JUDGE-LESS CORRECTION

Jesus commanded that "repentance and remission of sins" be preached "in His name" (Luke 24:47). The gospel message is to make this appeal to all in need of both. Therefore, the message of the gospel is God's power to save (Romans 1:16-17).

God purposed for this message to be taught, so that those in sin, may learn of their danger; learn of how they became captive by Satan, to do his will; and to learn how to escape his hold over their lives. 

All this "learning" " explains how and why a person needs to "repent"; as well as why "remission of sins" cannot occur without "repentance" from sin.

In repenting of sin, and receiving remission, one is said to "call upon the name of the Lord" (Romans 10:13).

This message of salvation (i.e. the gospel - Rom. 1:16), is to be taught; explaining "how" and "why" repentance is related to remission. It is the TRUTH about remission: one must repent before his sin will be remitted! Any preaching that would teach that remission apart from repentance is deception.

In being a "taught" message, the gospel must have a "proclaimer" ~ a preacher (Rom. 10:13-16). In being taught, the proclaimer must understand that there is to be a response called "obedience" to the message of TRUTH (1 Peter 1:22). His salvation from sin is known as having his soul "purified". This is the same as "remission". The soul cannot be purified apart from repentance.

The apostle Paul described this process to Timothy as follows:

"A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, SO THAT THEY MAY KNOW THE TRUTH, and...come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." ~ 2 Timothy 2:24-26

It is "those who are in opposition" who are in need of repentance...who need to "know the truth"...to "come to their senses". So they must be taught...and corrected of opposing that which they ought to accept.

Yet those who need to be taught, and who are in need of correction, often struggle with their deception of remission without having to repent from their sinful living.

Satan is shrewd at this point, for one is on the verge of leaving him for Jesus. So what has Satan done about this? He has cleverly used a perversion of scripture to keep one deceived. His pet passage for deception at this time, is Matthew 7:1. It is Jesus' teaching on passing judgment.

The one in need of correction, who doesn't want to face the TRUTH that he must repent BEFORE receiving remission quotes Matt. 7:1 as some sort of "defense" when corrected him in regard of his need to repent. One of the purposes of scripture is that of "correction" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Now, if some one can solve this dilemma of teaching and correcting, WITHOUT EVER PASSING JUDGMENT, he will have eliminated the barrier that prevents the sinner from being saved without repentance..."judge-less" correction!

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