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It Is Not Wrong To Judge
© 2015
by
Stephen A. Peterson
And satan said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will give His angels charge over You…”
Matthew 4:6 (NIV)
Judge, investigate, discern! Be watchful of those who deceive, hypocrites and utopianists. Think before you decide! Understand that those who desire your downfall are able to cite Scripture for their purpose—at times wicked purposes. Is it not a wonder that so many who are not Christian, even hate Christianity consistently quote the following:
“Judge not, that you be not judge”. Matthew 7:1 (NIV).
But in most cases, leave out the rest of Christ’s statement that is the following:
“For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it
will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye,
but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the speck from
your eye; and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7: 2-5 (NIV)
So what does all of this mean? Does Christ indicate that one cannot judge? NO! What He does state is to clean up your actions/self before you point out what is wrong with others.
Secondly, it is not a human person’s authority to condemn anyone. This is where so many people who are Christian make their mistake. They are unable to separate judgment from condemnation. Judgment is whereby a person’s act/behavior is recognized or pointed out. Examples: “You committed adultery. Pornography is a sin. Lying is a sin.” All legitimate ways to point out sinful offenses against God—Not condemnation. An example of condemnation: You ARE going to hell for…” Such a statement is what makes the person who utters them appear to others so offensive. No one has the authority to condemn a person to hell except God. A person may go for years sinning then reconciles his sin or sins with God before he or she dies. Or he or she may reconcile their sin with God when it is pointed out by someone concerned about her/his soul.
So why do non-believers quote Matthew 7:1 as often as they do? Many do so to shut down Christians. Amazing as it might sound, many Christians have cowered to those who have misappropriated this Scripture verse. Christians, by the thousands, are often heard to say: “I don’t judge because it is a sin.” Or “Who am I to judge?”
Because good men and women refuse to stand to wrong, evil has resulted in a loss of freedom, the growth of evil and immorality. Scoundrels are professors of virtue but not possessors of it. Those who desire to live in sin are artists in deception, actors who make sin sound and seem good. Today, they make those who stand for virtue, integrity, honesty, for that which is good appear out of touch, ignorant, bigoted, and useless. They count on, Christian gullibility; weak link to their faith and, in recent years, to fear making judgments between right and wrong
They carry a huge bag of tricks. They play on honesty when they are dishonest, they appeal to truth when they are blatant liars; they say love you when they despise you as well as themselves; and they quote Scripture when they do not believe it or enticing a Christian to sin and not be Christ-like.
Prayer:
Almighty God, help me to judge others as I would want them to judge me. When I must judge someone, let me do so in the spirit of Godly, unconditional love. To judge privately, not publicly; in a gentle manner, not with an evil, injurious mindset; in a humble manner, not in a prideful, demeaning fashion for personal destruction of another. Father, help me discover the good in others; to never be akin to inaccuracies, false information about another; to judge no one’s actions or behaviors without honestly obtained; truthful information concerning the person. Lord, may I prayerfully and dutifully remember Your warning to me who judge another—to remove the beam in my own eye before I judge another. Lord, it is never my authority to damn or condemn another. It is only You, my God, who has this authority. When I judge another, let me do so prayerfully, with a contrite heart and spirit and with Your hope for that person. For Lord, I will be judged by YOU in accordance as to how I judge my brothers and sisters. I pray these things invoking Your Most Holy Name. Amen.
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Thank you for this needed clarification on how Christians judge without sinning. Satan's best ploy is to silence truth, and Jesus is the way,the TRUTH, and the life. Anytime a Christian is silenced, Jesus is silenced. Thanks again for your clear differentiation between judging (which we ARE to do) and condemnation which we leave in God's hands.
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