A man asked once “does scripture teach it is wrong or sinful to judge?” Seek answers in prayer and scripture – if verses seem to contradict, this shows our understanding is lacking. God has much to show us about judgment on the narrow path. Bible commentaries can help, but we want instruction from scripture, the Spirit, and the faithful, as commentaries can be opinions of scholars wise in the world or religion, but foolish in things of God. God gives answers as this topic is on your mind for days or weeks. He will teach you, to convict if you judge wrongly or confirm in your heart right judgment. If you often judge others unjustly, as many of us once did, we recommend you cease, seeking His instruction of how to judge with right judgment later as He leads. Thoughts not of God must be put to death. Our desire is to conquer sin, get rid of opinions and false understanding (even our own), replacing them with God’s word and Spirit in our minds and hearts, as we proclaim the future ultimate judgment of the world, and in the kingdom of God.
Judging Others. One of the first scriptures many know is “Do not judge” in Matthew 7:1. Unbelievers quote this verse to Christian’s who preach the gospel, exhort a crowd to repent, or point out individual sin. The unbeliever says it to silence the child of God with “Jesus said not to judge, you shouldn’t be judging us.” Such people are blind to their own hypocrisy – at times the child of God calls them on it, asking: “are you judging me for judging?” Think of it. This unbeliever is upset about a Christian saying “repent” or “stop doing wrong actions”, so the unbeliever hypocritically says, “stop doing (what he/she believes is) the wrong action of judging.” Such critics are doing what they say the Christian should not be doing. Let’s see what Jesus said, and what he’s against.
“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matt 7:1-5). Many ignore Jesus’ words here – he’s against hypocritical judgment. You must first stop your own sin (which here is larger/worse than another’s), to see clearly to assist in removing another’s. Many see only the first sentence, missing Jesus’ teaching on how to rightly judge, as written: “…he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one” (1 Cor 2:15, NKJV).
Spiritual children of God judge “all things” because we have God’s Spirit, and He and His Son give us discernment – not according to appearance, but by God who knows hearts of men. Jesus said in John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment”, and soon after told the Pharisees “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me” John 8:15-16. To the multitudes after rebuking hypocrites he exhorts in Luke 12:57 “And why, on your own initiative, do you not judge what is right?” Clearly, we are to judge with right judgment with God’s help (and His witness) and not merely by fleshy appearances, taking heed to how or what standard we use to judge others, as that same standard will be held against us if we violate it.
Paul said works of the flesh are evident (Gal 5:19). In other words, they are known, apparent, clearly seen outwardly, or obvious. For us walking in obedience to God (logs removed from our eyes), we see clearly to lovingly warn others of future judgment of things whose end is death and the lake of fire. This is “judging” in the sense we speak of judgment to come for those who do not repent. A sinner’s fate is in God and Christ’s hands, but it is the sinner’s responsibility to hear, repent, and believe. Old Testament Prophets, Jesus, and his apostles did this. In other words, “You are obviously sinning against God, stop now, turn to Him, or you’ll be condemned in the final judgment.” A friend asked about a prevalent cliché in our world: “Only God can judge me.” Ultimately this is true concerning the power of righteous judgment and where we spend eternity but can be misleading if we do not understand scripture. It says God has committed judgment to His Son Jesus, the Man appointed to judge the world.
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man” (John 5:22-27).
“…And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead”(Acts 10:36-42). This is the final judgment where every man will be judged by his works, but there is another judgment we believers take part in. Not a sentence of judgment we pass on people for their fate, but decisions based on God’s words given to us, and instructing others in God’s righteousness in scripture. We lose the ability to see clearly, or right to judge however, if we do the same works of the flesh a sinner does. Paul (like Jesus in Matt 7) warns: “Therefore you have no excuse every one of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Rom 2:1-3). Those preaching the gospel and warning others to repent, and sin no more, yet still sin themselves have no excuse, and will not escape God’s judgment, regardless of their theology on salvation.
Two families of believers ate at a restaurant, each family paying its bill, placing cash in the folder. After both families drove away, the restaurant called, demanding payment. Both families were tempted to judge each other and judge the waitress as dishonest. Thankfully, they didn’t give in to such temptations, but with help from God, discerned the solution to the problem – the folder with money had fallen behind the register. Another family wrestled with wise judgment for days, bothered by a non-resident woman parking on their street, despite traffic signs against doing so. The woman parked by their house and walked a far distance to her place of work. The brother finally approached the woman in a loving manner, after receiving discernment from God that she was hiding from something. In a conversation with the woman, she shared how she was being stalked and harassed at her work, parking where she did to hide (for protection) until she moved jobs. How poorly the conversation could have gone if based on emotions, instead of hearing from God!
It’s common today to judge those using electronic devices: “She is so anti-social; he isn’t paying attention to his children; she isn’t appreciating this beautiful sunset.” How do we know they aren’t reading scripture, sharing truth, or inquiring of a hospitalized loved one? It’s also common to judge slow drivers on the road. How do we know they aren’t lost, being extra cautious, or having mechanical issues? Wisely refrain from judging in such situations, focusing instead upon matters clearly obvious through the Spirit, and concerning truth about the kingdom of God!
Judgment of Christians. All of us, including Christians, will be judged: “…why do you judge your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10). A man said: “I will not sit before the judgment seat to determine my salvation,” believing only his works would be judged yet he himself must be in the kingdom because he was saved in the past. Believing God’s hands are tied with no choice but to welcome us into His kingdom removes the fear of God Jesus warned us to have in Luke 12:5. Paul’s above words are like James 4:11-12:“Do not speak against one another brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you to judge your neighbor?” With the law of Christ in the New Covenant from scripture, such warnings in context (including Romans 14) speak of things not apparent, or obvious.
In the New Covenant, God writes laws on our minds and hearts, as it is written: “I will put my laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them” (Heb 10:16, Jer 31:33). There is much we can do that is lawful, but not beneficial (1 Cor 6:12). As God and Christ write laws on our hearts and minds, we begin to clearly know or perceive things previously hidden, which we are to do, or not do. James writes “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (4:17). We can err in judgment if we assume God has written the same exact laws we’ve ourselves received, upon every other human beings’ heart. Many assume this to be the case regardless of where others are in their walk; “To him it is sin” does not mean “to everyone it is sin.”
If I judge, speak evil of, or accuse my brother of sin when something is not sin to him, even if that “something” is sin to me, I’m speaking evil of the law, placing myself in the position of Lawgiver. I’m basically saying, “Well, God and Christ should have already written this upon your heart, so I will declare you to be sinning.” Do you see the danger here? I would be declaring my timing, laws, and conscience to be superior to God’s timing, laws, and Spirit. Do I throw my hands up and say nothing about this “something” I am concerned with to my brother? Of course not! But I approach the topic prayerfully without condemnation. The same goes for comparing knowledge and wisdom with others as we grow. It’s easy to think “how can this brother not know or understand this simple truth/doctrine/concept/scripture God revealed to me?” God gives us understanding at different points in our walk, exactly when needed, in exactly the portions needed. Our diligence in our faith, prayer, fellowship, and study surely affect timing and portions we receive, but it is still God who reveals. It is also true one may not receive understanding from God due to stubborn sinful pride, but unless this is obvious, or discerned by the Spirit, we should again approach prayerfully without condemnation, lovingly sharing truth!
Again, we lose the ability to judge others if practicing evil works of the flesh. Paul exhorts not eat or keep company with one “named a brother” (claiming to be Christian) doing such things, which clearly requires us to temporarily judge. “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?” (1 Cor 5:12). Paul already declared (vs 3) his judgment of the immoral one within, to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, and salvation. Also, chapter six context is judging small matters pertaining to this life, and especially wisdom in judging between brethren (verses 2-5). He asks in verses 2 and 3 “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world…do you not know that we will judge angels?” This is huge! We, the church or body of Christ will be empowered by God through Jesus to judge (or rule) angels and the world to come, just as Jesus empowers his disciples to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28). We must exercise sound judgment in our walk in this life, so we grow in wisdom to exercise it in the future kingdom!
Judging those “inside” as Paul says begs the question: how are they “inside” the church if sinning, thus becoming a child of the devil and slave of sin (John 8:34, 1 John 3:8-10)? Let’s look at context and some key words. First, “named a brother” (5:11) and “among you” (5:1) implies this person was part of the assembly, calling himself a brother. Paul declared though absent, he’d already “judged” the man, so it’s likely the man was either part of the church and went back to Satan, or never was “inside” the body of believers, but “among/inside” the assembly. Regardless, Paul’s judgment states to us the obvious: the assembly should declare the man to be with Satan, implying hopes he would again crucify, put to death, or destroy his flesh, and so be saved (cp. Gal 2:20, 5:24, Rom 6:6-7). Such examples may call for us to rebuke another in love. God wisely mentioned just before the second greatest command, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him” (Lev19:17, NKJV). It requires judgment on our part to identify the problem, and to deliver a rebuke so our neighbor, and we, do not bear sin.
A man who loves his brother will judge rightly if he sees him err from truth. If a man is married and his brother sees him interacting with another woman inappropriately, he will judge the situation, speaking wise words of warning to turn the brother away from his error unto God. Many today use the “only God can judge me” cliché to rid themselves of any accountability, which is why man does what he feels to be right in his own eyes. “Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory” (Prov 11:14) Some remain naïve about judging fellow Christians and others not knowing “where to draw the line”, afraid they will become hypocrites or too forceful. Others are concerned they’ll give poor advice, weak rebuke, or it won’t be well received. Many lack discernment from God in certain areas concerning good and evil. Like our walk on the narrow path, God and His Son (who went through each temptation concerning such things) guide us, and their Spirit draw the line. Jesus’ own people did not heed him, yet He continued in His Father’s will. As Clement of Alexandria said in 195 AD, “the physician is not evil to the sick man because he tells him of his fever,—for the physician is not the cause of the fever, but only points out the fever;—so neither is He, that reproves, ill-disposed towards him who is diseased in soul. For He does not put the transgressions on him, but only shows the sins which are there; in order to turn him away from similar practices.”[1]
Similarly, Tertullian in 197 AD said “For with a great gravity is the work of judging carried on among us, as befits those who feel assured that they are in the sight of God; and you have the most notable example of judgment tocome when any one has sinned so grievously as to require his severance from us in prayer,in the congregation and in all sacred intercourse.” [2]He took right judgment so seriously, he also said “But it will be said that some of us, too, depart from the rules of our discipline. In that case, however, we count them no longer Christians.”[3] Some sins are so evil, we must hand one over to authorities (God’s ministers), to bring judgment, wrath, and fear upon such a one (Rom 13:1-4). Surround yourself with those who love the Lord and brethren. Allow them to speak into your life even if it is to bring correction. If they speak words from God, it is not a sentence of judgment they offer but words of hope whereby you can turn and escape the judgment due for your actions. God loves us and will speak to us even through vessels of clay. Keep a pure heart to God, a teachable spirit, and don’t be easily offended and you’ll grow in your walk with God.
We must train in right judgment. Jesus said we would know false prophets, and good or bad trees by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20). John says to test the spirits (1 John 4:1). This requires judgment and discernment because it can be hard to tell at times. If we lend ears and hearts to wolves in sheep clothing, not testing the spirits, not taking heed to how and what we hear (Mark 4:24, Luke 8:18), we will be ineffective at reaching the lost while slowed in our walk, or led astray into all sorts of error and apostasy. If one errs, we need judgment to carry out Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 18:15-17; for how can we tell one his fault, or take witnesses, or tell the church, or let him be to us a heathen and tax collector without exercising judgment? “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17
Judging God. It is a shame we must discuss this subject, but even some professing Christians believe it perfectly fine to judge God. Jesus warned against such a mindset in Matthew 20:11-15, yet we still hear today: “It’s ok to be mad at God; I’m angry with God because…; God should(n’t) have…” How insane such words are! Some foolishly judge Him doctrinally: “I don’t like Leviticus, so that is not my God; if virgin birth is true, God is an adulterer; if God isn’t Jesus, then Jesus isn’t my savior; if God changed the law through Jesus, then He lied to Moses.” Do we exalt ourselves over our Creator, judging our emotional opinions above Him and His truth (Job 40:8, Pr 17:15)? God forbid! Such thoughts attempt to force God into our preferred box, making Him in our image. May we never even think, let alone say such things! Do we wish to be judged in the end by our own words (Matt 12:36, Luke 19:22, John 12:48)? How could we hope to self-examine, train discernment and judgment in the body now, or judge in the future kingdom, if we allow such wicked and blasphemous thoughts to reign within ourselves!
Judging Self. Some are their own worst critics, yet others hardly pay attention to their own words and actions. Some often justify words and actions when clearly in the wrong. If obvious works of the flesh by a sinner can be seen a mile away with binoculars, yet we use a magnifying glass to help judge fellow brothers and sisters’ words and actions that could err or lead to sin, what of ourselves? We could compare this to a microscope – every thought, word, and action “I” generate must be carefully examined internally, with the Spirit of God guiding me to zoom in further, question, point out areas needing work, examine motives, and strengthen godly thoughts, words, and actions. Temptations, desires, and feelings can produce thoughts not sinful by themselves but if we allow certain ones to conceive, they give birth to sin (James 1:13-15). Our careful inspection with His help, or confiding with close Christians, can greatly assist us. If we know (a verb meaning to see and discern clearly; properly spiritually perceiving), the good we are to do, and fail to do it, to us (self), it is sin (James 4:17). This means continuous and careful examination of self (2 Cor 13:5). If we give aid to, or allow evil thoughts or temptations to seize, arrest, or capture us, it is then desires conceive, giving birth to sin.
Two errors in self-judging are self-justification, and self-condemnation. Self-justification is the constant jumping to ones own self defense without giving it thought or prayer, such as “I’m correct, I’ll immediately defend my words/actions.” If much thoughtful prayer and self-examination occur, the Spirit could still confirm us to be correct, but it is confirmation from God in our thoughts we want, not our own self-defense reflexes. If we are incorrect, or are ignorant of a fact, humbly admitting so yields new understanding, opening our eyes. If we are correct, this requires loving, patient humility, and gentle correction with others (2 Tim 2:25-26). Self-condemnation is when one constantly beats oneself up “woe is me” for every slight error, shortcoming, or flaw, when such things are not even sinful! Learn the lesson, receive correction if needed, fix it, and move on! “For if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Cor 11:31-32). If we separate, discriminate or withdraw (diakrino) ourselves, we will not be punished or condemned (krino) like the rest of the world. Be separate from sin, withdraw from self-will, discriminate in your own thoughts, with God and Jesus’ help!
“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Cor 4:3-5, NKJV). It was trivial for Paul to be scrutinized, investigated, or interrogated (anakrino) by a human court; his clear conscience knew of no wrongdoing, yet he knew he couldn’t scrutinize himself, but the Lord. His advice was to punish or condemn (krino) nothing before the time. In other words, let the Lord decide condemnation, and let him thoroughly investigate your thoughts – a clear conscience isn’t enough – some are seared (1 Tim 4:2).
Whether a child of God, or seeking to be one, self-examination is key (2 Peter 1:10-11)! Can we hope to have dominion with Messiah, to rule and judge as kings and priests in the world to come if we have not first turned ourselves to righteousness, and then others in the community, and body of Christ, around us (Dan 7:27, 12:3, Rev 1:6, 20:4-6)? All of this of course, is to happen with God’s wisdom, and we can trust He will judge the world rightly (Ps 7:8, 9:8, Isa 3:13-14). Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world (or age) as he walked in the flesh; he emphatically stated he came not to judge or condemn the world, but save it (Jn 3:17, 8:15, 12:47, 18:36). If he judged, it was as he heard, with righteous judgment, because he did nothing of himself, doing not his own will, but the will of his Father, who sent him and was with him (Jn 5:30, 8:16). If we wish to be exalted and inherit the earth, we must ourselves wait on the LORD, be meek, upright, blessed by Him, righteous, keeping His way, blameless (morally upright) (Ps 37:9, 11, 18, 22, 29, 34, 37). Jesus stressed the same – we must heed it to inherit the earth in peace (Matt 5:3-10, 48)!
Judging rightly and pleading the cause of the poor or needy isn’t just the physically poor, but the poor in spirit needy for the gospel (Pr 31:9, Mt 5:3). With many false gospels, false teachings, vain philosophy and religions, we must judge to determine if others know and truly live for the real gospel of the kingdom according to Jesus! “A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out” (Pr 20:5). What are their plans for eternity? Ask them, for it is out of the mouth the heart will tell us of their hope, if we truly are a person of understanding (Mt 12:34, Lk 6:45)!
- Clement of Alexandria. The Instructor. Trans. Clark Edinburgh. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1885. Print. Vol. 2 of The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Philip Schaff, ed. 10 vols. 1886-1889. Chapter 9, p 386 ↑
- Tertullian. Apology. Ibid. Chapter 39, p 89 ↑
- Ibid. Chapter 46, p 101 ↑
David Loeser and Matt Sacra © 2018