Oh how we fail to understand…

 

I have heard over recent days (and actually my whole life) that "we are not to judge others". I have heard people quote Matthew 7:1 ("Judge not, that you be not judged.") in defense of this notion that we are not to judge others. The warning given here in Matthew 7:1 is not demanding that we NEVER make a judgment about a person. In fact, if we were to never make a judgment about a person then why would we be told "do not be unequally yoked"? (2 Corinthians 6:14) We have to make a judgment about a person's relationship with the Lord based on this verse. The continuation of this verse is, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" A Christian cannot be "friends" with an unbeliever. (refer back to 2 Corinthians 6:14) If you think you can be then you need to read 1 Corinthians 15:33:"Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." How are we to know if someone is an unbeliever? We judge them by their fruit. Is this wrong? Absolutely not!

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart
brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."

Matthew 12: 33-35

We should not judge believers on the non-essential issues. In Romans 14:1-12, Paul gives us examples of the "non-essentials" that we are not to judge our "Christian" brothers and sisters on. However, we are to make correct judgments measured by the Word of God with everything in life. Scripture is not only to encourage those who need encouraging, but it is used to "correct and reproof" believers and unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 3:16-17) Christ is the standard that ALL men will be measured and judged by. Speaking the Word of God to someone who is sinning is Biblical, whether they are "Christians" or not. To merely take the position that "people know they are sinning and thus don't need us shoving scripture down their throats", is a cop-out and is unscriptural and unloving. This brings me to my next point. What is love?

 

Love is not some fuzzy feeling emotion that just "happens" to us. Loving someone is a choice. Also, love is uncompromising. Jesus Christ's love for us never compromises His Law or Commandments that we are to live by. It is because He loves us that He chastises us. (Proverbs 3:11, 12) If you speak the Word of God to someone and they become offended then the WORD did what God sent it out to do…this is called "conviction".

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
      It shall not return to Me void,
      But it shall accomplish what I please,
      And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:11

The most unloving thing a Christian can do is NOT tell an unbeliever they are infinitely offending an infinite God. It is also worse if a Christian does not confront his Christian Brother or Sister when they are openly sinning:

    There may be those who agree that the people need to hear what God has to say about deliverance from their sins…yet say in their hearts "but I know I'm saved and I think it best if someone else goes around telling people they need Jesus or it's off to the fires of Hell for them." This attitude is the ultimate antithesis to Christ's. You simply cannot get further away from the whole of Christianity if you entertain this in your heart and you may want to "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;…" (2 Cor 13:5). Simply neglecting the most important command given to the Church does not relieve one of the responsibility of it. God's opinion of someone knowingly not giving warning to those who are in danger is clearly expressed in Ezekiel 33:1-6:

    " …2.Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3.If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."

 

Scripture is what we use to determine if we are measuring up to Christ's standards. The verse on "judge not" IN CONTEXT does not tell us that we are NOT to judge others at all, but if you read on it commands us to "be careful" how we judge. It says that we will be judged by the same standard we judge others. So, don't be judging off of a double-standard. The same standard you judge yourself by (this should be God's Word) is what you are to judge other's by. This does not mean that we are the ultimate Judge of someone's heart. However, we can come to a biblically based conclusion that someone who is living a sinful lifestyle and claims to be a follower of Christ (professing Christianity)…is NOT regenerate. These people DO need to be corrected with the Word of God out of love and fear, because as Christians there is nothing else we are allowed to appeal to. You are not condemning them to hell by citing the scriptures that reveal their sin will not allow them entrance into Heaven but rather eternal separation and judgment from God; the very WORD of GOD does this all on its own. People who rebel against God are condemning themselves.

"All Scripture
is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

2 Corinthians 3:16-17

Let us always be humble and meek when we are correcting anyone. We also need to keep in mind that as Christians we CANNOT compromise what the Word of God says. Loving our neighbor as ourselves means that we have a heart to bring the lost to Christ; this usually means we are the bearer of bad news…but we didn't write the mail.

 

Serving God and My Family,

Crystal <>< (SAHM)