Living in Glass Houses

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5

We all know the old saying, “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” The point this statement makes is that we should not criticize the flaws of others when we possess the same or similar flaws ourselves. The Lord said the same thing (though in much more eloquent fashion) in Matthew 7:1-5. Some have taken Christ’s teaching in this passage beyond His intent and have derided those who promote “the obedience of faith” (cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26) that Paul also promoted.

The basic complaint is that while we seek to adhere to the pattern of sound words (2 Timothy 1:13), we have our own problems and failures in our lives. A corollary to this is that all the congregations about which we read in the New Testament were also beset with problems of their own. This is no more vivid than in the church at Corinth. They had doctrinal, moral, ethical, and worship problems within the congregation, but Paul still called them “the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2). From this the enemies of our restoration efforts ask, “Which New Testament church do you want to restore, Corinth”? As to the charge that we fail in many ways, I must plead guilty. As to the conclusion that there is no pattern of sound words to follow, I must call a foul.

This attitude stems from the postmodern view that truth is relative, and no one has a right to claim knowledge that another does not possess. In the postmodern mind, such a claim is the epitome of arrogance. However, it is important to remember that all learning is an exercise in humility. This is so because truth is truth independent of us all. We simply discover truth which removes any reason for our feeling proud about what we know. The fact that some become proud when they obtain knowledge does not mean that all do.

Though we who advocate restoring New Testament Christianity fail in many ways, the pattern to which we point fails in nothing. That it is a biblical principle to teach others the way more perfectly is evident from Priscilla and Aquila’s handling of Apollos in Acts 18:24-28. Apollos taught boldly the things of Christ, but he had a limited understanding of those things. Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. Apollos sincerely taught what he knew, but when his understanding was made complete, he amended his previous teachings to reflect his fuller understanding of truth. He was not willing to deny truth to maintain the status quo, and we stand to learn from his example. 

So, it is true that we must not throw rocks while living in a glass house, but there is no biblical foundation for the position that it matters not what one teaches and practices. Jesus plainly denied this position when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Our failure to properly implement the pattern of sound words will not excuse anyone who decides not to acknowledge there is such a pattern in Scripture. May we all strive together for His will, not our own.

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