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I like to encourage all believers to watch my video, called Are You A Saved Or An Unsaved Believer? and to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith.
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Christians and Judging
Christians and Judging
Many Christians say that we should not judge but in this article I would like to show that God commands us to judge for two very good reasons.
1) To help our brothers and sisters remain on the Narrow Road of salvation.
2) To keep the church pure, separated from both sin and false teaching.
Many Christians misinterpret what the Bible says about judging and say that we should never judge. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus did say not to judge but a close look at these verses will show that He is referring to hypocritical, unloving and unjust judging. It is very wrong for us to make judgments about a person's motives or thoughts because we simply don't know their mind. However, in John 7:24, Jesus said, "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment". In this verse Jesus is talking about making righteous judgments in regard to God's laws. We must make biblically based judgments in matters of doctrine and righteous living because the Bible is our foundation and if we don't do what it says then it will become just another book. Then we will have no standard and everyone will be doing whatever they think is right, just like the Israelites in the time of the Judges - "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25 ESV).
If we want to keep God's commands then we must first judge what is right and what is wrong. For example, God says that we must expel from the church someone who says he is a brother but is a drunk or immoral etc (1 Cor. 5:11-13). How can we expel someone if we don't first judge that they actually are a drunk or immoral etc? The Bible also says that we should hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9). How can we do that if we don't first judge what is good and what is evil? So, we can see that we must make judgments about what is right and what is wrong so that we can obey God's commands.
Disputable matters -
Romans 14 talks about matters which we are not to judge because they are disputable. Disputable matters are things which God has left to our choice, such as as what we eat, what day we worship, what we wear to church etc. These are matters of personal choice and are not essential for salvation. We must always dress modestly but other than that we should be free to dress how we like. However, in Rom. 14:21, God tells us, ”It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall", so we must be careful not to do anything that could cause a person to fall because another person's salvation is far more important than pleasing ourselves.
Now lets look at personal things that are not disputable -
To decide if a personal activity is disputable or not ask yourself, "Can this affect someone's salvation?" If the answer is yes, then you can be sure that the Bible condemns the activity. God commands us to judge and discipline fellow believers concerning their personal conduct. For example, the Corinthians were told to "...expel the wicked man from among you … so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord" (1 Cor. 5:13, 5). This man was expelled from the church, after being judged as wicked, in the hope that he would repent and be “saved on the day of the Lord”. Another reason for removing unrepentant sinners from the church is so that their wickedness will not influence other believers because “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (1 Cor. 5:6).
A second example of warning our brothers and sisters is in James 5:19-20 which say, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Again we are told to turn a brother or sister from their error and save them from hell. As hard as it may be to do, it is an act of love to confront a sinning brother or sister and unloving not to.
There is a lot of peer pressure telling us not to judge. People will say, "We must not judge" or "Let's keep the unity, let's keep the peace". However, the Apostles did not feel the same way as the following examples show:
a) Paul openly spoke against certain men in 2 Tim. 2:16-18, 2 Tim. 4:14-15 and 1 Tim. 1:19-20.
b) In 3 John 1:9-11, John named a man who was in error.
c) Paul openly corrected Peter, a fellow Apostle, in Galatians 2:11-14.
d) 1 Tim. 5:20 says that leaders caught in false teaching or immorality are to be rebuked publicly.
e) Matt. 18:15-17 say that Christians who persist in sin must be spoken to and removed from the church, if they fail to repent.
These examples make it clear that we must publicly expose sin and error and the reason is love. 1 Tim. 1:3-5 say, “... command certain men not to teach false doctrines … the goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith”.
All throughout the world there are churches, televangelists and teachers with all sorts of false teachings, fake healing ministries and the false prosperity gospel. These people are described and condemned in 2 Pet. 2. The Bible urges us to separate from these errors and, in Gal. 1:6-9, God condemns those who preach false gospels. We must warn others about false teachings otherwise they may be badly misled and leave the path of holiness. So, it is most important that we make righteous judgments according to the Word of God so that we can separate ourselves from false teachings.
Once again, God commands us to judge both sin and doctrine for two reasons:
1) So that backsliding believers can be snatched from the fire and saved out of the devil's hand.
2) So that the church itself is free from evil influences, giving believers a holy place to worship in as 1 Cor. 15:33 tells us that “bad company corrupts good character”. Therefore, in the same way that an ex-alcoholic must keep away from alcohol, the church must separate itself from sin and error otherwise the sin will work its way through the church and corrupt other members and it won't be long before that church is little more than a social club.
To finish off, I would like to ask you this question, “If you were in error, and in danger of hell, would you want someone to warn you?” Yes, of course you would! So, in love, warn a brother or sister when it is necessary. Failing to judge righteously is most unloving because it will leave a sinner on the Broad Road to destruction so let us all follow God's commands and make righteous, biblically based judgments.
I have a slightly more detailed article at
http://www.christianissues.biz/judging.html
Mick Alexander
Many Christians say that we should not judge but in this article I would like to show that God commands us to judge for two very good reasons.
1) To help our brothers and sisters remain on the Narrow Road of salvation.
2) To keep the church pure, separated from both sin and false teaching.
Many Christians misinterpret what the Bible says about judging and say that we should never judge. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus did say not to judge but a close look at these verses will show that He is referring to hypocritical, unloving and unjust judging. It is very wrong for us to make judgments about a person's motives or thoughts because we simply don't know their mind. However, in John 7:24, Jesus said, "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment". In this verse Jesus is talking about making righteous judgments in regard to God's laws. We must make biblically based judgments in matters of doctrine and righteous living because the Bible is our foundation and if we don't do what it says then it will become just another book. Then we will have no standard and everyone will be doing whatever they think is right, just like the Israelites in the time of the Judges - "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25 ESV).
If we want to keep God's commands then we must first judge what is right and what is wrong. For example, God says that we must expel from the church someone who says he is a brother but is a drunk or immoral etc (1 Cor. 5:11-13). How can we expel someone if we don't first judge that they actually are a drunk or immoral etc? The Bible also says that we should hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9). How can we do that if we don't first judge what is good and what is evil? So, we can see that we must make judgments about what is right and what is wrong so that we can obey God's commands.
Disputable matters -
Romans 14 talks about matters which we are not to judge because they are disputable. Disputable matters are things which God has left to our choice, such as as what we eat, what day we worship, what we wear to church etc. These are matters of personal choice and are not essential for salvation. We must always dress modestly but other than that we should be free to dress how we like. However, in Rom. 14:21, God tells us, ”It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall", so we must be careful not to do anything that could cause a person to fall because another person's salvation is far more important than pleasing ourselves.
Now lets look at personal things that are not disputable -
To decide if a personal activity is disputable or not ask yourself, "Can this affect someone's salvation?" If the answer is yes, then you can be sure that the Bible condemns the activity. God commands us to judge and discipline fellow believers concerning their personal conduct. For example, the Corinthians were told to "...expel the wicked man from among you … so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord" (1 Cor. 5:13, 5). This man was expelled from the church, after being judged as wicked, in the hope that he would repent and be “saved on the day of the Lord”. Another reason for removing unrepentant sinners from the church is so that their wickedness will not influence other believers because “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” (1 Cor. 5:6).
A second example of warning our brothers and sisters is in James 5:19-20 which say, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Again we are told to turn a brother or sister from their error and save them from hell. As hard as it may be to do, it is an act of love to confront a sinning brother or sister and unloving not to.
There is a lot of peer pressure telling us not to judge. People will say, "We must not judge" or "Let's keep the unity, let's keep the peace". However, the Apostles did not feel the same way as the following examples show:
a) Paul openly spoke against certain men in 2 Tim. 2:16-18, 2 Tim. 4:14-15 and 1 Tim. 1:19-20.
b) In 3 John 1:9-11, John named a man who was in error.
c) Paul openly corrected Peter, a fellow Apostle, in Galatians 2:11-14.
d) 1 Tim. 5:20 says that leaders caught in false teaching or immorality are to be rebuked publicly.
e) Matt. 18:15-17 say that Christians who persist in sin must be spoken to and removed from the church, if they fail to repent.
These examples make it clear that we must publicly expose sin and error and the reason is love. 1 Tim. 1:3-5 say, “... command certain men not to teach false doctrines … the goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith”.
All throughout the world there are churches, televangelists and teachers with all sorts of false teachings, fake healing ministries and the false prosperity gospel. These people are described and condemned in 2 Pet. 2. The Bible urges us to separate from these errors and, in Gal. 1:6-9, God condemns those who preach false gospels. We must warn others about false teachings otherwise they may be badly misled and leave the path of holiness. So, it is most important that we make righteous judgments according to the Word of God so that we can separate ourselves from false teachings.
Once again, God commands us to judge both sin and doctrine for two reasons:
1) So that backsliding believers can be snatched from the fire and saved out of the devil's hand.
2) So that the church itself is free from evil influences, giving believers a holy place to worship in as 1 Cor. 15:33 tells us that “bad company corrupts good character”. Therefore, in the same way that an ex-alcoholic must keep away from alcohol, the church must separate itself from sin and error otherwise the sin will work its way through the church and corrupt other members and it won't be long before that church is little more than a social club.
To finish off, I would like to ask you this question, “If you were in error, and in danger of hell, would you want someone to warn you?” Yes, of course you would! So, in love, warn a brother or sister when it is necessary. Failing to judge righteously is most unloving because it will leave a sinner on the Broad Road to destruction so let us all follow God's commands and make righteous, biblically based judgments.
I have a slightly more detailed article at
http://www.christianissues.biz/judging.html
Mick Alexander
This is another well written, timely article, in which I am in complete agreement. I am going to put it on Facebook and Twitter, plus share it with all members - thanks.
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False doctrines are enshrined, when those who contend for the truth are labelled as divisive and judgmental.
Jude 1:3 ... continue your " vigorous defens e " of the faith that was passed down to the saints.
Paul says "do not associate with those who call themselves Christians but are immoral", in fact, he explicitly command s that we " expel the immoral believer " (1 Cor. 5).
Perhaps the most blatant example of apostasy from these teachings, is employing and protecting pedophile Priests, while expelling those who wish to marry.
Truth must not be sacrificed on the altar of unity . Rome's false, politically motivated ecumenism, is not the unity in truth and Spirit that God desires.
John 4:24 ...God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
Unloving, unjust, and hypocritical judging is condemned, but the Spiritual man is to judge all things - with righteous judgement . (1 Cor. 2:15, John 7:24)
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Here is an article which includes a video on this very subject:
Judge Not Or Make A Righteous Judgment? by Dan Corner
Here is a rather lengthy and thorough article by Ken Moran
"Judge Not": A Treatise on Christian Judgment According to the Holy...
Thanks Mick, for a well written and reseached truth about Judging amd Judgements. I have a trail of Scripture that I give people questioning judgings and judgements.
Acts Chapter 10: 39 - 43
CHRIST!
39 "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen — by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." NIV
Acts 17:29-31
29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone — an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." NIV
Romans Chapter 14 (which you used nicely) is an essential chapter to lead us in judgement!
Rom 14
Romans 14
14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written:
"'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'"
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do any