Judge Not Does the Bible condemn pointing out

Judge Not! Does the Bible condemn pointing out sin in the life of others?

Can we Judge others? • If you have ever talked to someone about sin that is present in their lives then you have probably been told we are not supposed to judge others. • They will point to Matthew 7: 1 as proof that we are not to judge others. • Mt 7: 1 ¶ "Judge not, that you be not judged. • Our intentions today are to examine this verse and see if it prevents us from condemning any sin in the life of others.

Can we Judge others? • If this verse stood alone then it would seem to eliminate any type of judging of others. • However this is not the case. This verse has a context. • Whenever trying to decide what a scripture means we must consider the context in which it is used. • This verse is used in the immediate context of the Sermon on the Mount and in the greater context of the New Testament.

Can we Judge others? • First lets look at its immediate context. • Mt 7: 1 ¶ "Judge not, that you be not judged. • 2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. • 3 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? • 4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

Can we Judge others? • Mt 7: 5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. • We can see from the context the type of judging Jesus is referring to is Hypocritical Judging. • He is referring to those of us who would condemn sin in the life of another while we have more numerous sins in our own life. • The Apostle Paul condemns this same type of judging in his letter to the Romans.

Can we Judge others? • Ro 2: 1 ¶ Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. • 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. • 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Can we Judge others? • Ro 2: 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? • 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, • 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds":

Can we Judge others? • Many times we are able to see sin in the life of others and are quick to condemn it without examining ourselves. • If we examine our own lives we may find that we are guilty of the same and sometimes even worse sins than those we condemn in others. • The principle we need to learn here is to get our own lives right with God and then attempt to help others. – Mt 7: 5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Can we Judge others? • Jesus also teaches that we are not to judge by appearance. • Joh 7: 24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. “ • We should not judge others by the way they look, what type of car they drive, the value of their clothes or any other physical attribute they may or may not possess. • It has often been the case thru out history that men have been looked down on because they were physically poor.

Can we Judge others? • This type judging is condemned in the scriptures. • Listen to what James says about this. • Jas 2: 1 ¶ My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. • 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

Can we Judge others? • 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place, " and say to the poor man, "You stand there, " or, "Sit here at my footstool, " • 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? • When we judge others by their appearance then James says that is evil judging

Can we Judge others? • Judging others on matters of opinion is condemned in the New Testament. • Some of the Roman Christians thought it was a sin to eat meat that had been offered as a sacrifice to an Idol. • When these animals were sacrificed many times the meat was not completely destroyed. • The good meat that was left over from the sacrifice was taken into the market places and sold for food.

Can we Judge others? • Some of these Christians would not eat meat bought in the markets because they were afraid that it had come from a sacrifice to an Idol. • They thought eating this meat would have been a sin. • Other Christians in Rome realized that this was not a sin. • Ro 14: 1 ¶ Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. • 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Can we Judge others? • Ro 14: 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. • 4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. • It was okay to eat this meat and it was okay not to eat it. • In matters of opinion like this, we are not to condemn or judge a brother for having a different opinion than we do.

Can we Judge others? • So far we have seen some ways we are not to Judge: – Hypocritical Judgment – Judging by Appearance – Judging in matters of opinion • Are there matters in which we should judge others? • Without a doubt the scriptures teach there are times for us to make judgments about others.

Can we Judge others? • Remember the verse we read about not judging by appearance? • That very verse tells us we are to judge. • Joh 7: 24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. “ • We are not to judge other by their appearance. This would be unrighteous judgment • Rather we should judge them by how they compare to the Law of God. This would be righteous judgment.

Can we Judge others? • Jesus also said in the context of Matthew 7: 1 “judge not”, that we must judge who is a dog and who is a hog. • Mt 7: 6 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. • Surely no one would deny that we must make a judgment in this situation. • We must decide if we are wasting our time with some people and if we are then we move on.

Can we Judge others? • We are to make judgments about other Christians who may be living in sin. • Paul did this with the man in Corinth and commanded the Christians there to do the same. • 1 Co 5: 1 ¶ It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father's wife! • 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

Can we Judge others? • 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. • 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, • 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Can we Judge others? • The sin in this mans life had to be condemned and the Church had to dis-fellowship him because of it. • There is no doubt this man was judged by other Christians because of his sin. • Remember how Jesus finishes up the story of the man with the plank in his eye? • He does not tell the man to get the plank (sin) out of his own eye and then leave everyone else alone.

Can we Judge others? • He tells him to get his own life right and then help others with the sin in their life (speck) • Mt 7: 5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. • The Apostle Paul told Timothy to rebuke sin even in the life of Elders. • 1 Ti 5: 20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

Can we Judge others? • The Apostle also encouraged Titus to rebuke false teachers. • Tit 1: 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, • Rebuking sin in others requires us to tell them they are wrong in what they are doing! • The Apostle Paul also rebuked the Apostle Peter for his sin. • Ga 2: 11 ¶ Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;

Can we Judge others? • Ga 2: 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. • 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. • 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?

Can we Judge others? • Jesus also tells us to rebuke sin in the life of others. • Lu 17: 3 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. • We are not to allow them to continue in their sin but rather we are to tell them about it in hopes that they will repent.

Conclusion • The scriptures teach there are types of judging that we should not do. – Hypocritical – By appearance – In matters of opinion. • These do not exclude us from pointing out sin in the life of others.

Conclusion • We have examples of Christians pointing out and rebuking sin in the life of others. • We see where Christians were commanded to rebuke others for their sins. • However, when we do this we must render righteous judgment according to God’s Word. • And it should be done with love with the hope of them being able to save their soul

Conclusion • 2 Ti 2: 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, • 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, • 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.