Volume 2 Issue 3

 

 

o not judge lest you be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) These words have become a popular rallying cry for those who wish to practice sin with impunity. With the increase of iniquity in our world today comes the cries for tolerance for lifestyles and actions that just a few years ago would have been immediately rejected and labeled as sin, not only by Christians, but by society at large. But times have changed. Any who have the courage to stand up for what is holy and right are labeled as bigots, extremists, religious nuts, homophobic, self-righteous Christians. Judging others, their beliefs, or their lifestyles has become socially unacceptable and politically incorrect. While it is true that some judge others from a spirit of malice and hatred, there are those who speak from a heart of LOVE about the evils that are suffocating the spiritual life out of people.

            Are we really forbidden from judging? Are we to remain silent when the values and morals we as Christians cherish are being destroyed? Is God alone allowed to judge? That cannot be the meaning of Matthew 7:1. At the same time Jesus is saying, “Do not judge”, He also says, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6), and “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15). Both of these statements REQUIRE us to make a judgment. We are to make a distinction between the holy and the unholy so that we do not recklessly disclose precious truths that have been revealed to us to those who will only laugh or mock or scorn those truths. Jesus made such a distinction when faced with Pilate and King Herod.

            After Jesus had been tried by the Sanhedrin and found guilty it was necessary for the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes to have Him condemned by the Romans also in order to have Him killed since they were forbidden from executing anyone. Thus, they brought Him before the Roman magistrate, Pilate. The Jews told Pilate why Jesus should be killed, specifically His claim to be a King, which would, to the Romans, be treason, a capital offense. “And Pilate asked Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ And He answered him and said, ‘{It is as} you say.’” (Luke 23:3) Jesus responded to Pilate and told Him a truth that He had refused to give even to the Pharisees until His time had come to die.

When Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was “They told Him, saying, ‘John the Baptist; and others {say} Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.’ And He {continued} by questioning them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘Thou art the Christ.’ AND HE WARNED THEM TO TELL NO ONE ABOUT HIM.” (Mark 8:28-30) Why? Because the time was not right. It was Jesus’ claim of being the Messiah that brought the wrath of the Sanhedrin down upon Him and led to His death. Thus, the disciples were in essence told not to give this truth (this pearl) to anyone else lest they use it against Jesus and bring about His death prematurely. Jesus Himself responded to the questions of the Sanhedrin about His Messiahship when He knew His time to die had come.

Jesus made a distinction, a judgment, between His disciples and the religious leaders that sought to destroy Him. But He also made a distinction between Pilate by revealing that He was indeed a King and not respond at all to Herod when questioned by Him. Why? When Pilate found out that Jesus resided in Galilee, a territory of King Herod, he thought he had found a way out of sentencing Jesus to death. He sent Him to Herod to be judged. “Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length; BUT HE ANSWERED HIM NOTHING.” (Luke 23:8-9) Herod, like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes was Jewish by faith and knew the Scriptures pertaining to the Messiah. However, Herod did not believe Jesus was the Messiah and had no intention of ascertaining that fact from Jesus. Instead, Herod wanted Jesus to perform some miracle like he had been hearing about. Jesus, to him, was a novelty, a source of entertainment. Jesus knew this and would not reveal to him that He was truly the Messiah. That was a pearl Herod had no business having. Thus, Jesus judged between Pilate and Herod.

Just because the Lord has revealed certain truths to us does not mean they are for the ears of everyone. We are to make a judgment between that which is holy and unholy and recognize the RIGHT TIME to reveal what has been shared with us. How different Joseph’s life would have been had he judged his brothers correctly. “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, ‘Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’ And he related {it} to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?’” (Genesis 37:9-10) The dreams were true; they had come from the Lord Himself, but they were for Joseph alone. This pearl was given at the wrong time to his family. Joseph had MISJUDGED the time.

But do WE have the right to judge another? Without question the answer must be, yes. When Paul discovered that a man had been sleeping with his father’s wife, thus committing incest, he said, “I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already JUDGED him who has so committed this, as though I were present.” (1 Corinthians 5:3) Here was a man who claimed to be a Christian, a follower of Christ. He was not. “They profess to know God, but BY {THEIR} DEEDS THEY DENY {HIM}  being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed.” (Titus 1:16) Paul chastised the Corinthian Christians for allowing this immoral conduct to continue unopposed. In their place he imposed sentence upon the offender. “{I have decided} to DELIVER SUCH A ONE TO SATAN for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5) Just as God delivered Job over to Satan to rid him of pride WITH THE PURPOSE OF BLESSING him, so Paul releases this man into the hands of Satan WITH THE PURPOSE OF SAVING him. This is the critical distinction in proper and improper judging. And while it is not pleasant to judge someone (or more correctly, the inappropriate behavior) it is necessary. We are told to do so. “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? DO YOU NOT JUDGE those who are within {the church} But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN from among yourselves.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13) Again, this is done FOR THE GOOD of the offender AND the good of the Body of Christ. Many times in the Bible we are exhorted to live a life worthy of our calling as Christians. Just as our children’s peers have a very strong influence, whether good or bad, upon them, our peers, those we work with, share leisure time with, WORSHIP with, also have a very strong influence upon us. We can become desensitized to evil if we are exposed to it often enough, especially if that exposure is the result of people we admire. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Church discipline is almost nonexistent in today’s society. But, again, it SHOULD BE done in order to maintain the holiness of the Body of Christ. It was Jesus that told us to judge one another. “And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen {to you,} take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.” (Matthew 18:15-17) We should first discuss a problem we have with someone privately. Perhaps there are circumstances that we are not aware of that causes us to misjudge someone. If so a private meeting is one way to get to the truth. However, if the private meeting fails to explain the questionable behavior, we are told to get two or three fellow Christians to hear what the problem is in order to determine if wrong is being done or not. This ensures that the charge of wrongdoing is not the product of one man’s thinking or prejudices. Unfortunately there will be times when wrongdoing is indeed discovered and the offender is unwilling to repent. In which case the Church as a whole is to treat him as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer. Does that mean we turn our noses up at him, ignore him, call him names, defame him? That would be judging at its worse.

Jesus once encountered a tax-gatherer named Zaccheus and instead of condemning him He stopped in His tracks, looked up in the tree where the tax-gatherer had climbed in order to see Jesus, and told him that He wanted to eat with him. During this time, “Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’” (Luke 19:8-10) The Jews had no doubt ostracized Zaccheus for to them a tax-gatherer was a traitor. They gathered taxes, sometimes more than what was owed, and gave the money to the hated Romans. The danger we experience when we judge someone is that our zeal can get in the way of someone who desires to turn from their sin, such as Zaccheus. We loose the opportunity to welcome someone back into the fellowship they need because we are too quick to judge and too slow to extend mercy. The man from Corinth who had committed incest, that Paul “delivered over to Satan”, was later restored to the Church there. “SUFFICIENT for such a one is this punishment which was {inflicted by} the majority, so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort {him} lest somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Wherefore I urge you to reaffirm {your} love for him.” (2 Corinthians 2:6-8) His punishment served its purpose.

Who among us has not sinned? Who is not in need of forgiveness? None. Therefore, we should be quicker to restore a brother or sister who backslides than to remove them from fellowship. “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; {each one} looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) In our secular society we have judges who sentence lawbreakers to prison, the sentence being reflective of the crime - ideally anyway. What is the purpose of the sentence? First, justice. The lawbreaker owes a debt to society. Second, to protect law-abiding citizens. Third, to REHABILITATE (ideally) the lawbreaker that he might return to society as a productive member able to contribute to the good of mankind rather than corrupt and hurt mankind. “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have {something} to share with him who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28) Of course we rarely succeed in rehabilitating criminals, but that is the INTENT.

This is also what judging others should reflect. A sinner is a lawbreaker who owes his fellowman a debt - that debt being love. “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled {the} law.” (Romans 13:8) In order to pay this “debt” we must turn from our sin and seek the good of others. Someone may ask how a moral issue such as homosexuality when practiced between two (why two?) consenting adults is wrong and what possible “debt” is incurred in such a relationship. The answer is that the Bible CLEARLY condemns homosexuality as a perversion, thus when one practices homosexuality you are causing not only yourself to sin, but also the person with whom you are having the relationship. Love would stop the illicit relationship because love would restrain us from causing someone else to sin. It would be GOOD for all involved if the relationship were ended.

This ties in with the second purpose of judging - to seek the safety of the innocent. If we allow sin, in whatever form it takes, to go unchallenged, we are in essence CONSENTING to it. For the sake of those who are easily swayed by public opinion, for the Biblically illiterate, for the innocent, impressionable minds of our children, we have a DUTY to speak out against, to judge, what is right and wrong. We have a right to demand that homosexuality not be taught in our schools; we have a right to demand our libraries protect our children from that which the parents object to; we have a right to remove pornography from our neighborhoods and cities; we have a right to rid ourselves of drug dealers; we have a right to eliminate abortion. To not do so we endanger everyone who is vulnerable to Satan’s attacks that come as a result of these sins. We despise child molesters yet allow pornography to flourish; we despise adultery yet we inundate ourselves with TV shows and movies that glamorize it; we despise the violence of children killing children yet we allow the murder of innocent unborn babies by adults to continue unabated. Our hypocrisy is destroying us. We call ourselves Christian, we claim to have morals and integrity, but because we shrink from judging right from wrong we have capitulated to the enemy by believing a lie.

The third reason we must judge is to REHABILITATE the wrong doer. As already mentioned, Paul judged the man practicing incest IN ORDER TO SAVE HIM. Writing to Timothy Paul told him to keep the faith and a pure conscience and to beware of those who do not. “Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to Satan, so that they may be TAUGHT not to blaspheme.” (1 Timothy 1:20) Note again the REASON Paul judged them. It was not for their destruction, but FOR THEIR GOOD. Had Paul simply allowed these two men who were thought of as Christians to continue to blaspheme, that is, to speak evil of the Lord or advocate heresy unchallenged, some may have begun to follow them or their incorrect beliefs. It is not an act of love to remain silent while others, especially those who call themselves Christian, not only accept sin as normal, but also advocate its advancement. “And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, BUT INSTEAD EVEN EXPOSE THEM; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.” (Ephesians 5:11-12) This calls for a JUDGMENT, but the judgment is done for the reason of restoring holiness to the one in sin and in those who have been deceived by it.

What is so often thrown into the face of those who take a stand for what is right is the story of the woman caught in adultery. It has the famous line, “He who is without sin among you, let him {be the} first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) This is used to silence anyone who would dare put themselves in the position of judge. But let us look closely at this story. Having said that true judgment is done so that the offender can pay the debt owed to the one hurt, to protect the innocent from being hurt, and to SAVE or RESTORE the wrong doer, why was this woman, this adulteress being judged? The Pharisees and religious leaders caught the woman in the act of adultery and brought her to Jesus saying, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” (John 8:4-5) But they did not have the GOOD of the women in mind when they did this. Instead, “they were saying this, testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him.” (John 8:6) They were not concerned about the woman at all. They wanted to be able to accuse Jesus of not following the Law. Their MOTIVE was wrong, thus their judgment was wrong, EVEN THOUGH the woman was guilty. This is why Jesus told them that if they were guiltless of sin to throw the first stone at her. He wanted them to look at themselves and their MOTIVE for their actions. “And when they heard it, they {began} to go out one by one, BEGINNING WITH THE OLDER ONES, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst.” (John 8:9) The older ones left first because they had a lifetime of sins invading their thoughts, convicting them of wrongdoing they themselves had done. The younger ones eventual left because even one sin proves we ourselves are sinners. Had Jesus left the event there the woman may have gotten the impression that Jesus condoned adultery. Instead He “said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ And she said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn YOU; go your way. From now on SIN NO MORE.’” (John 8:10-11) Jesus did not condemn HER, but He did tell her not to continue in adultery, He did condemn the SIN. Thus, when we judge, and there are times when we must, we are told by Jesus Himself, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24) Righteous judgment - not from vengeance or selfish purposes, but judgment that is done from a heart of love for the GOOD of the one judged.