Matthew 7:1 This verse ain’t just for libs Pt III

We have seen in the previous two posts on this verse what it does not mean—namely, that it does not mean a Christian is forbidden from judging. We’ve seen that in the immediate context it does not mean that a Christian cannot judge. Further, the larger context of scripture shows that it doesn’t mean that a Christian is forbidden from judging. So, we have established from scripture beyond the shadow of a doubt what this verse does not mean. Therefore, since it does not mean we are categorically forbidden from judging ever, but it does say “Do not judge” we are left with the question “What kind of judging is it talking about?”

The kinds of judging that we saw in the previous two posts (Matthew 7:3-6, Matthew 7:16, I Corinthians 5:3, 5, 9-12) have something in common. They all involve a Christian judging using biblical criteria. Those who pronounced religious judgments during the time when Christ walked the earth did so using their own doctrines, not scripture. That is why they could say “Well, yeah sure, I’ve never committed adultery” but they had lusted after a woman in their heart. That was the criteria they used—man made, powerless, hypocritical, easily manipulated measuring sticks that they could measure up to very easily but suddenly use to make other people feel very small because they weren’t as good as the Pharisee’s were. However, as the scriptures above indicate, when we judge we are to use God’s standard—not ours. We are to use the scriptures as the criteria by which we determine if something is sinful or if someone is committing sin. Then, just like a doctor would diagnose a patient, we are to loving call fellow Christians to repent of their sins and call unbelievers to repent of their sins and trust Christ. Sin is a spiritual cancer and we are commanded to share the truth of what scripture says about it. However, we must never judge with a hypocritical, unbiblical standard as the religious leaders of the day did. That is the kind of judging that is being prohibited.

We can see that Jesus had this kind of judging in mind when He says “so that you will not be judged”. The purpose, then, of abstaining from a hypocritical type of judging is that we avoid that kind of judgment from men. The world is very quick to point fingers at the church and accuse of us being narrow minded, prejudiced, and uncaring. May I suggest to you that one reason the world is so quick to judge us is because some in the church have lived contrary to their professed faith but have been very vocal in calling the world to account for its sin. The sad fact is, brothers and sisters, we have judged not with the Bible but too often with our own standards. We must lovingly confront sin where we find it, be it in the church or in the world, but we must always be mindful that if we want to avoid being judged in a harsh and unjust manner we must be willing to judge using the standard God has given—His word.

Matthew 7:1 This Verse Ain’t Just For Libs Part II

I used to love to watch the People’s Court. I think my favorite character on there was Rusty the Bailiff. I always thought Judge Wapner had a real good sense of character and could get at the truth of what happened and make a judgment. The funny thing is, I’ve never once heard a liberal christian complain “Who is he to judge? You know what it says in Matthew 7:1.” In fact, the only time I’ve ever heard a liberal christian use this verse is when a Christian is proclaiming truth from God’s holy word that the liberal christian deems to be unloving. As we looked at this verse last time, we observed that it does not preclude a Christian from any judging given the immediate context. As we will see in I Corinthians 5, neither does the broader context of the New Testament suggest that we should not judge in some instances.

Now, just to sort of remind us here, the word in question that we’re looking at is the Greek word krinete (2919). The word can mean to judge in a positive or negative light and can also mean to evaluate or consider. In other words, it doesn’t just mean to judge in a legal or judicial sense although it is used in that context. Paul is writing in this chapter how he has heard reports of sexual immorality among them that isn’t even heard of outside of the church. Instead of recognizing this behavior as sinful, they were proud of the fact that they were such a loving church that they didn’t judge anyone but instead could love them anyway.

Paul’s response is pretty pointed and he doesn’t mince words here. He says in I Corinthians 5:3 that “I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (kekrika-2919) him who has so committed this, as though I were present.” Now, if Jesus in Matthew 7:1 means that we as Christians are never supposed to judge and that doing so is sin, then why is Paul not repenting of his judgment in the case of this incestuous relationship he has heard about? Why would God allow Paul to include his sinful judgment of this sin in a letter to a church where Paul was having to deal with problems anyway? The only possible reason for Paul to make this statement using the same Greek word (in a different tense) is for him to say he was judging this sin. And, notice, he didn’t just pass judgment and declare the verdict, he in verse 5 gives us his sentence. We read in I Corinthians 5:5 “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” That isn’t the sugar-coated, cotton candy approach we find our liberal christian friends would like us to take. No, no, no, my friends, Paul didn’t say “Go set these people in the Thinking Chair over in the corner. They’ve just earned them selves a time out”. Nope, he said he has delivered them over to Satan. Now, it’s beyond the scope of this blog post to go into exactly what that means but suffice it to say it doesn’t sound pleasant. I would conclude, then, that Paul was judging in this case. But does that make it ok for us to judge?

That is a fair question. I mean, I don’t know, maybe Paul got some sort of special badge that said he could judge so that the liberal christian could say “Woah, now hoss. I’m not like Paul. I can’t go judging. I don’t have any business doing that. He was an apostle. I’m just plain ol’ Joe Schmoe over here.” However, look at what Paul writes just a few verses later.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.
Paul says for them to separate from someone who, through unrepentant sin, demonstrates that he is not really a Christian. In order to do that, you’re going to have to determine if the behavior is sinful which will involve judging. Then, in verse I Corinthians 5:12, he asks a rhetorical question:

For what have I to do with judging (krinein-2919) outsiders? Do you (his audience) not judge (krinete-2919) those who are within the church?

Folks, there is nothing in the immediate context of Matthew 7:1 nor in the broader biblical context as we seen in I Corinthians 5:1-12 that would preclude our judging in appropriate times and places. Therefore, that verse does not mean that we are NEVER to judge in ANY circumstances. You might ask “Well then, what does it mean?” We’ll get into that next time.

Matthew 7:1 This Verse Ain’t Just For Libs Part I

One day, while driving to class during my work toward an accounting degree, I was listening to someone on a radio call in show who made the point “Now, I’m a Christian but I can’t go saying that homosexuality is a sin.” I knew what was coming next. I’m sure you do, too. “God tells us not to judge.” Of course, she couldn’t quote the verse or its associated reference, but she was dead certain that God told us in the Bible not to judge. It used to be that it was non-Christians who loved that verse because they could throw it back in the face of some Christian who was calling their behavior sinful as a kind of almighty trump card to whatever theological argument they may have had.

The sad part is, for so long the church has suffered through biblical illiteracy where the average Joe in the pew expects the person in the pulpit to have all the answers rather than being able to give a solid testimony and a defense of his faith. However, as the caller on the radio points out, it’s not just non-Christians who quote or cite that verse. There are Christians, or those who profess to be Christians, who believe that it is not our job to call people to repentance from sin. They use this same verse to justify theological wishy-washiness or to avoid confrontation with those who oppose the Bible and its doctrine. However, if one actually studies what this verse says, it is pretty clear that we don’t have to check our spines at the door when confronting sin from a biblical perspective.

First of all, we need to think carefully about what chapter 7 verse 1 actually says and means. I suggest one way to do that is to examine what the verse does not mean. Let us observe that the word translated “judge” in this verse is the word “krino”(2919). The word means to choose, distinguish, separate between things but does not imply anything about quality. In other words, it’s not necessarily used to describe judging something as bad or wrong although it can be used for that purpose. Now, this word could be used of a judge rendering decisions in a legal matter or someone judging a work of art. It has a fairly wide semantic range. Therefore, it is imperative that we look at the context to help us interpret this correctly and, as I suggested, decide first of all what this does not mean.

Now, let’s look at the immediate context of the verse. In chapter 6, Jesus calls for His audience to judge their own motives when they fast, pray, and give charitably (6:1-18). He calls for them, after they have removed the log in their own eye, to help their brother with the speck in his eye a few verses later in this chapter (vs. 3-6). In a more abstract sense, He calls for them to judge false prophets by their fruits (v 16). Therefore, from the immediate context it seems that Jesus is not forbidding people from making judgments. In fact, in those verses, He is commanding them to do so. Now, granted it’s a different word but they will have to perform the same sort of mental evaluation to discern good from evil as they would to judge it—they would examine the evidence and draw a conclusion. I would say, then, from the immediate context we are given, Jesus is not saying that His followers are forbidden to judge.

However, what about the broader biblical context? Does the bible elsewhere tell us that we as Christians are forbidden from judging? Tune in next time.