We see what we want to see :
In Luke 6:7, we see that the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. Whenever finding fault is the driving motive, we begin to see error everywhere or greatly misinterpret situations just to validate our own point. At times, we may start with a genuine motive to see wrongs corrected, but if we are not careful, this desire can turn into a critical and judgmental mindset, constantly looking for error in an individual or a group of people.
When the Word of God commands us to test all things and hold fast to what is good ( 1 Thessalonians 5:21), the intention is to focus on the good while filtering out the bad. Sadly, the opposite has become true today. Imperceptibly, people have become accustomed to hunt for error rather than looking for the good in others.
For this reason, any person or ministry that focuses primarily on exposing the errors of others must be approached with caution. More often than not, their judgments are excessive, out of context, and lacking grace. If we do not actively guard our hearts, we will catch their critical and judgmental spirit, ultimately clouding our own discernment.
Conversely, the reverse has also been true within the Charismatic movement, where an unhealthy fixation on the inherent goodness of people ( which does not exist) apart from their identity in Christ has caused a blindness to their actual faults.
Dearly beloved, we must maintain a proper biblical balance. While our primary intention should always be to see the good in those who are in Christ, we must also recognize that everyone is prone to error. Therefore, we must bring exposure and correction to situations in a measured, balanced way. When our intent is right, our hearts will always desire to bring God’s redemption to a situation, even when a minister or ministry falls into serious error.
Conversely, if we harbor the wrong intent or focus, we will easily condemn people without God’s heart of redemption, and our application of the Word will, more often than not, be fundamentally flawed.
Not everything that seems questionable is wrong:
When Jesus ate with sinners, it was a highly controversial practice for religious leaders of that time. However, the Pharisees conveniently ignored both His stated righteous motives and the transformative results, choosing instead to focus solely on the controversial act and misapply Scripture to condemn it. Once again, this distortion occurred because they were constantly fishing for error in Jesus.
We see the exact same pattern today, where Scripture is frequently misapplied to target perceived errors.
For instance, a minister once instructed a person seeking deliverance to sow a financial seed as part of her process toward complete freedom. This request was made within the specific context of leading the individual through deep repentance. However, many critics fixated entirely on the financial element, accusing the minister of monetizing human vulnerability. Based on a selective reading of 2 Corinthians 2:17 and 1 Timothy 6:3–5, they attacked her motives and labeled her a false minister.
While we do not have the space here to perform an exegesis of the verses mentioned above, those who accused the minister completely ignored both the specific context of the request and the life-changing fruit that could have possibly followed.
Throughout Scripture, we see that true repentance often required restitution; it was rarely considered complete without it. For instance, Zacchaeus gave away his ill-gotten wealth to the poor and restored fourfold to those he had extorted. In that same light, this individual’s repentance may very well have required her to sow financially into God’s kingdom as a tangible break from having previously sown into the enemy’s kingdom.
However, when a person’s driving motive is simply to catch someone in a fault, this is the inevitable result. In all likelihood, the minister could have instructed the woman to sow into any ministry rather than exclusively her own. Furthermore, the instruction itself lacked precision by focusing primarily on deliverance rather than repentance when asking her to sow. Even so, in this context these errors did not warrant the harsh judgment meted out against the minister.
Granted, the minister did generally encourage everyone to sow financially for deliverance in a different setting—a practice that is indeed a cause for serious concern. So too does the minister’s spiritual connection, which is extremely concerning. We will not elaborate on those specific issue here, however, as our primary focus remains on how Scripture is misapplied when the underlying intent is wrong.
This brings us to another critical truth: we will be judged by the exact same measure we use to judge others. This reality should deeply instill in us the fear of the Lord, reminding us of the vital need to be exceptionally careful with what we say or write about others.
Considering the minister’s case and assuming the intent was right in seeking the woman’s complete deliverance—we must soberly consider the critical condition of those who judged her so harshly before God. In light of the scriptural warning that we will be evaluated by the exact same measure we use, those who accused her stand in a position of severe spiritual liability. It means that even a (seemingly) small error in applying Scripture on their part will place them under the very same eternal condemnation they meted out to the minister. Dearly beloved, this is not a joke; it is a reality that must be considered with the utmost seriousness. Not many of us should be teachers!
In another instance, a minister’s past repentance was scrutinized to the point of being labeled totally false, even though he had led a clean life for many years afterward. Some went to the extreme of completely discrediting him and his entire ministry. If the minister had indeed walked right before God afterward, we must ask ourselves: What would be our fate if God applied that same (merciless) standard to any single act of repentance in our own lives? What if our turning away from sin was imperfect, yet He still chose to forgive us mercifully? Given our human frailty, there is a very high probability that this has been the case for each of us. By condemning this minister, have we not unwittingly signed the warrant for our own condemnation?
Dearly beloved, I do not say this to bring condemnation upon anyone, but rather to highlight our desperate need for the fear of the Lord today. Our God remains rich in mercy toward all who turn to Him and repent in truth.
