and cleaned the dirty window through which the grumpy housewife looked into the neighbor’s yard.
I would like to sum up today’s topic with the words of William Shakespeare: “You are so eager to judge the sins of others, start with your own and you will not reach others!” If all people, before condemning and making public the shortcomings of their neighbor, first thought about their own shortcomings, there would be much less negativity and reasons for discord in the world.
Fighting Judgment: Learning to Forgive
What kind of fight against condemnation can we talk about if we do not learn to forgive - not only loved ones, but also enemies? Not only those you are ready to forgive now, but also those you are not ready to forgive? To forgive means to love with the love of Christ.
But how can you love a villain? A murderer, a thief, a rapist?
Perhaps the English missionary writer Clive Lewis wrote about this best for modern readers (formally he belonged to the Anglican Church, but according to many, his worldview and understanding of things was absolutely Orthodox).
In his book “Mere Christianity,” in the chapter “Forgiveness,” he wrote that many are not ready to even imagine that they can forgive or love an enemy, because they confuse “forgiveness” with “agreement.” Forgiving does not mean saying that a person is good!
He wrote:
“Every person agrees that forgiveness is a wonderful thing until he himself is faced with the alternative of forgiving or not forgiving, when forgiveness must come from him. We remember how we found ourselves in such a situation during the war years. Usually the very mention of it causes a storm, and not because people consider this virtue too high and difficult. No, it’s just that forgiveness of this kind seems unacceptable to them, they hate the very thought of it...
Now, when I thought about it, I realized that I don’t have much tenderness and love for myself. I don't even always like my own company. So, the words “love your neighbor as yourself” obviously do not mean “feel tender towards him” or “find him attractive”...
Consequently, we can love [and forgive] our enemies, without considering them pleasant people. This is a great relief. Because so many people think that forgiving their enemies means admitting that they are not so bad after all, when in fact everyone knows that they really are bad.”
You can read this book in full, in particular, here.
