Jesus teaching on Judgment.
Matthew 7:1
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Luke 6:37
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged.
Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Luke helps clarify the kind of judging Jesus forbade
Jesus forbade condemnatory, unforgiving , judgementalism
Matthew 7:2
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
A parallel passage to this is found in
Mark 4:24
"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more.
What we have here is a rabbinic formula for making judgments.
The rabbis of Jesus day applied this formula when punishing people whose false judgment and testimony were intended to cause harm to a fellow covenant member.
The fact that Jesus repeats this legal formula is an indication of the true meaning of his words
Matthew 7:1
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
He is saying - judgment that is intentionally inaccurate and malicious is wrong.
Matthew 7:3-4
"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? [4] How can you say to your brother, ’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
Here Jesus is using carpenter shop language to define the form of judging he forbade.
The person Jesus speaks of in MT 7:1
Cannot render evenhanded constructive criticism, because they have not dealt with their own faults.
These are the kind of people who nit pick and look for flaws in other people
Further Jesus says of this person
Matthew 7:5
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
He calls this person a HYPOCRITE
The language used hers is similar to Matthew 23:24
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Jesus idea of a hypocrite was someone who focused on minors and external matters.
According to Jesus teaching about judging, anyone who stands in judgment must deal with sin in their own lives that they might function in a positive way
For Righteous judgment is meant to bring another person closer to God, not to exalt oneself at the expense of the person being judged.
Now let’s turn to Paul’s teaching on Judgment
Like Jesus Paul expects the church to make righteous judgment.
1 Cor. 2:15
The spiritual man makes judgments about all things
Accordingly the New Testament places a high value on the gift of discernment, placing this gift on equal terms with tongues, healing, miracles and prophecy.
1 Cor. 12:10
To another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
Paul’s teaching spells out what is inherent in the teaching of Jesus by requiring us to judge in two specific areas
Morality
Doctrine
Matthew 18:15-18
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. [16] But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ’every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
[18] "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
1 Cor. 5:3-5
Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. [4] When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, [5] hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Doctrine
1 Cor. 10:15
I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
See if it lines up with God’s word
AN area that Paul forbade judgment of one another.
Romans 14:1
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
Romans 14:4
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:10
You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
From these passages we see that Paul forbade judging on matters of opinion
Annanias and Sapphira Acts 5:1-16
Simon the Sorcerer Acts 8:9-24
Acts 13:6-12
Judgment on matters of morality and doctrine is replete in the New Testament
Jude 1:4
For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord.
Jude 1:12-13
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted--twice dead. [13] They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
Today we often think and act as though God doesn’t require us to judge anymore
Such ideas do not reflect the Bible
Judging righteously plays an important part in maintaining high moral and doctrinal standards within the church
A refusal to judge and unbiblical judgmentalism are both extremes that weaken the church.
