Truly... Christians Are To Judge Not?
Aug 3, 2017 06:08:32 #
Truly... Christians Are To Judge Not?
Having heard this "Judge Not" three times in a possible attempt to intimidate, suppress, quell and/or "stifle" unwelcome self-expression (mine),
What does the Bible actually say about judging?
1st Timothy 1:3-5: "… 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." God commands us to judge everything we are taught because of love for each of those in danger of being led away from God by false teaching. Failing to judge is failing to love.
In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus said not to judge, referring to hypocritical judging, going on to say that after cleaning up one's own life, one is then able to judge another.
It is, of course, always improper to make judgments about a person's motives or thoughts, but to judge a doctrine or teaching by comparing it to Holy Scripture is expected of us. It is the practice of spiritual discernment.
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, i.e., making judgments in matters of biblical doctrine and righteous living. The Bible is our foundation and those who don't spiritually discern and follow what God says, will be doing whatever they think is right, just as the Israelites did at the time of the Judges.
Judges 21:25: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes".
It is impossible to please God, without first judging what is right and what is wrong. 1 Corinthians 5:11-13: "... you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a fellow Christian but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a one do not even eat."
God has told us to judge fellow believers and, if necessary, to disassociate with them.
Then, in Romans 12:9, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good". That is impossible, unless one first judges what is good and what is evil. In order to live according to God's will and commands, one must first make judgments about what is right and what is wrong.
James 5:19-20: "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."
Without first judging his actions, it is not possible to follow these instructions. It is an act of love to confront false teaching, and it is uncaring not to do so. In Ezekiel 33:1-9, God warns the Watchman that if he fails to sound a warning, then he will be held accountable. All Christians are Watchmen so all should lovingly encourage those who have stumbled from the Biblical path. Failing to keep God's standards will allow sin to work it's way through the congregation and the church will become just another unholy social club.
Even though people today insist we should not judge, the Bible makes it clear that we should:
1) Paul named and spoke against certain men in 2nd Timothy. 2:16-17, 2nd Timothy. 4:14-15 and 1st Timothy. 1:19-20.
2) John named a man who was in error in 3rd John 1:9-10.
3) Paul publicly corrected Peter, his fellow Apostle, - Galatians 2:11-14.
4) Leaders caught in false teaching or immorality are to be rebuked publicly - 1st Timothy 5:20.
5) Christians who won't repent (change) must be removed from the church - Matthew 18:15-17.
These examples make it clear that we must judge and publicly expose error wherever and whenever encountered. The salvation of souls and purity of the church is dependent on it.
There is a lot of peer pressure repeatedly saying, "Judge Not ..., and not to speak out against false teachings. Even when it is known that souls are being misled, "good" people will say, "We must not judge" or "Let's keep the peace and unity". However, if no one speaks to reveal the error being taught, the final destiny of those who are deceived may well be eternal.
Jesus clearly taught in Matthew 24:10-11 that during the end times “many will turn away from the faith… and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” The Worldwide Ecumenical Movement is seducing millions of Christians into an ungodly unity of false hope which knows nothing about salvation through repentance and the Lordship of Jesus. Everyone allowing themselves to be drawn into this lie loses their only one Biblical hope of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. No other promise of salvation is spiritually true, and no one should settle for unity with error.
Throughout the world there are churches, evangelists and teachers with an endless array of false teachings, false gospels, fake healing ministries and the false prosperity gospel. These are described and condemned in 2 Peter 2:
1)But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2)Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3)In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping..
Romans 16:17 warns us to "… watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the Bible teaching you have already learned. Keep away from them," and in Galatians 1:8 God condemns those who preach false gospels."
Like the Bereans, in Acts 17:11, who are commended by God for constantly checking His Holy Scriptures to see if what they are now being taught is true, lest they be badly misled and leave the path of righteousness. It is most important to make righteous judgments, according to the Word of God, in order to recognize and separate oneself from false teachings.
So, in love, warn when it is necessary. James 4:17: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." Failing to judge righteously is unloving and could leave a fellow believer on the "broad road" to destruction. If false teaching in the church is not corrected, then error will spread, and the church will soon become little more than a social club.
God calls His people to worship and holiness, not worldly compromise.
Be a watchman for the Lord's sake. Judge all thing with spiritual discernment, in love, and in truth.
Having heard this "Judge Not" three times in a possible attempt to intimidate, suppress, quell and/or "stifle" unwelcome self-expression (mine),
What does the Bible actually say about judging?
1st Timothy 1:3-5: "… 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." God commands us to judge everything we are taught because of love for each of those in danger of being led away from God by false teaching. Failing to judge is failing to love.
In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus said not to judge, referring to hypocritical judging, going on to say that after cleaning up one's own life, one is then able to judge another.
It is, of course, always improper to make judgments about a person's motives or thoughts, but to judge a doctrine or teaching by comparing it to Holy Scripture is expected of us. It is the practice of spiritual discernment.
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, i.e., making judgments in matters of biblical doctrine and righteous living. The Bible is our foundation and those who don't spiritually discern and follow what God says, will be doing whatever they think is right, just as the Israelites did at the time of the Judges.
Judges 21:25: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did what was right in his own eyes".
It is impossible to please God, without first judging what is right and what is wrong. 1 Corinthians 5:11-13: "... you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a fellow Christian but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a one do not even eat."
God has told us to judge fellow believers and, if necessary, to disassociate with them.
Then, in Romans 12:9, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good". That is impossible, unless one first judges what is good and what is evil. In order to live according to God's will and commands, one must first make judgments about what is right and what is wrong.
James 5:19-20: "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."
Without first judging his actions, it is not possible to follow these instructions. It is an act of love to confront false teaching, and it is uncaring not to do so. In Ezekiel 33:1-9, God warns the Watchman that if he fails to sound a warning, then he will be held accountable. All Christians are Watchmen so all should lovingly encourage those who have stumbled from the Biblical path. Failing to keep God's standards will allow sin to work it's way through the congregation and the church will become just another unholy social club.
Even though people today insist we should not judge, the Bible makes it clear that we should:
1) Paul named and spoke against certain men in 2nd Timothy. 2:16-17, 2nd Timothy. 4:14-15 and 1st Timothy. 1:19-20.
2) John named a man who was in error in 3rd John 1:9-10.
3) Paul publicly corrected Peter, his fellow Apostle, - Galatians 2:11-14.
4) Leaders caught in false teaching or immorality are to be rebuked publicly - 1st Timothy 5:20.
5) Christians who won't repent (change) must be removed from the church - Matthew 18:15-17.
These examples make it clear that we must judge and publicly expose error wherever and whenever encountered. The salvation of souls and purity of the church is dependent on it.
There is a lot of peer pressure repeatedly saying, "Judge Not ..., and not to speak out against false teachings. Even when it is known that souls are being misled, "good" people will say, "We must not judge" or "Let's keep the peace and unity". However, if no one speaks to reveal the error being taught, the final destiny of those who are deceived may well be eternal.
Jesus clearly taught in Matthew 24:10-11 that during the end times “many will turn away from the faith… and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” The Worldwide Ecumenical Movement is seducing millions of Christians into an ungodly unity of false hope which knows nothing about salvation through repentance and the Lordship of Jesus. Everyone allowing themselves to be drawn into this lie loses their only one Biblical hope of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. No other promise of salvation is spiritually true, and no one should settle for unity with error.
Throughout the world there are churches, evangelists and teachers with an endless array of false teachings, false gospels, fake healing ministries and the false prosperity gospel. These are described and condemned in 2 Peter 2:
1)But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2)Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3)In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping..
Romans 16:17 warns us to "… watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the Bible teaching you have already learned. Keep away from them," and in Galatians 1:8 God condemns those who preach false gospels."
Like the Bereans, in Acts 17:11, who are commended by God for constantly checking His Holy Scriptures to see if what they are now being taught is true, lest they be badly misled and leave the path of righteousness. It is most important to make righteous judgments, according to the Word of God, in order to recognize and separate oneself from false teachings.
So, in love, warn when it is necessary. James 4:17: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." Failing to judge righteously is unloving and could leave a fellow believer on the "broad road" to destruction. If false teaching in the church is not corrected, then error will spread, and the church will soon become little more than a social club.
God calls His people to worship and holiness, not worldly compromise.
Be a watchman for the Lord's sake. Judge all thing with spiritual discernment, in love, and in truth.
Aug 3, 2017 07:11:55 #
What a great reminder. There IS evil in the world and our own government is keeping us from the precepts of what your article so eloquently expresses!!
Zemirah wrote:
Truly... Christians Are To Judge Not? br br Havin... (show quote)
Aug 3, 2017 08:04:53 #
lpnmajor
Loc: Arkansas
Zemirah wrote:
Truly... Christians Are To Judge Not? br br Havin... (show quote)
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God", that leaves little wiggle room for judging others, since no human can "remove the beam in their own eye".
You can rationalize all you want, but "vengeance is mine!" sayeth the Lord.
Aug 3, 2017 09:26:41 #
lpnmajor wrote:
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God", that leaves little wiggle room for judging others, since no human can "remove the beam in their own eye".
You can rationalize all you want, but "vengeance is mine!" sayeth the Lord.
You can rationalize all you want, but "vengeance is mine!" sayeth the Lord.
??? You have, for whatever reason, known only to you, thrown out three completely unrelated random thoughts.
It is other's words and actions that are to be "judged" for their spiritual content,in compliance with or deviance from the written Word of God.
No one can judge another person's motives, thoughts or heart. Only God looks at the heart.
??? Of course, Vengeance belongs to God. Vengeance?? What a peculiar thought?
Do you perchance, believe yourself involved in a petty soap opera?
I have no interest in rationalizing, or any need to rationalize, nor do I ever intend to "rationalize," when discussing spiritual events or spiritual figures; dealing rather in historical facts, dates and figures, and in using their own source material in discussing a spiritual movement, denomination, teaching or writing.
Because "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God," is the exact reason Jesus Christ came to earth and dwelt among us, before voluntarily suffering and dying on the Cross of Calvary "once for all," then resurrecting, and ascending to sit at the right hand of God, the Father, where He sits today, the only mediator between God, the Father, and all mankind, according to the Scriptures.
It is obvious you have no idea what I am discussing.
I do, however, so much appreciate your struggling effort to be relevant.
NOT.
Aug 3, 2017 09:32:39 #
maryla wrote:
What a great reminder. There IS evil in the world and our own government is keeping us from the precepts of what your article so eloquently expresses!!
Thank you for your kind words, maryla.
Aug 3, 2017 14:40:25 #
Zemirah wrote:
Truly... Christians Are To Judge Not? br br Havin... (show quote)
Judgement is implicit in working out our own salvation. One must judge in order to determine what is evil in the eyes of God and what is good. It is on the basis of what we did with such judgements that we ourselves will be judged. Without the ability of judgement their cannot be any guilt or sin.
Aug 3, 2017 22:05:20 #
pafret wrote:
Judgement is implicit in working out our own salvation. One must judge in order to determine what is evil in the eyes of God and what is good. It is on the basis of what we did with such judgements that we ourselves will be judged. Without the ability of judgement their cannot be any guilt or sin.
God has told us what He considers evil and what He considers good. The ability to read and comprehend should suffice, as He provided us a written manual.
After making a judgment of sin, confession and repentance (not penance), is required (in our prayer closet), not to make a display of self-righteousness before men.
As to there being any guilt or sin, if your inability to judge is based on your refusal to listen to the conscience God has given every human being, you get no pass.
If due to mental defect, which is very rare, some responsible adult should have been watching you.
1st John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
According to the Bible, every believer is a priest unto God. He knows nothing of a ministerial or hierarchical "priesthood." In Revelation 1:6, John writes that Christ has made all Christians "to be a kingdom of priests" (Revelation 1:6; see also Revelation 5:10; 20:6). Peter writes that every true believer is a member of a "royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9).
All believers are "being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices" (1 Peter 2:5). These sacrifices are a yielded life (Romans 12:1), financial support of Christian ministry (Philippians 4:18), and "praise to God" (Hebrews 13:15), Not an ongoing sacrifice for sin, for Jesus finished it. There is no further sacrifice for sin.
If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains.
(Hebrews 10:26)
That is Christianity 101, pafret.
Aug 3, 2017 22:13:22 #
Zemirah wrote:
God has told us what He considers evil and what He... (show quote)
Very few people walk around with a bible or have the memory to recall those verses. Additionally the situations which require judgement are not always cut and dried. The Decalog provides the moral precepts which are foundational. One can live a moral life in total ignorance of the bible, it is just easier with than without.
Aug 3, 2017 23:47:36 #
pafret wrote:
Very few people walk around with a bible or have the memory to recall those verses. Additionally the situations which require judgement are not always cut and dried. The Decalog provides the moral precepts which are foundational. One can live a moral life in total ignorance of the bible, it is just easier with than without.
Ah! That is why we are to pray for spiritual discernment. Each person is judged according to the knowledge they have. God has promised that those who seek Him will find Him.
"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." James 4:17
"Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you." James 4:8
Are you sure that isn't spelled Decalogue? Do you find the term, the Ten Commandments, to be too pedestrian?
Your posts, seem to shriek "Jesuit," in a rather low key manner?
Aug 8, 2017 22:34:05 #
pafret wrote:
Very few people walk around with a bible or have the memory to recall those verses. Additionally the situations which require judgement are not always cut and dried. The Decalog provides the moral precepts which are foundational. One can live a moral life in total ignorance of the bible, it is just easier with than without.
James 2:11
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