Tag Archives: do not judge

LUKE’S GOSPEL…THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM – 12b

Bible Study, ,

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven… “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? 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.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭37‬, ‭41‬-‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus continues His theme of life under God’s rule. For example, as we have already considered, hatred and retaliation continues the flow of ruptured relationships. Kindness and mercy rapidly turn the tide of alienation towards reconciliation and harmony. 

In this section, Jesus’ words hit low and cut deep…into the belly and heart of the hypocrite! The underlying driving force in the lives of humans is to be better than everyone else. This trend is seen most clearly in our determination to criticise and judge others. We pass judgment on everyone and everything as we see them, using our own estimation of what is right and wrong in another according to the way we view ourselves. I am the measure and what I think of you depends on who and what I think I am. 

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, 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 human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus cancelled that standard of measurement as illegitimate. He calls us, not to judge by the standard we set up but by the measurements demanded by the truth of God Himself. Instead of placing ourselves above others by judging what we think is right or wrong, we recognise that we all stand on level ground before His scrutiny. 

“All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“…There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How then, dare I pass judgment on another, even if his sin seems worse than mine? His sin, as well as mine, springs from the same source…unbelief in the truth of who God is and what God has said. 

Judging others, then, is hypocrisy in its worst form because I am trying, with my own face smeared with dirt, to scrub the dirt off my brother’s face. Judging is a subtle way of saying,”I am God!”…pride that will land us in hell. 

With what, then, must we replace judgment? If I become aware of another’s failure, how must I deal with it? 

First, Jesus said, “Don’t  judge, forgive!” Forgiveness levels the playing field.  Forgiveness wipes away the reason for my judgment. Forgiveness humbly admits that my debt is as great as the one I am judging. 

Then, Paul gives us God’s solution. 

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

First, love is the oil that keeps the gears of fellowship moving smoothly. Without the compassion that sees us both on the same side, even attempts to restore become a wall, not a  bridge. 

Paul warns against temptation. 

“But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

Tempted to do what? The temptation is subtle but real. When I pass judgment on another, I do what Jesus hated most in the Pharisees…I change my status from alongside to above another. In God’s kingdom, no one is higher than anyone else. Everyone is  there only through God’s mercy and grace. Merit accounts for nothing!

When a king addresses a beggar, in God’s eyes, they are equal. 

“For God does not show favoritism.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, the counsel of Scripture is clear. Be on guard! There is only one standard for all people. If I pick others out for wrongdoing, I judge myself as well because I add my sin to theirs through my hypocrisy. God’s standards are just…one size fits all!

To be continued…

DO NOT JUDGE

Christian Life, ,

Matthew 7:1-2 NLT
[1] “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [2] For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Ouch! The world is full of self-appointed judges, both inside and outside the church. People are quick to take sides on issues that are their favourite cause.

A recent case in point…twelve young learners of a certain group are accused of racism because of their so called “racist” comments on a WhatsApp group. So, members of another group complain, making the issue the
subject of a massive enquiry, involving suspension of the school principal and provincial government intervention.

The accusations escalated into “violence, bullying, disruptive behavior, and violation of school rules”.

What started the whole debacle? Some young women who read into a conversation that was probably none of their business, and set themselves up as judges.

Unfortunately for them, their very action has, unknowingly, made them “racist” since they set the standard for their own judgment.

The authorities involved have taken sides before the matter was investigated, also creating a standard that will be the measure of their judgment. When the SGB dismissed the charges for lack of evidence, the authorities expressed “disappointment” at their findings. What does that say about impartiality?

The point is, why create such a hoo-ha about petty issues between over-sensitive, over-emotional teenagers who experience life on steroids! Why not teach these young girls to overlook so-called “racism” instead of fanning it into a flame and then trying to put the fire out?

The best way to deal with offenses is to ignore them because our judgments are flawed. We will never know the full story, even if we think we do.

If anyone had a reason to judge his oppressors, Jesus did. He had every right to organise a commission of enquiry into misconduct when He was arrested and accused of treason and blasphemy, racism in the extreme.

What did He do? He submitted to all the indignities of His accusers’ behaviour, choosing to leave His case in the Father’s hands. The result of their judgment was His death.

1 Peter 2:23 NLT
[23] “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.”

Phlippians 2:8 NLT
[8]”…he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

But…

What did the Father do? He vindicated His Son by raising Him from the dead and elevating Him to the highest office in heaven and on earth.

Philippians 2:9-10 NLT
[9]”Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This is a safe way for God’s children to deal with offenses without judging. When we commit ourselves to our true and faithful Judge, He will judge fairly by His righteous standards and vindicate those who are innocent.

DO NOT JUDGE

Christian Life, ,

DO NOT JUDGE

“Do not judge, or you, too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1, 2.

As we go along, Jesus’ yoke seems to get tougher, doesn’t it? This one is not easy for us to follow because we often compare others with ourselves or some person we admire.

God is absolutely just. Jesus said that He would use the same measure that we use for others to measure us. Now that’s fair, isn’t it? We cannot use one measure for ourselves and another measure for someone else. That’s the first problem and the second one is that the measure we use is usually some imperfect person, and mostly ourselves.

Jesus told a story about two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was a very religious man whose prayer was nothing but a comparison between himself and the tax collector. He was satisfied with himself because he was for more religious than the tax collector. The tax collector, on the other hand, asked God for mercy because, when he compared himself with God, he realised that he needed mercy.

Jesus asked his hearers, “Which prayer do you think God answered?” Of course, the tax collector’s! The Pharisee’s prayer was not even a prayer. He was doing nothing but congratulating himself on how good he thought he was, and God had nothing to say to him.

Jesus said that the person who judges others by his own standard is a hypocrite. He can see the faults of others very clearly, but he looks right past his own. The problem is that, by his very attitude of contempt for others, he is far guiltier of sin than the person he is judging.

Have you noticed how much Jesus hated the attitude of people who thought they were better than others? He did not come down as hard on adulterers and tax collectors as He did on the Pharisees and religious leaders.

Those who were regarded as “sinners” by the religious people did not hide their sinfulness behind a “holy” cloak. They did not pretend to be what they were not. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were greedy for money and power and they controlled people by putting on a religious “front”. Underneath, however, they were as full of wickedness as the rest, as much as they tried to hide it by showing everyone how good they were by keeping the law.

God is far more concerned about how honest we are than about how good we are. He knows that we are imperfect and that we fail. It is far better to be humble and admit when we do wrong than to cover it up by pretending to be righteous and behaving badly where no one can see us or judging other people in our hearts when we are just like they are and even worse.

If we keep looking at Jesus, we will not be tempted to think we are better than others. How blessed we are to know that, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus because, if we believe in Him and follow Him faithfully, we are forgiven, washed clean, accepted “in Christ” and covered by His righteousness!

SCRIPTURE TAKEN FROM THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

JESUS AND JUDGING

Christian Life, ,

JESUS AND JUDGING

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matt. 7:1)

Firstly, as Jesus’s disciples, we must differentiate between making judgments on people based on our own behaviour and discerning by an objective standard. The issues are: “Is it legitimate to judge?” and, “By what standard do we judge?” There is a difference between judging and discerning as Jesus showed in the following verses.

“Don’t judge. Don’t throw pearls to pigs. Watch out for false prophets.” These are not contradictory but complementary statements.

Our judgment of other people comes from our expectation of them which is often based on the standards we apply to ourselves. How often I have found myself measuring another by my own attitudes and behaviour and finding that they fall short! Included in this kind of judging is the attitude of condemnation. Jesus made clear that judging another in order to condemn is not in keeping with the mercy which is the basis of God’s dealings with us, and which reflects the spirit of Torah.

This kind of judging is what the hypocrite does. He sets his standard – himself – and forgets that he does not measure up to his own standard but is eager to condemn another for his failure to measure up. Underneath the judging, once again, is the attitude of contempt towards a lesser person, which is abhorrent to God.

Does it mean that all judging is wrong? If I mean judging to condemn because I think I am better than someone else even though I do the same things as they do, yes, it is wrong. Jesus condemned this kind of judging.

However, we are not to be mindless in the way we relate to other people. There is a form of judging which is both legitimate and necessary to protect us from people who have no intention of obeying the truth.

Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matt. 7: 6)

Jesus’s reference to dogs comes from Proverbs 26:11.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Peter used the same illustration to show that people who have heard the gospel but choose not to believe it and who return to their evil ways are like dogs that return to their vomit and pigs that go back to wallowing in the mud after they have been washed. Not only do such people return to their evil ways, but they also reject and ridicule the gospel, persecute those who preach it and teach false doctrine to lure people away from the truth.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves . . . Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud’. (2 Peter 2: 1; 22)

Discernment is judgment, based not on ourselves but on the objective standard of God’s Word. It is legitimate to check on the validity of a prophet’s words. In the early church, the standard was based on the disposition of Messiah, not on the validity of what the prophet said. If a prophecy was delivered in the disposition of Messiah – that is, in keeping with His yoke of humility and gentleness – the prophet was judged to be a true prophet. If not, he was dismissed as a false prophet. What was the standard of judgment? The fruit of his life. Did his life exhibit the disposition of Messiah? Did he live and speak in the spirit of Torah?

Jesus condemned the hypocrites because their profession contradicted their fruit. A diseased tree cannot produce healthy fruit. A thorn bush cannot produce grapes or figs. A person who claims allegiance to Jesus, and even does miracles, is not necessarily a true talmid of the rabbi. Fruit is evidence of the nature of the stock from which it comes.

Jesus vividly illustrated the way in which true fruit is borne in the life of His disciples.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. (John 15: 5)

The way we judge people can be very subtle. Take for the example the godly father who disowns his daughter for wayward behaviour. She comes home pregnant out of wedlock or is busted for doing drugs and he reacts with “righteous” anger. He kicks her out of the house because she has brought disgrace on the family name, and he believes that he has done the right thing.

Wait a minute. Has he not appointed himself as a judge? By what standard is he judging her? Is he acting in the spirit of Torah? Has he forgotten that God has already taken care of her debt? Has he the right to inflict punishment a second time? Where is the mercy which is the weightiest in God’s character?

When we judge, criticise, and condemn, we make our home or our church a dangerous place for sinners. The home and the church ought to be the safest place for people to fail because it is the environment where God’s Word is put into practice in the spirit of Torah. If we or our children cannot be safe at home or in the church, where will we or they find safety?

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2: 12-13)

If mercy does not temper our attitudes towards people who fail, we will ourselves fall into the “sin” trap, adding our sin to theirs by what we think of them and the way we treat them.

Let’s paraphrase Jesus’s words:

When you judge, criticise, or condemn others for not measuring up to your standard, you place yourself in danger of receiving the same judgment as you pass on them. Make your world a safe place for others to fail by extending mercy and forgiveness instead of building a “holy” wall between yourself and them.

Be careful whom you trust. Measure people by the standard of God’s Word. Don’t waste the truth on those who have no intention of believing the good news. They may turn on you and throw God’s gift back in your face. Don’t follow those who lives don’t match their words. They are false prophets, and their intention is to destroy you. Use God’s Word as a measure, not yourself because you are as fallible as the people you condemn.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Jesus And Judging

Christian Life, , ,

JESUS AND JUDGING

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matt. 7:1)

First of all, as Jesus’s disciples, we must differentiate between making judgments on people based on our own behaviour and discerning by an objective standard. The issues are: “Is it legitimate to judge?” and, “By what standard do we judge?” There is a difference between judging and discerning as Jesus showed in the following verses.

“Don’t judge. Don’t throw pearls to pigs. Watch out for false prophets.” These are not contradictory but complementary statements.

Our judgment of other people comes from our expectation of them which is often based on the standards we apply to ourselves. How often I have found myself measuring another by my own attitudes and behaviour and finding that they fall short! Included in this kind of judging is the attitude of condemnation. Jesus made clear that judging another in order to condemn is not in keeping with the mercy which is the basis of God’s dealings with us and which reflects the spirit of Torah.

This kind of judging is what the hypocrite does. He sets his standard – himself – and forgets that he does not measure up to his own standard, but is eager to condemn another for his failure to measure up. Underneath the judging, once again, is the attitude of contempt towards a lesser person, which is abhorrent to God.

Does it mean that all judging is wrong? If I mean judging in order to condemn because I think I am better than someone else even though I do the same things as they do, yes, it is wrong. Jesus condemned this kind of judging.

However, we are not to be mindless in the way we relate to other people. There is a form of judging which is both legitimate and necessary in order to protect us from people who have no intention of obeying the truth.

Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. (Matt. 7: 6)

Jesus’s reference to dogs comes from Proverbs 26:11.

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Peter used the same illustration to show that people who have heard the gospel but choose not to believe it and who return to their evil ways are like dogs that return to their vomit and pigs that go back to wallowing in the mud after they have been washed. Not only do such people return to their evil ways, but they also reject and ridicule the gospel, persecute those who preach it and teach false doctrine to lure people away from the truth.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves . . . Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud’. (2 Peter 2: 1; 22)

Discernment is judgment, based not on ourselves but on the objective standard of God’s Word. It is legitimate to check on the validity of a prophet’s words. In the early church, the standard was based on the disposition of Messiah, not on the validity of what the prophet said. If a prophecy was delivered in the disposition of Messiah – that is, in keeping with His yoke of humility and gentleness – the prophet was judged to be a true prophet. If not, he was dismissed as a false prophet. What was the standard of judgment? The fruit of his life. Did his life exhibit the disposition of Messiah? Did he live and speak in the spirit of Torah?

Jesus condemned the hypocrites because their profession contradicted their fruit. A diseased tree cannot produce healthy fruit. A thorn bush cannot produce grapes or figs. A person who claims allegiance to Jesus, and even does miracles, is not necessarily a true talmid of the rabbi. Fruit is evidence of the nature of the stock from which it comes.

Jesus vividly illustrated the way in which true fruit is borne in the life of His disciples.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. (John 15: 5)

The way we judge people can be very subtle. Take for the example the godly father who disowns his daughter for wayward behaviour. She comes home pregnant out of wedlock, or is busted for doing drugs and he reacts with “righteous” anger. He kicks her out of the house because she has brought disgrace on the family name, and he believes that he has done the right thing.

But wait a minute. Has he not appointed himself as a judge? By what standard is he judging her? Is he acting in the spirit of Torah? Has he forgotten that God has already taken care of her debt? Has he the right to inflict punishment a second time? Where is the mercy which is the weightiest in God’s character?

When we judge, criticise and condemn, we make our home or our church a dangerous place for sinners. The home and the church ought to be the safest place for people to fail because it is the environment where God’s Word is put into practice in the spirit of Torah. If we or our children cannot be safe at home or in the church, where will we or they find safety?

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2: 12-13)

If mercy does not temper our attitudes towards people who fail, we will ourselves fall into the “sin” trap, adding our sin to theirs by what we think of them and the way we treat them.

Let’s paraphrase Jesus’s words:

When you judge, criticise or condemn others for not measuring up to your standard, you place yourself in danger of receiving the same judgment as you pass on them. Make your world a safe place for others to fail by extending mercy and forgiveness instead of building a “holy” wall between yourself and them.

Be careful whom you trust. Measure people by the standard of God’s Word. Don’t waste the truth on those who have no intention of believing the good news. They may turn on you and throw God’s gift back in your face. Don’t follow those who lives don’t match their words. They are false prophets and their intention is to destroy you. Use God’s Word as a measure, not yourself because you are as fallible as the people you condemn.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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