No judging allowed

Irenaeus a disciple of Polycarp, said to be a disciple of John the Evangelist, wrote in, Against Heresies, ‘These (the Gospels) have all declared to us that there is one God, Creator of Heaven and Earth as named in the Law and the Prophets; the one Christ and Son of God. If any do not agree to these truths, he despises the companions of the Lord, nay more, he despises Christ Himself the Lord, yes he despises the Father also and stands self condemned, resisting his own salvation as is the case of all heretics.’ In Irenaeus's day, Gnostics, especially Valentinus, challenged the doctrines held by the Church. Irenaeus believed Christ was the Head of His Church that He had purchased by His Blood. A people He had called out of the darkness of ‘untruth’ and ‘sin’. He believed that sin was real and dangerous and God through Jesus His Son had provided a better way. Today that same old challenge appears. Or at least a very similar one. There are some who make light of sin. Some who cast derision on those who have faith in Jesus as the only Divine Savior of man kind, as intolerant fools. They seem to desire a place of preeminence in a culture that resists even the word sin, perhaps sees no sin at all save the sin of intolerance. But aren’t all men of sorts, judges? We judge right from wrong with every decision or turn we make. Even the post modernist judges those who are absolutists as intolerant, perhaps even evil by some new and less offensive name. But is a lie still a lie? The Nazi’s of the previous century as well as countless other ‘isms’ have shown that religion isn’t the only reason man fights his wars or harms others. Perhaps there is something real to repent of. Perhaps Jesus is actually the Savior of sinful men truly deserving judgment. Perhaps He will save even those who as yet think they have nothing to repent of except perhaps that old nasty error, intolerance.