Teachings of Jesus (Part 8) Judging others
In my lesson last week I asked the question, ‘How do you like people to treat you?’ And then we examined what Jesus had to say in Luke 6:31 where He taught us to ‘treat others as you would have them treat you.’ Today I would like to look at what Jesus had to say next in that text as He continued His teaching on this subject.
In Luke 6:37-42 Jesus says “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Now in this last verse where He talks about giving, I don’t believe He was talking about giving money or possessions generously, rather the immediate context indicates our need to be VERY generous when it comes to forgiving others and showing them mercy as the previous verse urges. In that verse Jesus instructed that we are to ‘be merciful just as our Heavenly Father is merciful.’ Here He said you will be forgiven based on how much you forgive others. But Jesus isn’t finished, He continues on…
“ He also told them this parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41″Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ’Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
I think these passages of scripture, more than others, are familiar to unbelievers. They are used by all sorts of people who accuse Christians of being judgmental saying, “How dare you say my actions, my lifestyle, my choices are sinful? Didn’t Jesus say ‘do not judge’?”
So how do we respond? Is this teaching of Jesus really meant to keep us from saying anything is right or wrong? Should we join in with our culture and buy into the new definition of “tolerance” which means accepting all opinions, thoughts, actions as equally valid?
NO, I don’t think so! But if we are to know when it is appropriate to judge and when it is not we will have to lift our entire focus from just this passage to see the bigger picture of the New Testament’s teaching on this subject. Only then will we be able to confidently apply Jesus’ teaching correctly.
To begin with let me say that I believe that by “default” a Christian’s stance toward others is to be one of forgiveness and mercy, not judging and condemning. But, there are certain times when we are called upon to judge and not to judge. Understanding when comes only from a careful study of the scriptures – so let’s dive in!
Let’s consider a few passages that talk about – When are Christians NOT to judge?
1. Christians shouldn’t be judging and condemning others for breaking God’s laws, especially if we are doing the same things , or are guilty of sin ourselves. Yes I believe we are to hate the sin but we still need to love the sinner and not condemn them. (Luke 6:37-38, Rom. 2:1-5)
Rom. 2:1-5 says “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of HIS kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
Here Paul writes to us that when we pass judgment on others for their inability to follow God’s law – we’re doing two things. a. We’re really showing contempt for God and His way of leading people to repentance – through kindness, tolerance, and patience. b. We’re storing up wrath against ourselves – for as Jesus said back in Luke 6 “… with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Instead of passing judgment on people when they fail, Jesus taught us that we should forgive them and show them the same mercy that God shows us. If your 9 year child or grandchild lies to you, can you ever forgive them? Of course you can. But what if your next store neighbor lies to you, or your spouse lies to you, are you as quick to forgive them? Haven’t you lied at least once in your lifetime? None of us are perfect that’s why we need to learn to forgive. If we don’t you may find yourself going around miserable and upset with others all the time. I’m not saying that you can’t call that person out and tell they that you don’t appreciate being lied to. You can hate the sin but don’t give up on the person.
2. Christians are not to judge other Christians regarding disputable matters (those gray areas) .
Rom. 14:1f says, “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ”
There were all sorts of things that God-fearing people in Paul’s day disagreed upon like which religious festivals they needed to celebrate and here was it OK to eat meat from animals that had been sacrificed to idols?
Paul’s point to them – and to us – was that on matters like this it was much more important for people to follow their conscience than to impose their conscience beliefs on someone else nor should we judge or criticize them if they don’t do what we feel comfortable doing or not doing.
Is it OK to drink a glass of wine with a meal? Can you by a lottery ticket once in a while? What about theological debates? Must we all agree on exactly how the end times will play themselves out? Or which version of the Bible should we us?
Paul here is continuing Jesus’ theme that it’s NOT our job or our role to judge and condemn people for their opinions and actions concerning disputable matters or on matters of conscience.
3. Christians are not to judge a person’s hidden motives.
1Cor. 4:5 says “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. “
ILLUS: A grocery store check-out clerk once wrote to Ann Landers to complain that she had seen people buy “luxury” food items—like birthday cakes and bags of shrimp—with their food stamps. The writer went on to say that she thought all those people on welfare who treated themselves to such non-necessities were “lazy and wasteful.” A few weeks later Lander’s column was devoted entirely to people who had responded to the grocery clerk. One woman wrote: I didn’t buy a cake, but I did buy a big bag of shrimp with food stamps. So what? My husband had been working at a plant for fifteen years when it shut down. The shrimp casserole I made was for our wedding anniversary dinner and lasted three days. Perhaps the grocery clerk who criticized that woman would have a different view of life after walking a mile in my shoes. Another woman wrote: “I’m the woman who bought the $17 cake and paid for it with food stamps. I thought the check-out woman in the store would burn a hole through me with her eyes. What she didn’t know is the cake was for my little girl’s birthday. It will be her last. She has bone cancer and will probably be gone within six to eight months.”
There is no way any of us can know exactly why people do what they do. We can save ourselves and others a lot of grief and wonder by not trying to figure out everyone’s hidden and agendas.
The last thing I would like to mention and perhaps most importantly is #4. Christians are not to judge and condemn unbelievers.
In 1Cor. 5:12-13 Paul wrote “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”
John 3:17 it says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
If even Jesus did not come to condemn the world, what business is it of ours to do so? We must remember that God’s way of dealing with people who sin is that He is patient, kind, and tolerant (at least up to a point) – with the hope that they will someday come to repentance before it is too late. He hates the sin but loves the sinner. As His representatives – Christians should do the same.
So when are Christians to judge?
1. Christians are to use the mind of Christ to make judgments about everything that they are exposed to and may get involved in.
1Cor. 2:15-16 says “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
As a Christian we should constantly walk through life seeking the mind of Christ concerning what is right and wrong. We can know what is right and wrong because He has given us His written word and the Holy Spirit who will guide our conscience that is if we learn to keep in step with Him. (I like still WWJD)
2. Christians are to judge themselves.
1 Cor. 11:31-32 says, “But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”
Paul calls upon us to judge ourselves; more specifically to examine the things we are saying, doing, and thinking in the light of God’s word and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
This is what I believe Jesus was getting at when he said “get the plank out of your own eye before you go around pointing out the sliver in other people’s eyes!” Or if you are blind what right do you have to guide others? The focus of our judging should be on our own actions, not the actions of others!
3. The church is to judge unrepented sin among those who claim to be Christians.
1 Cor. 5:1-5 says, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”
Here Paul gives an example of someone who is claiming to be a Christian, but who is engaged in a nasty sexual relationship with his step mother, which was considered sinful according to God’s Law.
Here’s the point. There really is some things we shouldn’t be doing as believers. The Bible gives us clear guidance about how we are to live our lives. For example For example the Ten Commandments give clear guidance about things like stealing, murder, worshiping idols, and coveting. There is no need for further debate about such things. These are not gray areas.
God has spoken, and when people claim to be Christians and yet go against a clear law of God, discipline is necessary to bring them back into the fold. At such a time, it is not only our right to judge the behavior of fellow Christians, but it is our loving responsibility to do so; and always in love – and with restoration not punishment as the goal. If not such a person sinful activity can hurt the church in many ways, and that person can lose their soul.
We should always focus on the clearly stated word of God and if a fellow Christian’s actions go against those commands. Only then do we have a right to make a judgment and take action. If all goes well, after the person receives the loving rebuke hopefully they will repents. And then those who had to bring up the issue in the first place are to offer support, encouragement, forgiveness, and love. That is what God wants to happen!
From all this I see that Jesus wants us to be very careful when it comes to pointing a finger at and criticizing, judging and then condemning others. If we are going to judge or try to correct anyone we need to look at our self first. And then if necessary if a fellow believer stumble in some way, we have an obligation to humbly approach them to make them aware of their sin with the goal of getting them back on the right track.
Jesus said that we are to treat others the way we would like them to treat us. So be careful how you look at what others are doing. Rather be ready to cut them a break and show mercy, and forgiveness.
And God said if you can do that then when it come to Him judging you, you will receive an abundance of that mercy and forgiveness in return, so much so that your cup will overflow even after it has been pressed down, shaken together. It will overflow and, will be poured into your lap. For Jesus said, “ with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Based on a sermon by Don Jaques
For more lessons click on the following link: http://granvillenychurchofchrist.org/?page_id=566
All comments can be emailed to: bfronzek@gmail.com
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