The "Judge Not" Conspiracy

Look with me at one of the most controversial verses and topics in the Bible. Matthew 7:1

Matthew 7:1 KJV 1900

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

This is a favorite verse among many today. Non-Christians use this verse to condemn Christians anytime we speak against something in the ‘mainstream’. Christians use it against one another when their church supports something that is popular in society, but condemned by the Word of God.

Many have shortened this verse to just two words: “Judge not” and have completely missed the meaning of what Jesus was teaching. In this passage Jesus was teaching on the dangers of having a critical spirit.

A critical spirit is not a Christ-like spirit. This topic concerning Christians and the judgment of others has sparked heated debate. We're told that we are not supposed to judge others, period, by Christians and non-Christians alike. But that is not precisely what the Bible says.

What the Bible teaches is that Christians ARE allowed to judge others, but the Bible warns of two things:

1.) Judgment starts with el numero uno, and

2; Christians are not to develop a critical spirit towards others.

The problems that have cropped up concerning judgment result from our failure to consider these 2 simple points.

This passage in Matthew has been taken out of context by those on the “judge not” side of the argument; they have verse 1 memorized, but not the other five verses. When our Lord was giving this sermon on the Mount, He had some very pointed advice for those in attendance concerning the judgment of others. Look with me...

Proposition: Jesus pointed out three dangers concerning judgment.

Interrogative: How can you avoid falling prey to these dangers?

To avoid the dangers of judgment, you must know what they are. The first danger is...

The Danger of Haughty Judgment 1-2

If we obey the command in this verse, we must understand it in light of other Scripture. Taking this verse at face value would lead us to think that there is no room for judgment in the world, but that's not the case. John Phillips points out that this prohibition on judgment did not extend to the areas of:

Civil courts

Titus 3:1-2 “1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.”

Hebrews 13:17 “17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

1 Peter 2:13-151 Peter 2:13-15 “13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:”

These courts are necessary in controlling crime in our sinful world

Judgment within the church is not included here either,

Matthew 18:16-17 “16 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. 17 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.”

2 Thess. 3:6 “6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”

2 Thess. 3:14 “14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”

Titus 3:10 Titus 3:10 “10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;”

We are expected to “deal” with those in our assembly who act out of line or embrace and promote false doctrine.

This prohibition on judgment did not extend to those who do wrong either

Matthew 7:15-16 “15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”

Romans 16:17 “17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

1 Corinthians 5:11 “11 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.”

1 John 4:1 “1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

These verses describe those who are false teachers or those who live sinful lifestyles

So then what “judgment” do these verses prohibit? The prohibition is against developing a hyper-critical spirit.

This was the problem of the Pharisees. They found fault in everything and with everyone, except themselves. Let me say that it's an awful thing for a child of God to develop this spirit!

When He says in verse 2 that we'll be judged by our judgment and measured by our measure, He is saying that if we develop this critical spirit towards others then we will reap what we sow and it will serve us right!

There's the danger of haughty judgment and then there's...

The Danger of Hypocritical Judgment 3-5

Let's read these verses Matthew 7:3-5

Matthew 7:3–5 KJV 1900

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 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? 5 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.

Let me tell you something about human nature, this is something that you and I both are guilty of! It is easy for us to see sin in another person's life. It is easy for us to point it out to them. It is easy for us to go to them and put an arm around them and say to them “Brother/Sister, I noticed that you have this sin in your life and you're either unaware of it or you simply don't care, you need to let me take care of that for you!”

It’s easy to sit back and point the finger at others, we do this even with the intention to help them, not to harm them, but sometimes it’s hard to see the real need, our need.

The word “mote” means a speck of dust, or sawdust (Jesus was a carpenter). Beam refers to the main load-bearing beams found in a house during Jesus' day. To us, the modern-day comparison is a 2 x 4.

Jesus is saying that it’s possible to be so “helpful” that you're being harmful. You may have the best of intentions, but if you get caught up on the sins of others, you'll fail to see that the real problem is not the speck of dust in their eyes, it’s the beam in yours.

DO NOT EVER FORGET THE LESSON OF JOB’S THREE FRIENDS!

Often those guilty of pointing out sin in the lives of others are guilty of the same sin and they fail to admit this to themselves so they go about “helping” others when the best thing they can do is deal with themselves.

There's the danger of haughty judgment, of hypocritical judgment, and there is the danger of...

The Heedless Judgment 6

The danger with this attitude of judgment is that Christians lack a certain discernment in their lives concerning others. We need to know when to stop! The fact of the matter is that there are some people who, while you're trying to help them and raise them up, will resist and will bring you down to their level. I believe this verse speaks of lacking the discernment to simply walk away. This verse applies to 2 types of people you will come across:

1. Those caught up in false doctrine.

2. Those who only want to argue for the sake of argument.

These two types of people are not a hopeless cause that should be abandoned, that is not what the Lord is saying, What He is saying is that we only have so much time allotted to us and we need to exercise discernment when dealing with people so that we don't waste our precious time on someone who is argumentative or indoctrinated in some false teaching when there are others waiting to hear the truth that sets men free. John R. Rice said it best,

“There are times when you can do more to win a lost sinner by giving them some plain, honest words and leaving him for the Holy Spirit to teach.”

The danger of heedless judgment is just as dangerous as the other two we've looked at, maybe even more so since those who lack this discernment do not see the trap they've fallen into. God grant us the wisdom to know when to quit!

Conclusion:

My friends, I want you to know that the real danger involved in the judgment of others is the danger of developing a critical spirit. A spirit that says, “I'm better than you”. This is why we need to be aware of the dangers involved in the judgment of others. I ask you to ask yourself the following questions:

1. “Am I guilty of unfairly judging others?” If so, then you've fallen into the trap of haughty judgment.

2. “Do I fail to see the sin in my own life when I'm busy pointing out the sin in others' lives?” You're guilty of hypocritical judgment.

3. “Do I know when I've said enough and just walk away?” If not, then you're guilty of heedless judgment.

My friends, if these questions point to you then I encourage you to ask God for the grace to change.