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What about judging others?
People normally say that we are not supposed to judge, based off their own understanding of a scripture in Matthew 7:1 where
Jesus says, “Judge not.” Well, if you read the entire verse He says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” He is saying that if you
judge others, they are going to judge you back. He goes on to explain this in verse two. “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall
be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Read verses 3-5 where Jesus is telling you that
you are not to judge others for committing sin if you are also guilty of committing sin, because you become a hypocrite. Then He
goes on to explain that by removing the sin in your life, you will see clearly to remove the sins of others.
Matthew 7:3-5 “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.”
Some people use Romans chapter fourteen to say that we are not to judge others, but Paul is not talking about judging sinful
things. Paul is telling them not to judge each other on whether or not they eat meat.
Romans 14:1-3 “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all
things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not
judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.”
God has received him, meaning they are saved and their salvation is not threatened whether they eat meat or not. So Paul tells
us not to judge them. It would be like if you were judging someone for not praying as often as you do or not reading the Bible as
much as you do. You should not judge others for things that do not concern their salvation, and this is what Paul was teaching in
Romans chapter fourteen.
As a Christian, not only do you have the right, but you are commanded by God to warn others of their sin so that they may come to
know the truth. When you preach the law to someone, you are not casting stones at them; you are just giving them the word of
God. If you tell someone that they are in sin and need to repent, you are just doing your job as a Christian.
Jesus said in Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be
patient toward all men.”
In 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Paul said, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;”
If you are a leader in a church, you must also rebuke sinners. In Titus 1:13 Paul said, “Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they
may be sound in the faith;” In Titus 2:15 Paul said, “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man
despise thee.”
John 7:24 tells you to judge righteous judgment. Righteous judgment means that it is not a false assumption, but rather a
biblical one. You don’t just assume a person is lost without examining their lifestyle. Jesus said you will know them by their
fruits. When you judge righteous judgment, you are looking at the way a person lives their life and comparing it to scripture. You
are not casting stones at people by judging them, you are simply doing as the Bible teaches you to do.
Take a child in the pool for example. You look over and see he is struggling to swim. You make a judgment based off what you
see and your judgment tells you that he could not swim. Are you doing anything wrong at this point? Not at all. Your conscience
then tells you to tell him not to swim at the deep end, because he might drown. What stops you? The fear of rejection is what
stops you, but you cannot allow this to keep you from trying to save this child’s life. There is a chance he may be able to swim,
and there is a chance he may not, but when you think about the end result of the choice you make, what is the better outcome? If
you try to help him and then find out he can swim, no big deal, just continue on with your day, but if he cannot swim, you might
have just saved his life.
Now let’s take a person living in sin for example. You make a judgment based off what you see in this person’s lifestyle. You look
at the fruit they are producing, and your judgment tells you they are a bad tree. Are you doing anything wrong at this point? Not at
all. In fact, you are just doing what the Bible teaches you to do. Your conscience then tells you to witness to them. What stops
you? The fear of rejection is what stops you, but again, you cannot allow this to keep you from telling them the truth and
preaching the gospel to them. Who cares if they yell at you or make fun of you for being a Christian? Who cares if they call you
names? There is a chance that this person is headed to hell. If you witness to them and they reject it and reject you, so what? At
least you did what you are commanded to do. Do not worry about what might happen to you, because if they receive it, you just
led a person to Christ, and that is worth all the persecution you may go through.
Jesus says, “Judge not.” Well, if you read the entire verse He says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” He is saying that if you
judge others, they are going to judge you back. He goes on to explain this in verse two. “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall
be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Read verses 3-5 where Jesus is telling you that
you are not to judge others for committing sin if you are also guilty of committing sin, because you become a hypocrite. Then He
goes on to explain that by removing the sin in your life, you will see clearly to remove the sins of others.
Matthew 7:3-5 “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.”
Some people use Romans chapter fourteen to say that we are not to judge others, but Paul is not talking about judging sinful
things. Paul is telling them not to judge each other on whether or not they eat meat.
Romans 14:1-3 “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all
things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not
judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.”
God has received him, meaning they are saved and their salvation is not threatened whether they eat meat or not. So Paul tells
us not to judge them. It would be like if you were judging someone for not praying as often as you do or not reading the Bible as
much as you do. You should not judge others for things that do not concern their salvation, and this is what Paul was teaching in
Romans chapter fourteen.
As a Christian, not only do you have the right, but you are commanded by God to warn others of their sin so that they may come to
know the truth. When you preach the law to someone, you are not casting stones at them; you are just giving them the word of
God. If you tell someone that they are in sin and need to repent, you are just doing your job as a Christian.
Jesus said in Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be
patient toward all men.”
In 2 Timothy 2:24-25 Paul said, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;”
If you are a leader in a church, you must also rebuke sinners. In Titus 1:13 Paul said, “Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they
may be sound in the faith;” In Titus 2:15 Paul said, “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man
despise thee.”
John 7:24 tells you to judge righteous judgment. Righteous judgment means that it is not a false assumption, but rather a
biblical one. You don’t just assume a person is lost without examining their lifestyle. Jesus said you will know them by their
fruits. When you judge righteous judgment, you are looking at the way a person lives their life and comparing it to scripture. You
are not casting stones at people by judging them, you are simply doing as the Bible teaches you to do.
Take a child in the pool for example. You look over and see he is struggling to swim. You make a judgment based off what you
see and your judgment tells you that he could not swim. Are you doing anything wrong at this point? Not at all. Your conscience
then tells you to tell him not to swim at the deep end, because he might drown. What stops you? The fear of rejection is what
stops you, but you cannot allow this to keep you from trying to save this child’s life. There is a chance he may be able to swim,
and there is a chance he may not, but when you think about the end result of the choice you make, what is the better outcome? If
you try to help him and then find out he can swim, no big deal, just continue on with your day, but if he cannot swim, you might
have just saved his life.
Now let’s take a person living in sin for example. You make a judgment based off what you see in this person’s lifestyle. You look
at the fruit they are producing, and your judgment tells you they are a bad tree. Are you doing anything wrong at this point? Not at
all. In fact, you are just doing what the Bible teaches you to do. Your conscience then tells you to witness to them. What stops
you? The fear of rejection is what stops you, but again, you cannot allow this to keep you from telling them the truth and
preaching the gospel to them. Who cares if they yell at you or make fun of you for being a Christian? Who cares if they call you
names? There is a chance that this person is headed to hell. If you witness to them and they reject it and reject you, so what? At
least you did what you are commanded to do. Do not worry about what might happen to you, because if they receive it, you just
led a person to Christ, and that is worth all the persecution you may go through.
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