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Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged
March 07, 2010
We have much freedom in Christ. One of the primary lessons that Jesus taught is that we are not to judge one another. God is our Master, and we are brethren. We have been given neither the authority nor the responsibility to judge others. Preachers and teachers are to inform and instruct. Elders are to lead by example. In none of this are we told to pass judgment on others, particularly not regarding eternity. That is reserved to God, through Jesus Christ. To their own Master, each Christian will stand or fall.
Bernie Parsons
Judge Not, That Ye Be Not Judged
By Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on
03-07-2010
Many take it upon themselves to pass
unrighteous judgment on their brothers and sisters in Christ. They love to
find fault, criticize and condemn. They feel as if it is their duty to beat
down their Christian siblings, rather than building them up. For
justification, they often use the following scripture.
John 7:24 "Judge
not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."
They say that this verse gives them the right, nay, the compulsion, to
micromanage the lives of others. They take this verse out of context to
construct this false doctrine. Here is the context.
John 7:23 "If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of
Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man
every whit whole on the sabbath day?
24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to
kill?"
In context, certain of Jesus’ Jewish brethren were criticizing Him for
breaking the Sabbath. What He spoke was a condemnation of their condemnation
of Him. They were unrighteously judging the Son of God, so He told them not
to do that, but to judge righteously.
This was not a command to judge, but a rebuke against unrighteous judgment.
Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me
pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out
of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brother's eye."
Jesus warned not to judge others. Why? Because
we all make mistakes and commit errors.
Romans 3:22 "Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:
for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God;"
Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned:"
1 John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make
him a liar, and his word is not in us."
These scriptures prove that we all sin. There
is only one propitiation – that word means
to regain favor or goodwill of –
for our sins, and that is Jesus Christ. Only He can restore our damaged
relationship with God. No man can repair that relationship. That damage
comes when we sin, or violate the instructions and teachings of God. Not
when we violate the teachings of man, but of God.
1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and
not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
We don’t need a preacher to intercede for us,
praying that our sins be forgiven. We don’t need a preacher to justify us.
We don’t have to be in the preacher’s good graces to be right with God. We
don’t need a preacher, or other church members, judging us and condemning
us. They cannot save us, so they have no obligation, power or right to
destroy us!
John 5:26 "For as the Father hath life in
himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute
judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I
hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will,
but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
Jesus is authorized to execute judgment. When
He judges, He judges according to what He heard from His heavenly father. It
is not about doing our own will, Jesus proclaimed, but about doing the will
of Almighty God.
John 8:15 "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no
man.
16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for
I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."
Jesus did not come to the earth to judge, but
rather to save, mankind. Even so, if He judges, He judges righteously,
because He speaks for God.
John 12:47 "And if any man hear my words, and
believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save
the world.
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my
words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same
shall judge him in the last day.
49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the
Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what
I should speak.
50 And I know that his commandment is life
everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me,
so I speak."
We don’t need some man – or woman – to judge
us. The word of God will judge us.
Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God
winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath
raised him from the dead."
When God’s judgment is rendered, it will be a
righteous judgment.
Romans 3:4 "God forbid: yea, let God be true,
but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in
thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
5 But if our unrighteousness commend the
righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh
vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the
world?"
We need to leave judgment up to the righteous
Judge, who tells us what to do with our lives.
Romans 14:4 "Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be
holden up: for God is able to make him stand."
Romans 14:10 "But why dost thou judge thy
brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the
Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account
of himself to God.13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but
judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall
in his brother's way."
1 Corinthians 4:3 "But with me it is a very
small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I
judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not
hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time,
until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall
every man have praise of God."
James 4:11 "Speak not evil one of another,
brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother,
speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law,
thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"
If we are not to judge one another, then what
is the nature of our relationship?
Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ.
3 For if a man think himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
4 But let every man prove his own work, and
then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
5 For every man shall bear his own burden."
Our function is to help one another grow
spiritually, and help one another overcome problems that this life throws at
us. Rather than being critical all of the time, we need to supply strength.
Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore follow after the
things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
Romans 15:1 "We then that are strong ought to
bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2
every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification."
Romans 15:5 "Now the God of patience and
consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to
Christ Jesus:
6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth
glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ
also received us to the glory of God."
By accepting one another, faults and all, and
by supporting and strengthening one another, we become one in, and with,
Christ. As we receive one another, we become of one mind.
2 Corinthians 13:9 "For we are glad, when we
are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
10 Therefore I write these things being absent,
lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the
Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be
of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and
peace shall be with you."
We exhibit spiritual maturity when we accept
one another, and work toward the growth and strengthening of all. Our
function is not to judge, but to support, to help to grow. This brings us
all together as we realize how much we care about each other, and how
willing each of us is to help the other. We become of one mind and one
spirit. It is the spirit of edification, building up. It is the Spirit of
God.
Let us therefore not judge one another.
