How God's mercy gives us an example

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"..I did not come to judge the world but to save the world." - John 12:47b

If Christ did not come into the world to judge it, then we should also look to His example as to how we should conduct ourselves towards others. One of the views of the church is it as a hospital and sin, as a sickness. Orthodoxy does not have a purely legalistic view of sin, that it is a thing you do and therefore you are guilty of. This is, of course, true, the actions we make are our own but we are also afflicted by ourselves. Christ said, "If anyone sins, he is a slave to sin (John 8:34)."

Therefore Christ looks upon us with eyes of salvation, not judgment. Perhaps most scandalous, indeed why many cannot come to believe the teachings of Christianity is the idea that no matter what you do, you may always return to God.

"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." - Psalm 139:8

We are called to the impossible task of following the example of Christ. Hear what St. John Chrysostom says: 

"To show that he not only does not give up on us, but does not even leave us unless we will it, hear what He says...'Why, when I called, was there no answer (Isaiah 50:2)? The things He says, showing that we begin the desertion...let us do all so as not to remove ourselves from God, but let us hold fast to the care of our souls and to the love towards each other...the more we see any ill disposed, the more let us be kind to them...(Homily LXVIII on John XII emphasis mine)"

Beloved, do you see how he instructs us to the care of our own souls and then the other as well? Does not Christ say the same thing?

"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 7:3-5

Do you see how tending to our own sins minimizes the sin of our brother? Let us love and be merciful in such a way, remembering the words of St. Moses against judgment. He carried a broken jar filled with sand that poured out as we walked and said, "See how my sins run out behind me, and yet I go to judge another."