This will be a very brief explanation of why I am writing this blog. I hope to give more details eventually. After years of service within churches, theological study, and listening or reading the vast quantities of "Christian" teaching that exists, I have become frustrated. We Christians seem to do two horrible things with the Bible. We put way too much emphasis on the parts that make other people look bad, and we ignore the parts that we don't like. To make matters worse, when we seek a middle ground it is usually in the form of compromise, which makes us look uncomitted and hypocritical. Instead of compromise I have always tried to achieve balance in my teaching and, when shown to be wrong, tried to admit so and grow from the situation. I am hoping that this blog will contain balanced and informative information on the Bible. I will be putting notes from my Sunday messages on here each week (I hope) so that anyone who stumbles on this page will be able to share in what God has been showing me. Because they are only notes there may be some holes in what is written. I don't write out complete sermons to read aloud. I tried once and it was very dry. If something doesn't make sense, please feel free to let me know. If you disagree with my interpretation, please let me know. I am willing to learn. God bless you.
Brett Davis

Friday, October 1, 2010

Luke 6:37-38


Luke Chapter 6 [37]  Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; [38] give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. (English Standard Version)

So often, verse 38 is used as a jumping off point for Prosperity Gospel preachers. When viewed outside of their context these words seem like a blank check to those who will give according to the law of sowing and reaping. I'm certainly not going to say that there is no truth in this approach; however, there is a much deeper truth than simple finances in Jesus' words.



  1. If we choose not to judge or condemn others then we will not be judged or condemned. Jesus promises freedom from retribution on the condition that we grant this freedom to others. It is His place to do the judging not ours. Instead, He told us to, “treat others the way you want to be treated”, “love others the way I have loved you”, “be merciful because I have shown you mercy”. God wants His love to flow into this world through those who trust in Him.


  1. These two verses also serve as a warning against hypocrisy. The Lord says that the measure we use on other people will be used against us. Hmmm. So if I judge someone on their sexual behavior, then I will be judged on mine. Ouch! I don't know many people who could stand up to God's scrutiny in that area. Especially after Jesus explains that, in God's eyes, lust is as bad as adultery. God does not grade on a sliding scale! You sin, or you don't. Period. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). (Sexual behavior is just one example. We can just as easily look at other sinful attitudes and actions.)


  2. We also miss the point that Jesus seems to be focused on future rewards and punishment, not necessarily earthly ones. God's judgement comes to its fullness at the end of time, not here in this world. Certainly, there are blessings attached to those who follow Jesus, but blessings also fall on those who don't follow Him (Matthew 5:45). This world has its ups and downs. We can't claim that every bad thing in our lives is a curse or that every good thing is because we are “good little Christians”. Life is life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. God wants to see how we treat the people in this life. He is interested in whether or not we will emulate our Master or simply claim allegiance while following the world's lead.

If God's Spirit is working in me, leading me, guiding me, then it seems to follow that I would begin to act more like Him as I follow that leading. If Jesus is my Master then I should grow to be more like Him (Luke 6:40). So, what do I do as a Christ-follower? I read God's word to see how Jesus dealt with people. What I notice is that He never condemned a simple sinner. He forgave and healed them. The people He condemned were hypocritical sinners. Those who claimed Godliness while showing none of His attributes in their lives; also those who used religion as a tool for personal profit.

We must learn to see how God sees, so
we can learn to feel how God feels, so
we might learn to love what God loves, which is
mercy towards people and praise towards Him.


***Side Note***

Some Christians would argue that people must be convicted of their sin before they can come to Jesus with any real faith and that the merciful approach is too soft. My answer to that is that God is working in this world today, by His Spirit, through His believers, to bring more people to Him. We are to be a light (Matthew 5:14), a flavor (Matthew 5:13), an aroma (II Corinthians 2:15), and a reflection (I Corinthians 13:12) of God. People should look at Christians and begin to see what God looks like. If they see vengeance and venom in the lives of Christians then there is no desire on their part to meet the one we follow. If, on the other hand, they see mercy and kindness then we are painting a picture of a Christ that the people around us will want to know more about. As they learn more about Him, the Holy Spirit will do the convicting, not us.

Praise God.
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