Grace Without Compromise

(Video Version)

People in Glass Houses

One of the easiest traps for believers to fall into is the temptation to judge someone else’s spiritual condition based on what we see on the surface. We look at someone’s choices, their lifestyle, their mistakes, and before we even realize it, we’ve decided where they stand with YHWH God. Sometimes we even decide whether they can be saved.

Oftentimes we decide that certain sins are worse than other sins. Usually, the worst sins in our minds are the ones we do not struggle with. Those are the ones we like to hold others accountable for—maybe even condemn them for—such as homosexuality. That’s a hot button in the Church today.

But the same God who said, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22), also said: to obey His commandments, to rest on the seventh day, to not eat swine’s flesh, to show love towards strangers, and to love your neighbour as yourself.

Deuteronomy 4:2 tells us that no one can add to the law or take away from the law. Which means the whole law is still on the books. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God that I command you. 

James tells us that to break one of God’s commandments is to break all of God’s commandments.

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. – James 2:10-11

What that means is that:

• When you fail to rest on Saturday, it is equivalent to committing a homosexual act.
• When you eat swine’s flesh, it is equivalent to committing a homosexual act.
• When you fail to show love to strangers or love your neighbour, it is equivalent to committing a homosexual act.

If you want to convict someone of their sin, start with your own.

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” – John 8:7

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:3-5

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? – James 4:10-12

The fact is, we’re all on our own journey, and no two paths look the same. God is working in ways we cannot see, in hearts we cannot read, and on timelines we cannot predict. It’s never too late for someone to come to Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ). And it’s never our job to decide who is beyond His reach.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares YHWH, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

At the same time, the Bible is clear that sin is real, sin is destructive, and sin is disobedience to the Law of YHWH. We are not called to ignore sin or pretend it doesn’t matter. Instead, we are called to walk in a way that only the Holy Spirit can help us walk: hate the sin, but love the sinner.

We often forget that we don’t see the whole story. We see a moment; YHWH sees a lifetime. We see a person’s present; YHWH sees their potential.

Yeshua warns us not to take the judge’s seat. When we judge someone’s worthiness of salvation, we are stepping into a role that belongs to God alone.

Leviticus 19:17 reminds us, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall certainly reprove your neighbor, and not allow sin on him.” Notice the balance: don’t hate the person, but don’t ignore the sin either.

We can correct believers without condemning. We can speak truth without assuming the role of judge.

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A Time and a Way

Countless people have been turned away from the gospel because of the antics of professing Christians.

There is a proper way and time for giving correction:

• When someone is a believer, use gentle correction following the blueprint laid out by Paul in Galatians 6.
• When someone is a new believer, encouragement is what they need, not criticism. They need to be given time to adjust and learn, as was laid out for us by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.
• When someone is not a believer at all, then criticism will only serve to keep them away from Christ. No one ever became a believer in the Word because a Christian beat them over the head with it. With non-believers the best approach is live by example, show them the love of Christ, and if they ask, we share the gospel.

Each of us is on our own unique journey, through different valleys and over different mountains.

Some people come to Yeshua Messiah early in life. Some come after decades of wandering. Some come in a moment of crisis. Some come quietly, slowly, over years.

We simply don’t know what YHWH is doing behind the scenes. That’s why we must never write someone off. The thief on the cross came to Yeshua in the final moments of his life. If salvation were based on what we see, he would have been the last person anyone expected to enter the Kingdom.

And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:42-43

It’s never too late.

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Hate Evil Not People

Scripture is consistent: God’s people are called to hate evil, not people.

O you who love YHWH, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. – Psalm 97:10

The fear of YHWH is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. – Proverbs 8:13

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. – Romans 12:9

Notice what Scripture never commands: It never tells us to hate the sinner.

Instead, Yeshua says:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. – Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, – Luke 6:27

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. – Romans 12:14

This is not natural. This is supernatural. This is the love of Yeshua Messiah flowing through us.

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Grace Does Not Mean Approval

Loving someone does not mean approving of their sin. Showing grace doesn’t mean lowering YHWH’s standards. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean pretending nothing happened.

Yeshua never compromised truth to show love — and He never withheld love to uphold truth.

Luke 17:3-4 teaches us that if a brother sins, we should rebuke him — but if he repents, we must forgive him, even if it happens seven times in one day. That’s grace. That’s patience. That’s the heart of God.

Jude 22-23 gives us a powerful picture: “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

We can hate the sin while still reaching out to rescue the sinner.

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Remember Who We Are

Before we judge anyone else, we must remember who we are:

• We are sinners saved by grace.
• We are people who fall short daily.
• We are recipients of mercy we did not earn.

Paul describes believers as being treated like “the scum of the world” yet responding with blessing, endurance, and kindness. That is the posture of someone who knows they are nothing without Christ.

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. – 1 Corinthians 4:11-13

When we forget our own need for grace, we become harsh with others. When we remember our own brokenness, we become compassionate.

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Love Covers a Multitude of Sins

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

Love doesn’t erase sin. Love doesn’t excuse sin. Love doesn’t pretend sin isn’t harmful.

But love creates the environment where repentance can happen. Love opens the door for transformation. Love reflects the heart of Yeshua.

So let’s be a people who:

• Hate evil, but love deeply.
• Speak truth, but with gentleness.
• Correct sin, but without condemnation.
• Give grace, because we have received grace.
• Never decide who is “too far gone,” because God never did that to us.

We are all sinners in need of the same Savior, all on different journeys, all held by the same grace. When we choose to love people the way Christ loves us—without condoning sin, but without withholding compassion—we reflect His heart to the world. Let’s step into that calling together, trusting that God can reach anyone, anywhere, at any time.