"The Doctrine of Christian Judgment"
Subtitle
"For Love's Sake Tell the Truth"
Keywords
discernment, excommunication, forgiveness, judge, judgment, mercy, repentance, passing judgment
Proof-Texts and Cross-References
1 Sam. 24v12; Ps. 37v30; Pr. 14v12, 25v18; Is. 59v8; Amos 5v14-15; Mal. 3v18; Mt. 7v1-5; Lk. 7v40-43, 17v3; Jn. 7v24; Rom. 2v1, 14v13, 16v17-18; 1 Cor. 1v10, 2v15, 4v5, 5v1-13, 6v1-8, 11v28-32; 2 Cor. 6v17; Ep. 5v1-21; 2 Tim. 3v5-6, 4v2; Js. 2v12-13, 4v11; 1 Pt. 4v17; 1 Jn. 4v1; Rev. 2v2
Definition
"The doctrine of Christian judgment pertains to the historically Christian belief that we should make judgment calls pertaining to both morality and doctrine"
Introduction
Today many believe that Christians may not, and therefore, should not, judge. In our day and age, passing judgement, much like passing gas, is frowned upon. It "is considered an act of medieval, undemocratic intolerance" [10].
But Why?
They believe so, primarily for two reasons.
The first reason is that of fear. In many countries, Freedom of Speech is a farce. In South Africa, speaking out against the governing African National Congress (ANC) could easily lead to detention and imprisonment. [17|18]
The second reason is a misunderstanding of passages like Matthew Chapter 7 Verses 1 to 5, Luke Chapter 6 Verse 37, Romans Chapter 14 Verse 13 and James Chapter 4 Verse 11.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Mt. 7v1-5, KJV)
"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: ..." (Lk. 6v37; KJV)
"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." (Rom. 14v13, KJV)
"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge" (Js. 4v11, KJV)
Seeming Contradictions
Yet, in seeming contradiction to the above, many passages of Scripture instructs us, even commands us, to do exactly that - judge.
In Matthew Chapter 18 Verses 15 to 17 Jesus taught His disciples not only to confront those who sin against them, but if needed, to involve witnesses and ultimately the whole congregation:
"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" (Mt. 18v15-17, KJV)
In John Chapter 7 Verse 24, Jesus warns the people not to judge on appearance, but to judge righteously:
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (Jn. 7v24, KJV)
In First Corinthians Chapter 5, Paul "taught the Corinthians that they were to judge sinful believers and leave people outside the church to God" [10]:
"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." (1 Cor. 5v1-13, KJV)
In First Thessalonians Chapter 5 Verse 14 Paul tells the Thessalonians to warn the unruly.
"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men" (1 Th. 5v14, KJV)
Understanding
How do we understand this seeming contradiction?
Well, to start with, there is NO contradiction.
Matthew Chapter 7 Verse 1
When Jesus exclaimed in verse 1 "Judge not", He immediately explained why. So "that ye be not judged" (v1). He then goes on to explain that "with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you" (v2). Then in verse 3 He gets to the crux of the matter, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (v3-5)
If you understand the context, Jesus did NOT bar us from making judgement calls. What He did say, is that, if you are guilty of the same thing, do not judge, because the judgement you issue will be your own (applicable to yourself).
Guidelines
Knowing that we may judge is NOT a license to do as we please.
Judgment should be blameless
Don't judge others in things you are guilty of yourself. There's an old Spanish proverb. It says, "He who lives in a glass house, should never throw stones".
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Mt. 7v1-5, KJV)
Judgment should be honest
God abhors "dishonest scales" (Pr. 11v1) and "false testimony" (Ex. 20v16; Deut. 5v20; Pr. 25v18). Stick with the facts. Don't accuse people of things you think they may be guilty off. Don't assume. Assumption is the mother of all blunders.
Biblically, false testimony is as good as a physical attack on someone's person.
"A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour [is] a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow." (Pr. 25v18, KJV)
"Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow." (Pr. 25v18, NLT)
Let this be a warning to Christian Policemen tempted to giving false testimony and fabricate evidence. It is wrong, no matter how honorable your intentions.
Judgment should be loving
According to the Apostle Paul, we ought to "speak the truth in love" (Ep. 4v15).
Unfortunately, many have taken Ephesians Chapter 4 Verse 15 to mean that we should somehow paraphrase the truth to such an extent as not to upset or offend another.
That was NOT Paul's intention. He himself "withstood Peter to the face", because "he was to be blamed" (Gal. 2v11)
Likewise, Jesus, Love Incarnate, filled with love (Rom. 8v39; 1 Tim. 1v14; 2 Tim. 1v13), did not hesitate for a moment to "speak the truth in love", as He rebuked the Pharisees.
Only heretics honey-comb and sugar-coat the truth. (Pr. 5v3, Jer. 23v16-17, Mt. 7v15, 2 Tim. 4v3-4)
Speaking the truth in love (Ep. 4v15) remains inseparable from "the love of the truth" (2 Th. 2v10). (2 Jn. 1v1, v3; 3 Jn. 1v1) If you truly love someone, it will be "in deed and in truth" (1 Jn. 3v18), no matter what the consequences.
"I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies." - Pietro Aretino
If you don't love your enemies enough to confront them with the truth, then I put it to you my friend, that you do NOT love them at all. If you truly love your enemy, you will be honest with them.
If you only love those who love you (your family and friends), you are no different than a corrupt "tax collector" (Mt. 5v46).
Judgment should be merciful
In Luke Chapter 6 Verse 36 we are told to be merciful like our Father.
"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Lk. 6v36, KJV)
Now there is one thing you must understand concerning God's Mercy:- it is NOT universal. Mercy is to be "obtained" (Rom. 11v31; 1 Cor. 7v25; 1 Tim. 1v13, v16; Heb. 4v16; 1 Pt. 2v10) and "received" (2 Cor. 4v1). Mercy follows Repentance. It is only applicable to those that repent; to those that call upon His mercy; to them that are "sorrowful at heart". God is a just God, and pardon without repentance negates justice. His mercy, therefore, is only upon the repentant.
"And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation." (Lk. 1v50, KJV)
"And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." (Gal. 6v16, KJV)
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth AND forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Pr. 28v13, KJV)
"Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy" (Rom. 11v31, KJV)
» At Capernaum, two blind men, spoken of in Matthew Chapter 9 Verses 27 to 30, only received their sight, because they "cried and said, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us" (v27).
» The mother from Canaan (Matthew Chapter 15 Verses 22 to 28) only had her daughter released from demonic possession, because she "cried unto Him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David" (v22)
» At Galilee, the father of a lunatic son, spoken of in Matthew Chapter 17 Verses 14 to 18, only had his son liberated from demonic possession, because he "kneeled down saying, Lord, have mercy on my son" (v14-15).
» At Jericho, Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, spoken of in Mark Chapter 10 Verses 46 to 52 and Luke Chapter 18 Verses 35 to 43, was only cured of his blindness, because he "cried out, and said, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me" (v47).
Christian watchmen, therefore, should always be ready and willing to either:- to "shun" (2 Tim. 2v16) and excommunicate (Mt. 18v17) the unrepentant, or alternatively to "show mercy" (Rom. 12v8) to the repentant, thereby both "restoring" (Gal. 6v1) and "gaining" (Mt. 18v15) a brother.
"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican" (Mt. 18v15-17, KJV)
If you are merciful to the repentant, you will also receive mercy.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt. 5v7, KJV)
If you are merciless to the repentant, you will neither receive mercy.
"So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." (Js. 2v12-13, KJV)
It was US President, Abraham Lincoln, that once said, "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice"
Hypocrisy
I'm often told 'not to judge', when speaking out against deceivers, like Benny Hinn, Brian McLaren (1956-), J.P. Fourie, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Rick Warren or Ted Haggard.
Yet, funny enough, when I speak out against the political insane, like Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Joseph Stalin (1878-1953), Idi Amin (1925-2003), Khalid Abdul Muhammad (1948-2001) and Robert Mugabe; ANC officials like John Block and Julius Malema (1981-); or the latest evolutionary scientist; those very same verses somehow no longer seem to apply?!
Dishonest Scales
If there's one thing that God hates, it's "dishonest scales" (Pr. 11v1). Yet, Secular Christianity is rife with "dishonest scales". Herewith a few examples.
» Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church, is quick to denounce those who pronounce judgement, as "foolish" [13], "stupid" [13] and "lame" [12] people, "playing God" [11]. Yet, Warren himself, in doing so, issued a judgement call upon the very same people he seeks to 'correct'?! Furthermore, was it not Warren himself who denounced Ugandan Pastor, Dr. Martin Ssempa, [14|15], because "his views and actions were in serious conflict with [his] own" [14|15]?! Should we conclude therefore, by Warren's own admission, that in doing so, he himself is somewhat "foolish" [13], "stupid" [13], "lame" [12] and "playing God" [11]?!
Adherents
Anton Hein [4] | B. Waldrop [7] | Pst. Bill Pratt [6] | Clete Hux [8] | EJ Hill (1977-) | G. Richard Fisher [9] | Gregory Koukl [16] | Hank Hanegraaff [5] | James Jacob Prasch [19] | Prof. Dr. Lewis B. Smedes [10] | Mark Kielar [3] | Mason Barrett [7] | Richard Winstead [1] | Tim Conway [2]
Videos
IF you are reading this off-line, please visit us on-line to view the embedded videos.
Bibliography
1. Richard Winstead. Should Christians Judge? (Atlanta, GA. 3 November 2010)
2. Tim Conway. Should Christians Judge? (YouTube; 14 July 2010)
3. Mark Kielar. Is Christian Unity Without Truth Possible? (YouTube; 1 November 2007)
4. Anton Hein. Judging (Apologetics Index; 3 November 2010)
5. Hank Hanegraaff. The Untouchables: Are 'God's Anointed' Beyond Criticism? (San Juan Capistrano, CA: Christian Research Institute; 31 August 1994)
6. Bill Pratt. Should Christians Judge? (Tough Questions Answered; 30 April 2009)
7. Mason Barrett and B. Waldrop. Should Christians Judge? (The Storm Shelter; 3 November 2010)
8. Clete Hux. Accountability: The Way to Touch God's Anointed (The Watchman Expositor; 3 November 2010)
9. G. Richard Fisher. To Judge or Not to Judge (Personal Freedom Outreach; 1996)
10. Prof. Dr. Lewis B. Smedes. Good Question: Who Are We to Judge? (Christianity Today; 10 January 2001)
11. Rick Warren. Tweet (Twitter; 3 November 2010)
12. Rick Warren. Tweet (Twitter; 29 October 2010)
13. Rick Warren. Tweet (Twitter; 22 September 2010)
14. David Roberts. Pastor Rick Warren Denounces Martin Ssempa and Anti-Homosexuality Bill (Ex-Gay Watch; 31 October 2009)
15. Warren Throckmorton. Rick and Kay Warren issue statement regarding Martin Ssempa’s activities in Uganda (31 October 2009)
16. Gregory Koukl. Who Are You to Say? (Stand To Reason; 4 November 2010)
17. Justice Malala. The ANC did not set us free (TimesLIVE; 3 October 2010)
18. ANC urges leaders to take legal action (TimesLIVE; 3 November 2010) SAPA
19. James Jacob Prasch. Judge Not (Moriel Ministries; 4 November 2010)
20. Don Fortner. Discerning Between the Righteous and the Wicked (For the Love of His Truth; 11 July 2013)
Revisions
03-06.11.2010 / 16.12.2010 / 20.01.2011 / 10.10.2011 / 22.08.2013 / 28.04.2014