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Lay Down the Gavel (Matthew 7:1-5) · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome to Reformed thinking. This is the deep dive.
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  Today we're going to really get into one of Jesus most well
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  known commands. You hear it quoted all the time,
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  but maybe it's one of the least understood.
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  I'm talking about Judge. Not right there at the start of
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  Matthew Chapter 7 in the Sermon on the Mount.
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  Yeah, it's a phrase. It's definitely been and so
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  taken out of context quite a bit, often used to just shut
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  down any kind of moral discussion.
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  But Jesus isn't doing that. He's not saying anything goes,
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  not promoting moral apathy at all.
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  He's doing something much more specific, really purifying how
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  believers should relate to each other, how we handle sin and
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  correction within the community. OK, so how are we going to
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  approach this? What's the plan for this deep
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  dive? Well, I think we can break it
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  down into three main movements we see in these verses, Matthew
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  7.1 to 5. First, we need to figure out
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  exactly what kind of judging Jesus is forbidding here.
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  It's a specific kind of condemnation.
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  Second, there's this really sobering principle He lays down
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  the measure for measure idea. We need to unpack that and 3rd
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  the practical steps he gives the whole log and spec thing which
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  shows us the right sequence for actually helping someone else.
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  Right. So the goal isn't just to
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  understand judge not but to figure out how to practice well,
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  a kind of humble, helpful discernment how to be, as you
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  put it before we started Co repenters, not prosecutors.
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  Exactly. It's about restoration among
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  fellow redeemed sinners. OK, let's start right at verse
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  one then. Judge not.
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  You mentioned the Greek mokrinet.
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  What's significant about that particular phrasing?
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  Well, the grammar there, it's a present imperative prohibition
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  That usually means stop an action already in progress or
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  don't make a habit of doing this.
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  So it's not like never, ever make an evaluation.
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  It's more like stop being judgmental or don't be the kind
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  of person who constantly tears others down with harsh judgment.
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  It's about a pattern, a disposition.
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  A pattern of behavior. So the word judge Krennan, it
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  can mean different things, right?
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  It's not always negative. Oh absolutely.
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  It has a wide range. It can mean to evaluate, to
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  discern, like judging prophecies or even judicial sentencing.
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  But here, given the context, especially with blog and spec
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  image coming up, Jesus is clearly targeting something
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  specific, what we could call censorious condemnation.
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  It's judgement laced with pride and harshness.
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  Censorious condemnation? OK, let's define that more
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  clearly. How does it differ from, say,
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  the necessary evaluation we have to do in church life, like
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  assessing potential elders or discerning false teaching?
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  That's the key distinction. Censorious condemnation
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  fundamentally comes from a place of, well, spiritual arrogance.
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  It's trying to sit in God's seat, isn't it?
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  It's usurping his authority. You basically appoint yourself
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  as the ultimate standard, the jury and often the executioner
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  of someone's reputation. And usually it happens without
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  all the facts, maybe even without talking to the person.
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  You mentioned this idea of the inner courtroom.
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  I think we can all relate to that, that little trial we run
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  in our. Heads, right?
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  That's exactly it. It's this private, prideful
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  habit. You run these swift trials, you
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  know, no real evidence needed, no witnesses, definitely no
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  cross examination. You just deliver the verdict in
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  your heart. That's the judging Jesus forbids
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  here. OK, So what are some concrete
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  examples? How does this inner judge
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  actually manifest in ways that cross the line into forbidden
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  condemnation? Well.
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  One of the big ones, and maybe the most common, is imputing
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  motives. We just assume we know why
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  someone did something, usually attributing the worst possible
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  reason. Like someone misses a meeting
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  and condemnation immediately jumps to they're irresponsible
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  or they don't care, or they're lazy.
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  Instead of just observing, they miss the meeting and maybe
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  finding out why. Precisely.
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  Evaluation deals with the observable facts.
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  Condemnation claims insight into the heart.
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  And Paul explicitly warns against this, doesn't he?
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  And in First Corinthians 4, he says don't pronounce judgement
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  before the time because the Lord alone knows the secrets of the
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  heart, the motives Claiming to know why is basically claiming
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  omniscience. That's a.
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  Huge overstep. We're so quick to analyze the
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  why, when maybe we should stick to the what.
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  Exactly. And a second related action is
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  always choosing the harshest interpretation when someone's
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  actions are ambiguous. It's the opposite of what some
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  call a charity First hermeneutic.
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  You know, given the benefit of the doubt.
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  Think about it. Someone doesn't say hello.
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  Condemnation says they're snubbing me, They're arrogant.
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  Charity says maybe they didn't see me or maybe they're having a
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  really bad day. Condemnation defaults to the
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  negative suspicion. And that's especially easy to do
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  online, isn't it? With text messages or emails,
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  tone is completely lost. Ambiguity is everywhere.
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  Oh, definitely. The digital world can be a
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  breeding ground for this kind of harsh reading.
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  And the third thing is the spirit behind it.
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  Condemnation often delights in exposing a fault rather than
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  covering it. It rushes to judgement.
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  It's harsh, it's partial. All things forbidden by the 9th
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  Commandment spirit. It takes someone's private
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  stumble and wants to make it public.
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  Maybe joining in an online pile on?
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  Turning failure into spectacle. Yeah, evaluation, even when it
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  has to be firm, aims to cover glad, cast the failure, maximize
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  the shame, maybe even ruin the person.
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  OK, but. Let me push back a little here.
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  We don't want to swing the pendulum so far that we become
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  passive, right? If we just stop all judging,
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  don't we risk enabling sin or failing to protect the
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  vulnerable? Doesn't the church sometimes
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  need to make judgments? That's a critical point, and it
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  shows why understanding the kind of judgment is so important.
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  Jesus isn't throwing out all discernment.
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  He's not dissolving the authority structures God put in
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  place, parents, elders, even civil magistrates.
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  Scripture commands us elsewhere to test spirits, to hold fast to
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  what is good, to identify false teachers.
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  Jesus himself tells people later in John 7 do not judge by
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  appearances, but judge with right judgment.
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  So he does endorse right judgment.
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  The key, then, is the spirit, the motive, the aim behind it.
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  Exactly. That's the fundamental
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  difference. Evaluation, the right kind of
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  judgment, is done with humility. It's careful, it looks for
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  evidence, it's patient, it's open to being corrected itself,
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  and its ultimate goal is the other person's restoration.
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  They're good. It names sin is sin, but it
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  still sees the person is someone needing help, a brother or
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  sister. Condemnation, on the other hand,
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  starts from pride. It's hasty, relying on
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  suspicion. It ignores context or evidence
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  that doesn't fit its narrative. And its aim, consciously or
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  unconsciously, is often to elevate the self by tearing the
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  other person down to sort of finish them off reputationally.
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  Evaluation names the act the sin.
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  Condemnation basically writes off the person.
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  That's a great way to put it. It usurps God's role as the
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  final judge of persons. All right, this next verse,
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  verse two really raises the stakes.
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  Jesus doesn't just say don't do this, He gives a reason, a
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  principle behind it. He says.
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  For with the judgement you pronounce, you will be judged,
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  and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
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  What's going on here? Yeah, this is huge.
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  He grounds the command and what you could call a universal moral
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  law of reciprocity. It's woven into the fabric of
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  God's creation. Essentially, the standard you
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  consistently apply to others will, by God's own design,
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  boomerang back onto you. And this works in sort of 2
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  dimensions, vertically before God and horizontally in your
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  relationships. OK.
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  Let's take the vertical first. With the judgement you
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  pronounce, you will be judged. How does our judging others
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  affect God's judgement of us? Is this about earning salvation?
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  No, definitely not about earning salvation.
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  That's by grace through faith alone.
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  But this is about accountability, especially for
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  the believer who claims to know God's grace.
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  It's a serious warning about all the final judgement, or perhaps
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  God's disciplinary judgement in this life, if your whole way of
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  relating to others is marked by harsh, unforgiving, nitpicking
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  condemnation. Jesus says that same critical
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  spirit, that same standard, becomes the lens through which
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  God examines your life. It speaks particularly to
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  hypocrisy. James puts it starkly, doesn't
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  he? James 2.13 Judgment is without
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  mercy to one who has shown no mercy.
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  If you consistently show no mercy, you shouldn't expect
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  mercy and judgement. That immediately brings to mind
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  the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18.
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  The guy forgiven this massive unpayable debt and goes out and
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  throttles his fellow servant over pocket change and the
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  master finds out and judges him by the standard he used.
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  That parable is a perfect illustration of this principle.
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  The servant received incredible mercy, but because he refused to
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  measure out even a fraction of that mercy to someone else, he
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  faced judgement based on his own merciless standard.
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  It shows that an unforgiving condemnatory spirit reveals a
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  heart that hasn't truly grasped or been changed by the gospel
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  grace it claims to have received, and that invites God's
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  scrutiny. It doesn't mean you lose your
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  salvation, perhaps, but it means facing the consequences of your
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  own harsh standards. OK, that's the vertical
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  dimension, how God responds to our standard.
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  What about the horizontal? With the measure you use, it
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  will be measured to you. How does that play out in our
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  actual communities? This is about the social
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  dynamics, the relational fallout.
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  Think about any group, a family, a church, a workplace.
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  If the culture is dominated by suspicion, by people always
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  assuming the worst, always looking for faults, what's the
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  result? People play them up.
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  They hide their struggles. Relationships become brittle.
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  Superficial trust evaporates. Concession feels dangerous, so
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  nobody does it. Right.
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  You create the very environment you claim to be judging.
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  If I remember everyone with suspicion, they'll act
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  suspiciously toward me, or at least hide things, which then
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  seems to confirm my suspicion. It's a vicious cycle.
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  It is a self fulfilling prophecy like you said, but the opposite
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  is also true. If a community consistently
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  chooses to measure with, let's say, truthful but patient mercy,
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  acknowledging sin but aiming for restoration, what happens?
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  You tend to get more openness, more confession, real healing,
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  and much stronger, more resilient relationships.
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  The measure you bring sets the relational temperature for
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  everyone. The outline mentioned this image
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  of the Metron, the measure from the marketplace.
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  Can you elaborate on that? It sounds helpful.
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  Yeah, the Metron was literally a measuring tool, like a scoop or
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  a scale used for grain or other goods.
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  Jesus is drawing on that everyday image.
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  Imagine a merchant who uses a small, unfair measure when
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  selling to customers. Jesus says that same stingy
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  measure will be used when it's his turn to buy.
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  It's about fairness, integrity. God hates false balances, the
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  Bible says, because they destroy trust.
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  So if you carry around this tiny critical measuring cup for
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  everyone else's faults, expect that same cup to be applied to
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  your own life. Maybe directly by God, maybe
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  just by the community you've alienated with your harshness.
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  That feels especially relevant today online.
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  You can use a really harsh measure, a nasty comment,
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  joining a pylon without immediate face to face
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  consequences. Does this reciprocity still work
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  when it feels like we can judge from a distance, anonymously
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  even? That's a really sharp question.
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  The distance of the Internet creates a kind of illusion of
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  impunity, doesn't it? But the principle still holds.
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  First, vertically, God sees the measure used in the heart, even
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  behind an anonymous username. That accountability isn't
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  dodged. Second, horizontally, even if
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  the person you condemn never knows it was you, you are still
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  shaping yourself by that act. Every time you indulge in that
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  sensorious pride, you make yourself a little less capable
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  of gentleness, a little less charitable in your real world
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  interactions later. You're damaging your own
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  character, your own measure, even if the immediate social
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  consequence isn't obvious. So this principle isn't just a
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  threat, it's also a kind of diagnostic tool for our own
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  hearts. Absolutely.
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  It forces us to examine our motives.
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  When I feel the urge to correct someone, is it genuinely flowing
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  from love for them and for holiness?
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  Or is it really about making myself feel superior, more
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  righteous? That thought this measure comes
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  back to me is a powerful check. It also pushes us towards better
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  methods. It demands we do our homework.
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  You know, biblical due process. Get the facts straight.
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  Don't rely on gossip. It warns us that taking harsh
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  shortcuts and how we treat others while those shortcuts
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  tend to lead back to our own doorstep.
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  And you mentioned it also cultivates mercy.
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  How does remembering this principle lead to mercy?
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  Because it drives us back to the gospel, doesn't it?
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  The ultimate measure we've experienced from God is grace.
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  Romans 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those
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  who are in Christ Jesus. God looked at the Everest of our
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  sin, a debt we could never repay, and He measured it
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  against Christ's sacrifice. He gave us the measure of His
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  infinite grace. When you remember that measure,
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  how can you then turn around and use a tiny, exacting, merciless
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  measure on your brother or sister?
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  You can't. Or at least you shouldn't.
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  It makes no sense, right? Remembering the gospel verdict
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  over us frees and empowers us to choose what we could call a
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  gospel scale for others. A gospel scale?
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  What does that look like? Well, it has to be truthful.
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  It doesn't ignore sin or call it something else that's not
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  loving. But it's also patient.
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  It gives room for people to grow, to repent.
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  It doesn't demand perfection overnight.
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  It needs to be accurate. It sees the speck for what it
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  is, doesn't exaggerate it, and crucially, it's always hopeful.
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  It believes in the possibility of restoration because we know
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  the power of God's grace in our own lives.
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  It looks towards healing, not just exposure, having been
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  measured by grace. We learn to measure with grace.
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  OK, now we get to the image everyone remembers from this
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  passage. It's almost comical, but the
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  point is deadly serious. Verses 3 and four are the log in
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  the speck. Jesus asks why do you see the
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  speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log
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  that is in your own eye? Yeah, the contrast is
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  deliberately extreme, isn't it? The Karfos?
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  The speck is tiny, a splinter, a bit of chaff.
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  It's a real flaw. Notice Jesus doesn't deny the
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  speck exists, but the doko's, the log is this huge beam, a
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  structural timber used in building a house.
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  It represents a massive, glaring, often unacknowledged
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  sin in the life of the would be corrector.
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  And the picture is absurd. Someone with this giant beam
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  sticking out of their own eye, leaning over, trying to perform
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  delicate surgery on someone else's tiny speck.
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  It screams hypocrisy. Exactly.
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  The log signifies this macroscopic blindness fueled by
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  hypocrisy. Hypocrisy in the sense of play
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  acting. The person is acting like
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  they're a qualified spiritual surgeon, deeply concerned about
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  holiness and others, while being completely oblivious to or
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  willfully ignoring the massive obstruction in their own
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  spiritual vision. The log makes them unfit to help
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  because it utterly distorts their perception.
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  They can't see clearly, they can't see their own sin
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  accurately, and they can't see the brothers situation with the
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  necessary clarity and tenderness.
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  And this blindness leads to that skewed focus we talked about
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  earlier majoring on minors and others.
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  Precisely. That's the practical effect of
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  the log. It causes this massive selection
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  bias. You become hyper aware of and
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  maybe even obsessed with relatively small failings in
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  other people, while you conveniently overlook or explain
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  away your own much larger, perhaps habitual sins.
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  Think about someone consumed by bitterness or gossip.
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  That's a log, but they might be incredibly harsh about someone
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  else's occasional sharp tone, or maybe their taste in music.
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  They treat the speck as a sign of deep seated wickedness, while
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  their own log is just. You know how they are justified.
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  So the log isn't just any sin, it's often the sin we've made
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  peace with, the one we're not actively fighting.
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  I think that's often the case. It could be that settled
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  bitterness like you said, or maybe a hidden addiction or deep
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  seated pride, or perhaps chronic prayerlessness or refusal to
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  forgive. Racial prejudice we refuse to
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  confront. It's the sin that that's become
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  comfortable, undisturbed. It's taking up residence because
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  it's so big and so close. Paradoxically, we become blind
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  to it. Only profound self deception
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  allows someone to function with a log in their eye.
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  And why exactly does this log make the person unfit to help?
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  It's not just that they're hypocritical, it's that they're
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  actually dangerous, right? Yes, the imagery implies
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  violence. Trying to remove a speck with a
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  log sticking out of your eye? You're going to do more damage
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  than good. You'll likely poke the brother's
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  eye out. Correction offered from someone
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  with an unaddressed log isn't really about helping the other
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  person. It's often about projecting
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  their own issues, relieving their own discomfort, or
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  asserting their own righteousness.
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  The manner will inevitably be wrong.
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  Clumsy, harsh, lacking empathy. It wounds rather than heals.
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  It confirms the very judgement the corrector claims to be
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  fighting against. So removing your own log isn't
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  just about getting morally clean first, it's about gaining the
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  ability to see clearly enough to actually be helpful.
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  Exactly. Then you will see clearly Jesus
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  says the self judgement, the log removal is the necessary step to
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  gain the perspective, the humility and the gentleness
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  required for true restoration. But how do we even begin to
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  remove a log that sounds like major spiritual surgery.
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  Can we do that ourselves? Does this connect back to the
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  cross? It absolutely connects to the
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  cross. Trying to remove your own log by
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  sheer willpower is probably impossible and likely leads to
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  despair or more self righteousness.
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  The only way we can bear to confront and confess the massive
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  beams in our own lives is by knowing that the ultimate Judge,
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  Jesus Christ, bore the ultimate beam, the cross, for us.
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  He took the judgement our logs deserved.
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  It's the assurance of no condemnation in Him that Romans
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  8.1 promise that gives us the security to be honest about our
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  sin, knowing we're already forgiven for the log freezes to
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  actually see it and deal with it rather than hide it or project
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  it onto others. So repentance flows from
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  realizing we're already accepted, not in order to become
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  accepted. Precisely.
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  It's grace that enables repentance and that experience
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  of facing your own log, bringing it to the cross, and finding
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  forgiveness. That's what prepares you.
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  It makes you a patient first. You approach your brother not as
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  a superior judge, but as a fellow patient who knows how
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  much grace you needed and still need.
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  That produces the necessary humility and gentleness.
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  OK, so verse 5 gives us the practical application, the
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  actual procedure. It's this clear sequence, you
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  hypocrite. First take the log out of your
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  own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of
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  your brother's eye that first then seems non negotiable.
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  It's absolutely crucial repentance precedes restoration.
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  That rhythm changes everything. It makes correction not an
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  accusation from above, but like a shared effort from fellow
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  strugglers. The goal isn't winning, It's
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  clear sight for the purpose of gentle help.
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  So that first step is everything.
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  Examine yourself. Remove your own log.
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  Let's breakdown that self examination.
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  What does it really involve more than just a quick oops, I'm not
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  perfect? Oh, much more.
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  It means seriously inviting God's scrutiny, like the
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  psalmist does in Psalm 139. Search me, O God, and know my
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  heart. Try me and know my thoughts and
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  see if there be any grievous way in me.
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  It requires specificity. Not just I'm a Sinner, but what
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  is a specific log? The pride, the envy, the
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  bitterness, the laziness that's currently blinding me or
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  motivating my judgement of this other person.
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  It involves confessing that sin to God, maybe even to a trusted
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  brother or sister, receiving forgiveness, and making
• 18:55
  restitution if needed. You mentioned this idea of self
• 18:59
  judgement being like spiritual anesthesia.
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  What does that capture about the posture we need?
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  It's suggested dealing with your own sin first calms you down.
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  It takes the judge mental edge off.
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  It steadies the surgeon's hand. It ensures that when you do
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  approach your brother, you come with, well, tears, not triumph.
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  You're not marching in like a conquering hero of holiness.
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  You're coming alongside as someone who's just been reminded
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  of their own deep need for grace.
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  Having faced your log, you're tenderized.
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  Gentleness becomes the natural impulse, like Galatians 6.1
• 19:27
  requires. OK, so that internal work that
• 19:30
  log removal has happened. Then Jesus says you can see
• 19:33
  clearly to help your brother. This leads us to the actual
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  steps of trying to restore someone, what you called the
• 19:38
  restoration pathway. The first step in approaching
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  the brother seems to be establish.
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  What does that mean? Establish means getting your
• 19:46
  facts straight before you open your mouth.
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  Proverbs warns about answering a matter before you hear it.
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  That's folly and shame. So this stage is about careful,
• 19:57
  prayerful investigation. Is there actually sin here
• 20:00
  according to God's Word? Or is it maybe just a
• 20:02
  misunderstanding, A weakness, or maybe even just?
• 20:05
  A difference in opinion or preference where scripture
• 20:07
  allows freedom. That distinction between sin and
• 20:10
  preference seems really important, especially in
• 20:12
  churches where people have strong opinion about, well,
• 20:14
  everything. Vital.
• 20:16
  This is where Romans 14 is so helpful, talking about
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  disputable matters, judging someone's conscience on things
• 20:21
  like diet or days of worship or other areas of Christian liberty
• 20:24
  as if it were core sin. That's often log eyed judgment
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  itself. We need to ask, is this a clear
• 20:30
  violation of scripture? Am I imposing my personal
• 20:33
  standard? Do I have reliable first hand
• 20:35
  information or just gossip? Establishing the facts revents
• 20:38
  rushing in based on assumption's proper due process matters.
• 20:43
  OK, fact established, it seems like genuine sin is involved.
• 20:46
  The next step is engage actually talking to the person.
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  How should that happen? Matthew 18.15 gives the
• 20:52
  baseline. Go privately first, one-on-one.
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  The aim is restoration, not public shaming.
• 20:57
  Go promptly, don't let bitterness fester, and go
• 21:00
  prayerfully relying on God's wisdom and spirit.
• 21:02
  And the way we engage, the tone, the words.
• 21:04
  The manner is critical. Galatians 6.1 again restore him
• 21:09
  in a spirit of gentleness. Gentleness isn't being wishy
• 21:12
  washy, it's controlled strength born of humility.
• 21:15
  Ephesians 4.29 says our word should give grace to the hearer.
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  That means being specific. When you did X, it had Y effect
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  rather than vague accusations. You're always so negative.
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  Avoid sarcasm, name calling, dredging up old issues.
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  Speak the truth, yes, but speak it in love, offering the hope of
• 21:31
  repentance and forgiveness found in Christ.
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  If you can't genuinely pray for that person's good, you're
• 21:36
  probably not ready to talk to them yet.
• 21:37
  That's a high bar. Gentleness, specificity, hope.
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  What if that private conversation doesn't work?
• 21:42
  If the person dismisses it or denies the clear sin.
• 21:45
  Them carefully and soberly, you move to the next step.
• 21:48
  According to Matthew 18 and List, this means taking one or
• 21:52
  two others with you. But notice the purpose.
• 21:55
  It's not the gang up on the person.
• 21:57
  It's primarily for witness, to establish the facts of the
• 21:59
  situation in the conversation and to add weight and wisdom to
• 22:02
  the appeal. These should be mature believers
• 22:04
  who also share the goal of restoration, not people who just
• 22:07
  want drama or to take sides. It should never feel vindictive.
• 22:11
  This step is serious and should only be taken if necessary.
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  And assuming hopefully repentance does happen at some
• 22:17
  point in this process, or even if it takes time, there's a
• 22:19
  final step extend. Yes, this is about the ongoing
• 22:23
  relationship. Galatians 6.2 says bear one
• 22:26
  another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
• 22:30
  Restoration isn't a one time event.
• 22:32
  When someone does repent, we need to be quick to forgive and
• 22:35
  comfort, as Paul urges in 2nd Corinthians 2, so they aren't
• 22:38
  overwhelmed by sorrow, need to walk alongside them, encourage
• 22:41
  them, help them rebuild trust. It's about sticking with them.
• 22:44
  The whole process from start to finish has to be done by people
• 22:47
  who see themselves as Co repenters, fellow sinners saved
• 22:50
  by grace, not as righteous prosecutors.
• 22:53
  The goal, as Jesus says in Matthew 18, isn't ultimately
• 22:56
  about winning the argument. It's about winning your brother
• 22:59
  or sister back to fellowship with God and his people.
• 23:01
  This whole deep dive really reframes judge not It's not
• 23:04
  passivity at all. It's actually a call to the very
• 23:06
  demanding work of self examination first so that we can
• 23:10
  then engage in the careful, loving work of mutual
• 23:12
  accountability and restoration. That's it, exactly.
• 23:15
  So for you listening, the practical takeaways are pretty
• 23:17
  clear, aren't they? It means deliberately slowing
• 23:21
  down that inner courtroom judge. It means refusing to come to
• 23:24
  conclusions about people's motives.
• 23:25
  It means taking that first, then sequence absolutely seriously in
• 23:30
  all our relationships, at home, at church, online.
• 23:33
  Choose specificity over vague complaints, hope over sarcasm.
• 23:37
  Right. And maybe the most freeing thing
• 23:39
  is realizing why we can do this. We can afford to be honest about
• 23:44
  our own logs. We can afford to be gentle with
• 23:46
  other specs precisely because the ultimate judge, Jesus, took
• 23:50
  our judgement on the cross. Because of him, there's no
• 23:53
  condemnation hanging over us. That frees us from the need to
• 23:57
  condemn others. To make ourselves feel OK.
• 23:59
  We can lay down the gavel and pick up the tools of
• 24:01
  restoration, truth, and mercy shaped by the cross.
• 24:04
  We help best when we remember we're patients ourselves.
• 24:06
  That's a powerful way to end the freedom comes from realizing our
• 24:09
  own judgement has been dealt with.
• 24:11
  It does, and it may be one final thought to chew on what happens
• 24:15
  when we mess this up. Because we will.
• 24:17
  We'll judge harshly sometimes, will speak without thinking.
• 24:20
  We'll see this back and ignore our log.
• 24:22
  When that happens, the answer isn't to give up and retreat
• 24:25
  into isolation or despair. The answer is to run straight
• 24:28
  back to the cross, to that fountain of grace where mercy
• 24:30
  triumphs over judgement. Confess the failure of the log
• 24:33
  that grew back. It cleansed again, and then,
• 24:35
  with humility restored, pick up the mirror and the tweezers
• 24:38
  again, ready to try to help gently once more.
• 24:41
  That cycle of failing, repenting and trying again in grace.
• 24:44
  That's the mark of a Co repentor.