Commentaries:
God's Word expands on this principle—that we are judged as we judge others—in other places. Thus, He says to be very careful in judgment when imputing motives to people whose hearts we are not able to read. We can say things about them that God knows not to be true. When we do so, we are judging them on the basis of our "insight."
Jesus also tells us in the Lord's prayer that we will be forgiven as we forgive. So we can see another principle here, that faithfulness and loyalty are a two-way street.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Why Three Kings Are Missing From Matthew 1
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These men of Judah had made the covenant with Him, and this is important for understanding that reciprocity exists in our relationship with God. He begins by drawing near to us, and He expects a similar response from us.
We do not come near to Him in one giant leap. As it is in almost all human relationships, love develops gradually. Some feel that they fall in love with one glance across a crowded room, but what really happens is that the two mistake lust or passion for love. A love relationship exists when two people really know one another; they see all the warts and character imperfections and are still willing to submit to and serve each other in a warm and generous willingness.
God is perfect in His character, and the projection of His personality is also perfect in every way. We are the problem in this relationship; we are the ones with all the warts and blemishes. These faults are in our thinking, our attitudes, and our character. The reason we draw near to God is to have our wrong thinking and attitudes removed, changed. That is what the relationship is all about, so that we can be like God. He is perfect and mature, and He wants to bring us to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Then a marriage can take place.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part 7)
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