Judge Not!

TEXT:

‘Do not judge and criticize and condemn [others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly]’ (Matthew 7:1 AMP)

THOUGHT:

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught with a clarity the Jews were not used to. There was no ambiguity or loopholes. Just plain speaking that leaves us now in no doubt as to what we should do, whether it is the God/Man relationship or with each other. This is especially true when it comes to what we think of other people.

• When we judge others we are in danger of devaluing them

Jesus taught the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. ‘The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector’ (Luke 18:11). He judged the tax collector to be far beneath him but his prayer never went further than the ceiling!

Judging others means we end up thinking or saying they are not worth as much as they used to be. It is not what we think they are worth but the value God places on them.  Many times we write people off but God has still got a plan and a purpose for them. He sees the heart and knows their motives not just their mistakes!

‘So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether someone is a good servant or not. When the Lord comes, he will turn on the light so that everyone can see exactly what each one of us is really like, deep down in our hearts’ (1 Corinthians 4:5 TLB).

• When we judge others we are in danger of over-inflating ourselves

‘Why worry about a speck in the eye of a brother when you have a board in your own? Should you say, ‘Friend, let me help you get that speck out of your eye,’ when you can’t even see because of the board in your own? Hypocrite! First get rid of the board. Then you can see to help your brother’ (Matthew 7:3-5 TLB).

How can we see a speck in someone else’s eye when we have a plank in our own? It’s so easy to condemn the mistakes of others but justify our own and make excuses.  We often think others are worse than ourselves when actually the reverse is true.

• When we judge others we create the measure that will be used to judge ourselves

‘For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged’ (Matthew 7:2 NLT).

If you are going to err concerning judging others, make sure it is on the side of mercy and grace. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Matthew 5:7). Paul taught, ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged’ (1 Corinthians 11:31). We must remember when we point the finger at other people, three fingers are pointing back at us!

• Church leaders are to safeguard the flock, not judge the world

‘It isn’t our job to judge outsiders. But it certainly is our job to judge and deal strongly with those who are members of the church and who are sinning in these ways. God alone is the Judge of those on the outside’ (1 Corinthians 5:12-13 TLB).

God will judge this world and bring it to an end in His timing. Leave the world to God for everyone has to stand before Him one day. Our job is to save the world, not condemn it. Paul said, ‘When I wrote to you before I said not to mix with evil people. But when I said that I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who live in sexual sin or are greedy cheats and thieves and idol worshipers. For you can’t live in this world without being with people like that’ (1 Corinthians 5:9-10 TLB).

He did not teach isolation from the world but separation from sinning Christians who were unrepentant. We are to shine as lights in a darkened world. Jesus said, ‘You are the light of the world’ (Matthew 5:14).

The world is what it is. Neither Jesus nor Paul went on a crusade against slavery or other moral issues in the world. Instead they challenged the believer to live right, whatever their world was like. Correcting social injustice is wonderful but not at the expense of preaching the gospel, the Christian’s first responsibility.

What the Bible does teach is for Christians not to fellowship with other believers who are deliberately living in an immoral way, in the hope they might repent and be restored. This is exactly what happened to the man who committed sexual immorality in the Corinthian Church. He was excommunicated from fellowship but godly repentance meant he was restored to fellowship once again. (See 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 7:9-12).

I am one of seven children, so there were nine of us around the meal table. If one of us was slouching, Dad would say, “Sit up straight!” Instinctively all seven of us would sit up straight whoever he was correcting. What Dad said had the desired effect on us all! So it is with the church. Deal correctly with Christians who sin openly and the whole church will react and “sit up straight!”

Any teaching that promotes, “Because God loves and has forgiven us, we can live how we want” is erroneous. His command to every Christian is ‘Turn away from everything wrong, whether of body or spirit, and purify ourselves, living in the wholesome fear of God, giving ourselves to him alone’ (2 Corinthians 7:1 TLB).

‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’ (1 Timothy 6:6).

The next time you are tempted to judge, have a look at yourself in God’s mirror, the Bible. Then thank God for His mercy and grace and pray for the one you were about to judge!