Judging Others

Having received a question regarding judging others, I will use the blog this week to discuss some of the Bible passages that teach on this matter.  First, I remind the reader that I do not claim to have all the answers; I just seek the answers from God's Word. 

It must be appropriate to begin this search by going to Matthew 7 and look at the words of Jesus: "Judge not, that you be not judged.  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!"  The teaching of Jesus is very clear here.  We must have the right attitude toward others....and even toward our own selves.  We must recognize our own weaknesses and work on those, giving the remedial priority to ourselves over that of others.

Next we go to the teaching of Paul, as recorded in 1Corinthians 5.  The early part of chapter 5 tells us that the church is to purge out anyone who is openly sinning.  An example is given of a man who is being sexually immoral with his father's wife.  Paul says they are not to tolerate this.  In order to follow this teaching, members of the church must judge this person, must be able to make a reasonable judgment that this open sinning is occurring.  "Purge out the old leaven.." he says in verse 7.  In doing this, the individual Christian still must make it his first priority to work on his own sins and recognize that he is no perfect person either.

Toward the end of chapter 5, rather than church action against open sin, we read teaching to the individual: "I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.  Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person.  For what have I to do with judging those who are outside?  Do you not judge those who are inside?  But those who are outside God judges.  Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person.' "

As Christians, we must 1) consider first our own sins--not going around judging everyone else, 2) not tolerate open and obvious sin in the church, and 3) not make it our business to judge those outside the church--God will take care of that. 

With all of that said, we must each one take to heart the teachings of Paul in 1Corinthians chapter 6, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived.  neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

And I write this with great trepidation, looking at myself......not at you.  Have a great week!