Introduction Do Not Judge One Another Text: Selected Scriptures Series: The One Another Statements in the New Testament [#10] Lyle L. Wahl March 13, 2011 This is our tenth week on the One Another statements of the New Testament. Perhaps at first look we might think they are simple truths. Christians are members of one another. We are to love, pray for, accept, encourage, serve, build up, submit to and forgive one another. These might seem to be warm fuzzies, that is, warm, comfort-giving truths. But when we examine them, we realize they are not so simple. They bring great benefits, but there is much more to belonging to one another than being a member of the same organization, just as there is much more to loving one another than smiling and saying Have a nice day! Many things are like that. Think about two simple questions. #1: What is a table? Now before you think I ve insulted your intelligence, and, That s simple! A flat surface supported by one or more legs. You might think of a philosopher who may respond by asking if you are talking about the abstract idea of table or a concrete object. Okay, question #2: Where did Panama hats originate? If you quickly shout out Panama, you re wrong because the hat originated in Ecuador. At first they were shipped from Ecuador to Panama for international distribution, and so it became known as the Panama hat, not the Ecuador hat. Not as simple as it first seems. The statement we are looking at today certainly is not as simple as it might appear at first. Jesus said, Do not judge. 1 The apostle Paul wrote, let us not judge one another 2 Do not judge one another. Confusion. While these words may sound straightforwardly simple, they are not. There is a fair bit of confusion about what they mean and do not mean among both Christians and non- Christians. Think about some of the ideas non-christians have about Christians and the Bible s command Do not judge. Some of the most common criticism of Christians is that they are very judgmental and hypocritical. After all, some say, Christians should follow the Bible Love your neighbor, Do not judge, but instead they judge people on everything from abortion to politics. One person put up a page on the internet stating This group is for people who are sick of right-wing Christians telling people how to live their lives who can forget that lovely passage,
Judge not [That] Ye Not Be Judged? Didn t JESUS say that? So calm down and live and let live 3 Then there is the well-known philosopher Charles Barkley. Okay, I admit that he may be known more for his years as a professional basketball player than for being a philosopher. In an interview that centered on politics he stated, Every time I hear the word conservative, it makes me sick to my stomach, because they re really just fake Christians, as I call them. That s all they are I think they want to be judge and jury they re not supposed to judge other people. But they re the most hypocritical judge of people they should read the part [of the Bible] about they re not supposed to judge other people. They forget that one when it doesn t fit what they want it to say. 4 Before we think that these views are held by just a few non-christians, we should pay attention to research. In response to the question Please indicate if you think each of these phrases describes present-day Christianity, the top three negative responses by non- Christians in the age group from 16 to 29 were antihomosexual, 91%; judgmental, 87%; hypocritical saying one thing, doing another, 85%. 5 A big part of the confusion here is the thinking that all judgments are wrong and that Christians do not have a right to judge behavior or people because Jesus said they are not to do that. We will return to this later. There is also confusion as people look at what the Bible has to say about God and judging. The words of and about Christ leave some people confused. On the one hand, He said He did not come to judge, did not judge people. For example, in John s gospel we read For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 6 7 He said to the Pharisees, You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. As He approached the cross and people were not believing in Him, He said, If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 8 That s on the one hand. But on the other hand, the New Testament tells us Jesus Christ is the Judge who judges, who will judge. Staying in John s gospel, Jesus said, For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son. 9 And, I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 10 Again, I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you. 11 2
The apostle Paul wrote that Christ Jesus will judge the living and the dead, 12 and that He is the righteous Judge. 13 God does not contradict Himself in the Bible, or at any time. But in looking at some or all of these and similar statements, some are confused about how it fits together and what the Bible says. We will see some of how these things go together later. A third area of confusion comes from looking at the Bible and what it has to say about Christians judging or not judging. Jesus clearly said, Do not judge. In the opening verses of Matthew 7, Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (1-2) In Luke chapter 6, Do not judge, and you will not be judged (37) The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 14, as we read just a bit ago, Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Again he said, The one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats And again him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? (1-4). And, But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? (10). And once more, Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother s way (13). But Jesus also said we are to judge. In Luke s gospel, the twelfth chapter beginning at verse 54 He tells us, When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, A shower is coming, and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, It will be a hot day, and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze [or, you know how to judge] the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? (54-47) hen in John s gospel Jesus said, Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment (7:24). The apostle Paul also tells us to judge. With respect to ourselves, in Romans 12:3 he instructs, For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 3
In clarifying what and who we are to judge in 1 Corinthians 5 he asked the church there, Do you not judge those who are within the church? (12). And then, about matters between themselves, Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?, Are you not competent to judge things among yourselves as a church? (6:2). He also told that church to judge what he said (10:15). And so, along with the confusion from non-christians about Christians, and from what the Bible says about God judging, there also is confusion from what the Bible says about Christians judging and not judging. Clarification. We need to drive away the dark clouds of confusion and bring in the bright skies of clarity. We get that clarity as we understand something of the words or terms that are used and how they fit in the real world, and from Scripture. First, let s consider the words for judging and how things go in the real world. The prominent word for judge or judging in the language of the New Testament means to separate, distinguish, to select, decide and, in a legal sense, to deliver a verdict. This word covers a broad range of judging. And so it is in our language and our real world lives. Everyone has and uses some measure of discernment, judgment. Infants recognize their parents voices, distinguishing them from others. Children are taught and learn to spot and separate safe from unsafe situations. Drivers judge or determine whether the traffic light is green or red. God has placed basic principles within us 14, and we develop a set of moral principles that we use to separate right from wrong, no matter how incomplete or inaccurate they may be. Judgment, discernment is part of God s design for us. It has been affected by the fall, by sin. So our moral eye is clouded over, our moral compass is not true. Everyone judges things, events and people from a variety of perspectives. Some of that judgment is critical not only to our well being, but also to our survival. We do and we mujst make judgments. This tells us that Do not judge is not as simple as it may seem to some. After all, people are making and stating their own judgments when they say Christians should not judge actions or people according to the truth of Scripture because Jesus said Do not judge, and that if they do those Christians are hypocrites. Making a judgment does not by definition make anyone a hypocrite. At the same time, judgments are not neutral they express value. Some are right, others are wrong both in terms of type and specific applications. And for this we turn not to research, opinion polls or popular opinion, but to the Bible. 4
The clarity we need on judging, what to judge, how to judge, when to judge comes from the Bible. We can get that as we look at several key passages and then at several key concepts to guide us. Let s start with pulling together two key passages. Turn to Matthew 7, a passage we read earlier. You can find it on page 5 in second or New Testament section of the pew Bible. Starting at verse 1, Jesus is speaking, Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother s eye. (1-5) One of the basic principles for determining the meaning of any writing, including the Bible, is to consider the overall setting of a statement, or its context. The context, especially verses three through five, define or explain Jesus opening words Do not judge so that you will not be judged. Jesus is addressing fault-finding. You may have met a fault-finder. Some people are expert fault-finders. They can spot the smallest error or imperfection in others from a mile away. But this is not a spiritual gift for, because Jesus tells us, they cannot see the log of imperfection or error in their own eyes, in themselves. Verse 5 brings it together: first see and remove your own sin and then you will be able to see and help your brother or sister with his or hers. If I say, I am right before God and can help you with your little speck of sin, but do not see or do not deal with the log of my own sin, I am a hypocrite because I am not doing for myself what I say must be done, and I can help do for you. You see, verse five speaks of discerning or judging and then helping correct sin. And so Jesus, clearly, is not saying Never make a determination or judgment of what is right or wrong in another. Now turn to John chapter eight. You can find it on page 78 in second or New Testament section of the pew Bible. First, note that the Bible you are using may have brackets around 7:53-8:11 and/or a footnote about this section. The earliest manuscripts do not include these verses. While they may not be a part of what John wrote, they do ring true to Jesus character and actions. Starting at the first verse. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say? They were saying this, 5
testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said, I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more. (1-11) Jesus opponents were trying to put Him on the horns of a dilemma. If He said Stone her, they would accuse Him of violating Roman law. If He said Do not stone her, they would accuse Him of breaking God s law, even though this part of the law was seldom carried out in that day. Their motives are easy to see. Their own rules stated that to catch a couple in adultery you had to first announce your presence, pretty much eliminating the possibility of catching people in the act. And yet they said, this woman was caught in the act. As well, if she was caught in the act, where was the man? This had all the marks of a setup. To them this woman was just a pawn in their game of trying to trap and discredit Jesus. Whatever Jesus wrote on the ground, the religious men realized the game was up. There was neither a legal case against the woman nor an opportunity to do away with Jesus. Jesus was not looking the other way at her sin, let alone excusing it. Now let s briefly pull together some key concepts that clarify some of the what and how of Do not judge one another. First, while our primary focus today is on not judging one another, not judging others in the family of God, note a couple of things about judging nonbelievers. Salvation from sin to life with God comes only by God s grace as one consciously places his or her faith in Jesus Christ. While we are to look for authenticity and the fruit of salvation, God is the one and only Judge of someone s salvation. At the same time, we are to be aware of false prophets 15, to recognize and announce God s judgment on those who pervert the gospel, 16 and John tells us that we are not even in small ways to acknowledge, receive or have ties to them as fellow believers. 17 So we are to discern, judge and make a line of separation between ourselves and those who are false teachers and deceivers. They are not one of us. Second, discernment and judgment of ourselves must be ongoing if we are to be in the position to help others. 18 This requires humility and sound judgment, seeing ourselves as we really are. 19 Third, love must undergird and drive discernment about the words and actions of others. Paul wrote, Walk in, or, live in love. 20 In Ephesians 4 he tells us that speaking the truth in love is required for, enables the church to grow and to build itself up in love (14-16). Love for one another thinks and states blessings not curses, praises not criticizes. This love 6
for one another is not a blind love. Paul prayed for the believers at Philippi, that their love would abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment (1:9). Fourth, we are to evaluate and correct error in doctrine and conduct in others as well as ourselves. Paul instructed Timothy in his second letter, chapter 4, preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction (2). Fifth, there is no room for favoritism or partiality in discernment or judgment.1 Timothy 5:21 commands, do nothing in a spirit of partiality. We cannot focus on people or sins we find more disagreeable to us than others. As Jesus said, Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. 21 Finally, sixth, we are not to judge others on personal opinions, 22 or any other area of freedom. We may evaluate and disagree with, staying the Biblical examples, what foods someone eats or does not eat, what days they observe or do not observe, but we are not to judge at all in areas of freedom. In areas where there is a wide range of positions in orthodox faith, such as the details of the last days and the return of Christ, we can evaluate and stake out our position but we are, in good Free Church language, to exercise charity. Conclusion. And so, Scripture says, Do not judge one another. It s been said that it is easy to appreciate the points of a sermon when one thinks they apply to others. Perhps particularly if there are one or two specific others who need these points. But, of course, our view and understanding of others is far from perfect. We make assumptions, misinterpret; we make mistakes. A frequently told story, that I haven t been able to totally verify, about a well-known speaker tells how he showed up at a Christian camp to speak and was approached by a man who told him how glad he was to be able to finally hear him speak. That first evening the man sat near the front. But just a few minutes into the message the man was asleep. The speaker thought that man may have been tired after a long day s drive to the camp. But the same thing happened every night, and the speaker was assuming all sorts of things about that man. And, we might assume, they all were not positive. On the last night the man s wife apologized to the speaker, saying her husband had recently been diagnosed as having terminal cancer and the pain medication he was on made him extremely sleepy. It had been his dream to hear this speaker before he died and now, even though he couldn t stay awake through even one entire sermon, the dream was fulfilled. 23 7
So for that reason, and others, as you reflect with God on not judging others, focus only on yourself. Ask yourself, Am I a praise-finder or a fault-finder? Do I tend to have a critical, judgmental attitude or a loving, affirming attitude toward others? Are there some people and their actions I am judging, find it easy to judge, that I shouldn t be judging? Am I comfortable with Jesus words that the way in which I judge others is the way I will be judged? Determine with God to not elevate yourself to a position which you don t have a right to hold the judge of fellow believers. 1 Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37. 2 Romans 14:13. 3 <http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2201440911&v=info>. Accessed 09 March 2011. 4 <http://transcripts.cnn.com/transcripts/0802/15/sitroom.01.html>. Accessed 09 March 2011. 5 David Kinnaman and Gave Lyons. unchristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity And Why It Matters. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007, page 28. 6 John 3:17. 7 John 8:15. 8 John 12:47. 9 John 5:22. 10 John 5:30. 11 John 8:26. 12 2 Timothy 4:1. 13 2 Timothy 4:8. 14 Romans 2:14-16. 15 Matthew 7:15. 16 cf. Galatians 1:6-10. 17 cf. 2 John 1:7-11. 8
18 cf. Matthew 7:3-5. 19 cf. Romans 12:3. 20 cf. Ephesians 5:2. 21 John 7:24. 22 cf. Romans 14:1. 23 Versions of this story abound on the internet identifying the speaker as Chuck Swindoll. Original source, verification not available at this time. 2011 Lyle L. Wahl Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 9