Judge yet Judge Not
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38
We see today many people saying, when told out of love that they are going the wrong path, "Only God can judge me" or the verse in Luke 6 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: Luke 6:37". This has lead to many a Christian tip-toeing around the issue and letting sin fester in the church and not addressing the issue, saying things like "That's between them and God". But in Corinthians it says we are to judge those we call brothers, those that are inside the church, Yet Christ says Judge not, and you will not be judged. So what do we do with these two pieces of Scripture. Let's get into this.
First we must identify what Judgement means and then we have to look at the context Christ uses the word in and then how Paul uses it. In the second segment of the program we will look at if we are truly to judge and if we are how do we as Christians go about it.
What does Judge Mean
To find out what Christ means when he says Judge Not we must first find out what Judge means.
The Miriam Webster Dictionary describes the word Judge as;
A noun
One who makes judgments
: such as
a: a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court
b: one appointed to decide in a contest or competition : UMPIRE
c: one who gives an authoritative opinion
d: CRITIC
e Someone exercising leadership among the Hebrews after the death of Joshua
A verb
judged; judging
1: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises
2: to form an estimate or evaluation of trying to judge the amount of time required especially : to form a negative opinion about someone or something.
5: to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation They judged him guilty.
Going Through the Meanings
Judge the Noun
Now if we Go through each definition one by one we will find out what Christ meant;
A public official official who decides questions brought by the court.
We as Christians should know that there is one and true Final Judge who will ultimately decide the fate of every man who has ever lived and He is God.
Revelation 20:11-13 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
But what about now are we not to say any thing to people and leave them in their sins to face the final judgement. In allowing it and saying nothing we are condoning it.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
We are told not to condone sin we know the outcome and we should let people know what the outcome is if they continue. If we see someone stealing and we know if they're are caught the may face jail time and we tell them the consequences of them them stealing we are not judging them we know what they are doing is wrong and we are letting them know the consequences.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Proverbs 24:11
What we are not to do is deem who is not fit for heaven or not. We do not have that power or authority of the final outcome of a person's eternal fate. So it the matters of the Heavenly Courts we are not to Judge. We can also apply this same logic to one who decides the winner in a competition. We are all running the same race and it's God alone who decides the winners and losers.
Now let's look at the point one who gives authoritative opinion. We all have our opinion and that's good, God has made us as free thinking Individuals. We have our opinions on Sports, Politics and yes even God's words, herein likes the danger. When we allow our opinions to overshadow the word of God and we act as it is the Gospel.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Proverbs 18:2
So before we express our own opinions every matter. Sometime we just need to understand the circumstances and put ourselves in the persons shoes. A wise judge Understands a foolish one does not.
A critic; Miriam Webster describes a critic as.
One who engages often professionally in the analysis, evaluation, or appreciation of works of art or artistic performances.
We are not evaluating works of art or artistic performances and even if that's our job, your job should not have any sway on your interaction with people.
One who expresses a reasoned opinion on any matter especially involving a judgment of its value, truth, righteousness, beauty, or technique.
Here we see the opinion is reasoned which means it has evidence based in the root. If our opinion is not our own and has its root based in sound scriptural doctrine we are allowed to do this.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
One given to harsh or captious judgment;
Definition of captious.
marked by an often ill-natured inclination to stress faults and raise objections
****calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument.
We are called not not be be any of these things;
For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, 1 Corinthians 14:33
But all things should be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40
2 Timothy 2:24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
Someone exercising leadership among the Hebrews after the death of Joshua;
Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. Judges 2:16-18
We see here the Judges were leaders, who God had lead his people when they fell into sin. These judges had the Lord on their side, however complaints against judges are frequent in the OT literature. Absalom took advantage of discontent with the legal system to instigate revolt (2 Sam. 15:4). Judges are accused of showing partiality (Prov. 24:23), of taking bribes (Isa. 61:8; Mic. 7:3; cp. Exod. 23:2-9), and of failing to defend the interest of the powerless (Isa. 10:2; Jer. 5:28). Zephaniah described the judges of Jerusalem as wolves on the prowl (3:3).
We are to refrain from this type of behavior
Judge the Verb
Now we get to the action part of the word judge. This is where Christ was talking to his disciples about.
To form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises.
If you go further down in Luke 43-45 Jesus tells his disciples to judge a brothers by their actions.
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45
It is further expounded in Matthew 7
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16-20
So Jesus is clearly stating to make a judgement on someone based on their actions. So clearly when people when the do wrong and the use that verse have been using it out of context.
To form a negative opinion about someone or something.
Are we to not have any negative opinions about anything. No as we have seen before we have to view all sin as negative. Sin has a negative outcome in the long run, so we must be able to identify it.
As in Matthew 7: 16-20 it says we should recognize people by their fruits, plural, so it mean actions, so if a person has a slip we should be able to recognize from their previous actions that is was just that. But if it the slip become continuous we should also be able to recognize that also.
To sit in Judgement of as in try a case. We are not the final arbiters of a persons fate, however in certain situations with our brothers we must have to be a judge, which should be a last resort. When it comes to disputes that have reached a point of no return, we must decide what to do with the person or persons. Paul had to do in 1 Cor. 1-5.
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife.
2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.
4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5
He also told the Corinthians to settle all grievances with one another inside the church instead of going to the courts in the world ,
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 1 Corinthians 6:1-6
To govern rule as in the Hebrew Judges. We as Christian are not rulers, we know that their is one true ruler, God.
1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth. Psalms 97:1-5
So we see for breaking down the word judge we can judge yet we cannot judge. Confused, dont be Let the bible explain.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
In the commentary Luke: That they may may know the truth series it is quoted
Later, the Apostle Paul would challenge the Corinthians to make moral judgments, arguing, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2; cf. 5:9–13). Christ’s followers are to have a highly cultivated sense of right and wrong and to make subtle moral judgments. Christ’s exhortation “judge not” contains no suggestion of moral flabbiness or an abdication of moral responsibility.
So what was Christ saying when he's saying Judge Not. He was talking about that indignatios judgment the one exhibited by the Pharisees and Sadducees who thought they were better than anyone whose judgement had no love or moral standing. When we think that we are superior to anyone and judge from a position of superiority Christ condemns that. He also condemns Hypocritical judgement where we are guilty of the same sin we are condemning people. An example of this occurred in the life of King David after his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. Nathan the prophet visited David and told the unsuspecting king the tale of a rich man who took a poor man’s beloved pet sheep and slaughtered it to feed his guests. Horrified, David responded, “‘As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.’ Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’” (2 Samuel 12:5–7).
David, though guilty of a far greater sin, was blind to his own condition even while he was enraged at the same sin in another. So it goes. The greedy delight to condemn greed in others. The ambitious charge others with self-ambition. Liars love to call others liars.
Christ has called us to judge not be judgmental. We are not to be constantly looking for the evil in others but we are not just to stand back and let sin ruin peoples lives.
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