Throughout time, people have had the tendency to judge other
people by different standards than they judge themselves. Within the church this is also true. The sins, faults, and shortcomings of others
are often judged harshly while glaring sins in one’s own life are ignored. Someone has wisely said “We need to deal with
the faults of others as gently as our own.”
Jesus knew our tendency to judge with unbalanced scales would always be
a problem for people; therefore He gives plenty of warnings to judge all things
righteously. Judgement itself is not really the problem,
but it is the type of judgment we
often use that is at issue. Judgment
should always we discerning and compassionate and free of hypocrisy to the
greatest degree possible.
We cannot
make “righteous” judgments until we have the right view of God. Many who do not know God at all are commonly
passing judgments. Many who could not
quote John 3:16, the 23rd Psalm, or The Golden Rule seem to know
Matthew 7:1 which says “Judge not that you be not judged.” It has become a mantra for the biblically
illiterate generation to justify their own behavior and the behavior of others
to whom they are sympathetic. The world
likes the adage “I’m ok, you’re ok,” but that cannot be true. It is not true because it would elevate
diversity of thought to the place of the highest good over and above God’s Word
or any other truth that could be viewed as absolute.
Sadly, many
who do not care about the Ten Commandments, the resurrection of Christ, the
second coming, Heaven, etc. somehow care about Matthew 7:1. The reason is clear. This verse is used by many to selectively
“self justify” themselves, and is further used as a battering ram against
anyone who tells them they are wrong.
If we take
Matthew 7:1 in its most literal sense we cannot or should not judge anything,
but is that what Jesus is teaching?
Clearly, no one could make it through a day of their lives without
making many judgment calls. In most
contexts no one really cares if judgments are made. For instance, consider two people watching a
football game. One says, “that coach
should be fired!” Does the other one say “Judge not that you be not
judged?” How about two people watching a
presidential debate. One candidate says
something one person watching does not like and he comments “That person should
not be allowed to run for President.”
Does the other person respond “Judge not that you be not judged?” What about if two people are talking and one
says “I think Whataburger makes the
best hamburgers around; they are so much better than McDonalds.” Does the other
respond “Judge not that you be not judged?”
What about a judge in a courtroom rendering a verdict? Does the lawyer for the losing party stand
and shout out “Judge not that you be not judged?” What about if two people are talking and one
says “I do not believe two men should be allowed to marry one another.” The other responds “Judge not that you be not
judged.” Awe . . . Now finally, here is
where we are likely to hear this verse quoted! There are plenty of examples
that could be used here but we can easily see how selective we are about how
that verse is used in our society?
What is
really going on here in Matthew 7:1 when Jesus warns about judgment is that He
is continuing the same theme of the entire Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5-7) and
emphasizing the necessity of making righteous judgments in all things. Again, apart from a right view of God, there
will be no righteous judgments made.
Jesus made
judgments all the time. He judged
people, He judged places, and He judged things.
He is though emphasizing the importance of exercising the right kind of
judgment as a part of overall righteous living in all things. Commentator David Turner writes “The Jesus of
the Sermon on the Mount clearly would not deny the existence of moral absolutes
from which one can make absolute statements about right and wrong, good and
evil . . . Jesus Himself makes such judgments.” (David L. Turner; Matthew; BECNT; 205) How then can we be righteous in our
judgments? Hebrews 5:14 is very
instructive here. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that
is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil.” The key word here is
“Maturity.” Without spiritual maturity
we will not be able to make righteous decisions; we probably will not even come
close! Right judgment begins with God’s
Word; not with us!
We have probably
all made statements which were perceived by someone else as passing harsh
judgment and condemnation on another and it was not received well. I remember one such time where someone reacted
to something I wrote by responding “Only God can judge.” My response to this lady was “You are
absolutely right. But, on what basis
does He judge?” What I wanted this lady
to see was that God has already told us in His Word, the Bible, how He judges all
things. It is no mystery; there is no
guesswork when it comes to major moral issues.
Any ambiguity is only in a person’s mind or can be attributed to their
lack of understanding.
When people
say we cannot and should not judge things that are clearly discussed in His
Word they are, in effect, saying God’s Word is not sufficient on the matter at
hand, or perhaps on any matter! That is
a grave error. What kind of God would
tell us something is wrong in His written Word when He really considers it right or ok?
Or, what kind of God would tell us something is good or ok in His
written Word when in reality He does not
consider it right or ok? Only a very
cruel, whimsical, sort of God would mislead the ones He created down the wrong
path. Scripture says, “God is light and
in Him is no darkness at all.” We can be
supremely confident that God will judge all people according to His written,
revealed Word. It is the most fair and
loving thing He could possibly do.
When we
judge with righteous or Godly judgment, we are judging with God’s Word clearly
guiding us. With the knowledge we then poses
we can help guide others toward the truth.
To accept everything at face value and leave people alone in their sins
just because they quip “Judge not” is not the most loving thing to do. Jude, in his epistle, warned others to have
compassion and save some so as by fire, hating even the garment defiled by the
flesh (Jude vs. 22-23) Satan has fooled
and is fooling many into thinking their sins are all ok, and further he has
fooled many into believing that acceptance of sin and sinful lifestyles are the
most loving thing to do; but God’s Word is living and powerful and sharper than
any two-edged sword and can cut through everything else finally making its way
to the sinful human heart. It is the
heart that needs to be changed. Until
the heart desires God, everything else it desires will fail to satisfy. As we judge righteously, we need to remember
everything begins with the right view of God.
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
No comments:
Post a Comment