May 13

Written by:
5/13/2010 12:05 PM 

    Two words. Okay, in many translations, its three words: "Do not judge." But, for the sake of keeping with the New King James Version that I usually use, I'll keep with the two words that start the last chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 7: "Judge not." These two words seem to cause more controversy and open more wounds than just about any other two word combination that I can think of in the English language.

    However, an important aspect not to lose hold of is what is called doctrine. Doctrine is a belief taught in the Word when studied as a whole and correctly interpreted. For example, if you speak about the doctrine of judging, then you would have to look at all instances of judging in the Bible and correctly administer judgement according to the doctrine. Obviously, if you looked up any and all forms of the word "judge" in a concordance, you would find hundreds of instances. Forming doctrine does not only come from studying all instances of one specific word, but also from correctly interpreting the context of certain Scriptures. Without getting too much into hermeneutics and other big, long Christian words that try to make me sound smarter than I really am, let me explain what I mean by this. Instead of taking the words "judge not" and saying "don't judge me," take the whole context of what Jesus is saying, which in this instance is covered in Matthew 7:1-5. Before I talk about these Scriptures however, remember that verses and chapters were not added when the Bible was originally written, so sometimes a beginning of a chapter is not necessarily a new thought. That's where and why Paul's words to a young, zealous pastor by the name of Timothy is so important: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV, italics mine). Upon studying Jesus' Words in Matthew 7:1-5, you will notice that Jesus was not forbidding judging as a whole, but hypocritical judging. Verse 5 especially spells this out: "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." If you're caught up in a sin, but telling someone else not to do that same sin, that is hypocritical. Even notice how Jesus essentially lays out a cause and effect scenario: "First remove...your own...and then...remove the speck from your brother's eye." Once this sin is no longer a problem for you, you can be an encouragement for someone else and help show them the fruit of getting out of that sin and not be judgemental.

    However, the church also makes its fair share of mistakes when it come to the doctrine of judging. Take what Paul wrote in his first letter to the church in Corinth as a demonstration for this point:

    "I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner - not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person.'" ~ 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

    So, the Bible does give us as believers the right to judge other believers, at least those who call themselves believers. If they are not acting like believers, the Bible even tells us to go so far as to "not even...eat with such a person." Too many believers though, judge the world and people who do not claim to be Christians. This is also unbiblical, as demonstrated by this set of Scriptures. God judges those who are outside...then it must be our job to love them, accept them, be a witness to them, and be salt and light to them. Let's stop being shocked that the world is acting like the world and start living like Jesus called us to live, so that He can draw all men unto Himself through our witness.