Judging
November 5, 2006
Archive
Archive
Is it proper to judge someone? You will encounter those that judge the concept of judging in Matthew 7:1 to mean not to judge least they be judged but is that the proper judgment?
John 7:24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
1 Corinthians 1
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
Judgment of what? Isn’t it immortality.
1 Corinthians 5
Immorality Must Be Judged
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Here we can see Paul asking “don’t you judge those in the church?”
Let’s take a closer look at John 7:24.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
Those who might dress immodestly may look to this verse as a way out, but it simply cannot work. Do not judge what according to appearance? If we can’t judge an appearance by appearance, what can we judge? So obviously this can’t be talking about judging appearances, but one’s intangibles, spirituality, personality, thoughts, heart, etc. Besides this, what can we judge except what we can see and perceive–actions and visible deeds. God looks at the heart, but we can’t.
1 Samuel 16:7 (Choosing David for king.)
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
So, to righteously judge someone’s immodest appearance we can turn to the Bible again.
Isaiah 47:2-3
2 Take the millstones and grind meal.
Remove your veil,
Take off the skirt,
Uncover the thigh,
Pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
Yes, your shame will be seen;
I will take vengeance,
And I will not arbitrate with a man.”
Matthew 5:28
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Friends, immodesty just makes it worse. However, there are more things than just immodesty that should be judged before Great Judge makes the final judgment.
1 Corinthians 11:27-32
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
From this, we can conclude that people often misjudge the meaning of Matthew 7:1. Maybe you know someone who thinks that way. I encourage you to try to convince them otherwise from the Bible.
John 7:24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
1 Corinthians 1
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
Judgment of what? Isn’t it immortality.
1 Corinthians 5
Immorality Must Be Judged
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
Here we can see Paul asking “don’t you judge those in the church?”
Let’s take a closer look at John 7:24.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
Those who might dress immodestly may look to this verse as a way out, but it simply cannot work. Do not judge what according to appearance? If we can’t judge an appearance by appearance, what can we judge? So obviously this can’t be talking about judging appearances, but one’s intangibles, spirituality, personality, thoughts, heart, etc. Besides this, what can we judge except what we can see and perceive–actions and visible deeds. God looks at the heart, but we can’t.
1 Samuel 16:7 (Choosing David for king.)
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
So, to righteously judge someone’s immodest appearance we can turn to the Bible again.
Isaiah 47:2-3
2 Take the millstones and grind meal.
Remove your veil,
Take off the skirt,
Uncover the thigh,
Pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
Yes, your shame will be seen;
I will take vengeance,
And I will not arbitrate with a man.”
Matthew 5:28
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Friends, immodesty just makes it worse. However, there are more things than just immodesty that should be judged before Great Judge makes the final judgment.
1 Corinthians 11:27-32
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
From this, we can conclude that people often misjudge the meaning of Matthew 7:1. Maybe you know someone who thinks that way. I encourage you to try to convince them otherwise from the Bible.