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Anybody that’s been in church
for a few years knows the verse in Matt. 7:1, “Judge
not that you be not judged.“
But what exactly does that mean? And more
importantly, what does the rest of the Bible say about
the subject?
How
to Judge
In I Cor. 5:1 to 6:11 is an account you may
want to read in its entirety. Paul is writing to
Christians and he begins by saying, “It is actually
reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
and such sexual immorality as is not even named among
the Gentiles -- that a man has his father’s wife!”
And then in 5:11 he says, “But now I have written to
you not to keep company with anyone named a
brother who is sexually immoral … not even to
eat with such a person.”
I Cor. 5:12-13 continues, “For what have I to
do with judging those also who are outside?
Don’t you judge those who are inside?
But those who are outside God judges. Therefore, put
away from yourselves the evil person.”
Then chapter six begins, “Dare any of you,
having a matter against another, go to law before the
unrighteous, and not before the saints?
Don’t you know that the saints will judge the
world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Don’t you
know that we shall judge angels?
How much more, things that pertain to this
life?”
Listen to verses 5 and 6: “I say this to your
shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even
one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before
unbelievers!”
II Thess. 3:14-15, I Tim. 5:19-21, 6:3-5, Titus
3:9-11, Matt. 18:15-17, and John 7:24 are all verses
that tell what to do about people who claim to be
Christians, but are sinning and not trying to stop.
The subject of church authority has been misused, so
good churches are afraid to touch it at all!
But if church leaders will read these portions
of Scripture and seek God for wisdom, they will do the
right thing and a lot of problems would be stopped.
But what is the lay person, the ordinary person
in the pews supposed to do about sinning they see in
fellow church- goers?
Judge
not?
What does it mean in Matt. 7:1 when it says
judge not? Please remember that whenever you find an apparent
contradiction in the Bible that God wrote it all, and
there is harmony if you hunt for it. Find out
what the rest of the Bible says about the subject. In
this case, a parallel verse is in Luke 6:37-38.
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will
be given to you, good measure, pressed down and shaken
together and running over will men put into your lap.
For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you.”
This is the principle of sowing and reaping
which is a strong teaching in Scripture, and a
spiritual law -- like the law of gravity. It works
when you put it to work.
I
Pet. 3:9 says, “Not returning evil for evil, nor
reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing;
knowing that you were called to this, that you may
inherit a blessing.”
Gal.
6:7-10, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for
whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh
reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of
the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow
weary while doing good, for in due season we shall
reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to
those who are of the household of faith.”
According to these verses, everything we do
is a seed. If you want good things to happen to
you, then make sure you are doing good things for
others. It’s
as simple as that. Now
concerning the subject at hand, you should understand
by now that if you want criticism to come your way,
then just continue being a critical person.
Juicy
stories?
And this includes gossip. Gossip has been
labeled by some as a demon that is having a hey-day in
our churches! I
don’t doubt it one bit!
Please pray Psa. 19:14, “Let
the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and
my redeemer.” If
you are guilty of gossiping, then pray this prayer
everyday until you gain the victory.
There’s another one in Psa. 141:3, “Set a
guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door
of my lips.”
Let’s go back to Matt. 7 now; verses 1-2.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what
judgment you judge, you will be judged. And with what
measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
And verse 12, “Therefore, whatever you want men to
do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and
the Prophets.”
That last verse has been misused and
misinterpreted, so let’s look at some parallel
verses for that one.
Luke 6:31, “And just as you want men to do to
you, you also do to them likewise.” (That verse is
from the sowing and reaping section that we cited
earlier.) James
5:9, “Do not grumble against one another,
brethren, lest you be condemned.”
And James 4:11-12, “Do not speak evil of
one another, brethren.”
The Amplified Bible is helpful also:
Matt. 7:1-2, “Do not judge and criticize and
condemn others, so that you may not be judged and
criticized and condemned. For just as you judge and
criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and
criticized and condemned, and in accordance with
the measure you deal out to others it will be dealt
out again to you.”
Church
discipline
If you notice sins in the church, do not
tell anyone until you have spent a good deal of time
(like weeks) in prayer about it. Pray for love for
the guilty party, and then you will not want to hurt
them. Pray good things for them and love will come.
Then, after that, if you think God would want you to
report it to your church leaders, spend some time
praying for the leader to have God’s wisdom.
You may give him this brochure.
But if a fellow Christian sins against you,
then you need to follow the guidelines in
Matt.18:15-17, but please pray first, like was
suggested above. |
