Sometimes Scripture confuses me. We are told not to judge, but also told to avoid the wicked, the sinner, the insolent. Labeling someone wicked, sinful or insolent sounds rather “judgy” to me. Since I know dishonesty is destructive of community, I am likely to get judgy with someone I think is lying. Yet I know that a person who lies is never just a liar. Our faith tradition insists there is more to any person than any defect of character that person may exhibit.
While I believe a person’s worth is greater than my perception of that person, I still have to live and work in the world my perceptions give me. If a person is given to lying, I know he or she is not trustworthy. I don’t believe Scripture is asking me to overlook that person’s actions. Yet I also believe I must never loose sight of the fact that my perceptions are just that - perceptions. In order to discern wisely how to respond in a situation where I believe someone is not being truthful, I want to remain aware of the limitations in my ways of knowing.
Jon Stotts helped me work through this muddle in my mind by noting the distinction between “judgment calls and being judgmental.” He went on to explain “the difference is between judging the quality of someone's action and judging the quality of the person making it.” I get confused when I conflate a person’s action with the person. I am always called to remember the words of Bryan Stevenson, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”
Here is what I hear Scripture saying to me now: Honesty is essential for any community to function. People can be dishonest for you live in an imperfect world where there are a lot of sinful people - including you. You will have to make judgment calls but do so cautiously, knowing that your perceptions are imperfect. And always, always remember that any person who lies is more than a liar - he or she is God’s beloved child. Oh, and by the way, be honest yourself - and delight in the law of the Lord!