To Judge or Not to Judge: What does Scripture Teach? (Part 2)

If Jesus warns against passing hypocritical judgment on others (Matthew 7:1-5), and Paul urges us not to judge "outsiders" (i.e., those who are unredeemed, "outsiders" - 1 Corinthians 5), are there ever times when in fact God expects us (Christians) to make evaluations, even to "judge"?

INSIDE THE FAMILY OF GOD - HOLDING EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE

It is quite clear the answer to the question is "yes."  We are called to humbly and yet decisively hold one another accountable within the family of God, within the company of the redeemed. 

First, Jesus gave his followers a process for dealing with sin which occurs between them.  In Matthew 18 the Lord instructed,

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault--between him and you alone.  If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.  But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen to the witnesses, tell it to the church.  And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector."

This process could hardly go on without some evaluation or discerning, some "judging" (if you will).  Of course, this must be more than a "he said" vs. "she said."  Witnesses of the wrong should be brought in, when necessary, to make verify objectively that sin has been committed and needs to be confessed and left behind.

Realizing personal interests can become selfish and harmful to others, Jesus outlined a simple way of keeping our accounts clean and clear with one another.  His method implies that people will trust each other's appraisals and respond humbly to one another.  Defensiveness will only aggravate and create distance.

Second, Paul asks the Corinthians to evaluate (or judge) a man in their congregation who was openly living in sexual sin, "having his father's wife" (cf. 1 Corinthians 5).  He was someone who claimed to trust in Christ and follow Christ, but saw no need to step out of a relationship that was even shameful among unbelievers (i.e., incestuous).  Within this family of God, such open, sinful, and unholy behavior was not to be tolerated.  It shamed the reputation of God's holiness among His people.  Within this family of God, there was to be a call is man's life to step away from this relationship, repent, and honor the Lord and His Word.  Should he refuse to do so, he was to be set outside the fellowship of believers.

Paul was embarrassed that the believers had tolerated such open sexual sin for so long.   Some were even arrogant about it, rather than mourning over it.  "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greed or swindlers, or idolaters,  since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of  'brother' if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater...Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?" (1 Cor 5:9-12).

So the family of God should humbly yet firmly deal with those who claim the name of Christian but want to live in open, unchecked sin.   Evaluation and clear consequences must follow for anyone who wants to claim Christ but live by Satan's license.

Third, there are a number of examples where fellow disciples needed to rebuke other disciples in order to urge obedience to the Lord and His Word.  Paul called out Peter for being a hypocrite with the Gentile believers in Antioch (Galatians 1).  Paul urged the believers in Philippi to help two women sort out their disagreements and disputings (Philippians 4).  James had some straight to those who were not demonstrating true faith and religion by refusing to help those in need (James 1).  He urged that Christians "confess sins to one another and be healed" of spiritual discouragement (James 5). 

CONCLUSION - the Family of God humbly judging one another

All of these things call for a "judging," that is, a discerning of what behavior dishonors the Lord and must be corrected.   Christians are to humbly look to themselves first, but also be willing to hold one another accountable for a living that pleases God.  Again, Paul urged this mutual sharpening when he wrote, "Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the week, be patient with all men" (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

In these ways -- when we are humble with and responsive to one another -- do we become more like our Savior.

To Judge or Not to Judge: What Does Scripture Teach? (Part 1)

Haddon Robinson (in What Jesus Taught about Successful Living) once suggested that Matthew 7:1 was perhaps the best known quote from the lips of Jesus of Nazareth.

"Judge not, lest you be judged."

But, that's not the end of it.  Jesus continued.  "For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye.  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is a log in your own eye.  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye"  (Matthew 7:2-5).

THINKING ABOUT WHAT JESUS MEANT

So, in light of ALL that Jesus said, what did he mean by "Judge not, lest you be judged."

First, Jesus is rebuking hypocrisy.  He is talking about the unbalanced blindness that we can have when we conclude that the small problem someone else has, but can't see, is more important than the large problem we have --  one which we refuse to see or deal with.   Paul spoke of this when he said to Christians (cf. Galatians 6:1-2), "If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in in a spirit of gentleness, keeping watch on yourself, lest you be tempted.  Those who are proudly unwilling to deal with their own "logs" shouldn't be eagerly running around looking for others' "specks."

Interestingly, Jesus does suggest that once we've removed our own "log," and humbled by that, we may be ready to help someone else with their "speck."  This leads to the second point.

Second, Jesus urges we live humbly and relate humbly with others.  That is, we humbly understand and address our own faults first before looking to deal with the faults of others.   The truth is that we live in a critical age.  Our societal habit is to quickly look for fault in others and assume that they do things we consider wrong for reasons we consider unacceptable.

The reality is that we don't know the full picture of why people do what they do.  Sometimes, after being quickly critical, we later get the full picture and feel embarrassed we drew the wrong conclusions.  Humility forbears, and admits that it likely doesn't understand the full picture.  James put it this way, "Let every one of you be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to become angry" (cf. James 1:19).

Third, Jesus warned that our applied-on-others standards will be surprisingly applied to us.  There is a hint of the disciplining work of our Father in this.  Should we be in the habit of always correcting others with our pet-set of "things that should be," we may find ourselves failing in the same ways, only to feel the stinging condemnation of others that we previously dished out.

Fourth, Jesus is teaching that God alone is the only Righteous Judge, and we should leave the job to Him.  Paul spoke of this to the Romans: "Don't pass judgment on another...It is before his own Master that he stands or falls.  And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).

CONCLUSION to Part 1

To this end, Paul told the Corinthian believers that we (the church) should not be engaged in judging those outside of Christ by the moral standards we have as God's redeemed children.  "For what have I to do with judging outsiders," he writes (1 Corinthians 5:12).  "God judges those outside."

We who belong to God are urged to relate to the unbelieving world in several key ways, all which flow from a genuinely humble heart.

We are to be "salt" in a tasteless world and "light" in dark places...winsomely expressing the love of Christ to those outside, far away, hurting.  However, we are not called to lead with criticisms of them nor condemning judgment upon them.

Jesus served those far from God.  He prayed for those who hated him, spent time in relationship with some of the most notorious sinners in his society, told them stories about lost coins and lost sheep and a wayward son whom a father still longed for.