Some people are very good at digging up dirt on whoever they want to investigate. There is so much bad news out there, one wonders what one should do about such. The question, "How should Christians react to terrible news?" is appropriate here.
Should we say, "They are probably guilty"? Some would say that what goes on in someone’s private life is nobody’s business. Or they may even say, "Well, they all do it."
I want to be fair here. It is easy to make an accusation. It is easy to bring charges against individuals who may or may not be guilty. I know of many who have been falsely charged. And it is so easy to jump to conclusions without the facts.
Please notice the words of Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV). “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
My point is that we often use a double standard. Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (NIV). But He also said for His disciples to “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24 NIV). And the problem is…we usually don't judge correctly.
We should admit we don't always know all the facts. So, we need to use the standard of our Lord. His was not a double standard. Neither should ours be. Christians should be known as a fair-minded people.
Remember, they falsely accused Jesus with fake testimony and they crucified Him!
