Don't Judge Me!

I believe every Christian has heard the war cry of "Don't Judge Me" at some point in their walk of faith.  Unfortunately, it doesn't tell the whole story.

You who know me also know that I hate, detest, despise and utterly reject "one scripture" theology, yet the vast majority of the church world has bought into this "don't judge" theory taken entirely from Matthew chapter 7, verses 1-4  (all while ignoring the remainder of that passage and other passages of the bible that deal with the subject).

The "thou shalt not judge" cry is in fact a false cliché that comes from today's socialist, liberal view of the  church that is based relatively on the hippy, "everything is peace and love" Jesus culture of the '60s. 

Are you aware that the very scripture in question actually ends with an instruction that once you remove the beam from YOUR eye, THEN you are qualified to remove the mote from your neighbor's eye?  Nowhere in the entire bible does it say "Never pull the mote out of your neighbor's eye"!   Not one single verse lends credence to that idea.  The entire passage of Matthew 7 dealing with judgment does not tell us nor teach us not to judge at all.  In fact, it does quite the opposite.  It teaches us that we SHOULD judge, but that we should do so without HYPOCRISY!  Read the passage for yourself:

Matthew 7:1-6  "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 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. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

Do you think Jesus was talking about animals?  Of course not.  He was talking about people!  If that is the case (and it is), how will you know a dog from a pig?  Can you discern the difference?   Don't you at some point have to make a judgment about who is a dog and who is a pig?  Of course.  How do you do that?  Through judging!  Does that make you uneasy? 

Perhaps you would rather move on to the next cliché?  "...He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her..."

According to today's theology:  Jesus was telling the Pharisees to be tolerant of adultery, to keep their mouth shut about it and to accept it.  After all, if the church of today were to take a stand against adultery or if we were to confront the very one caught in adultery, well, that would be "judging" now wouldn't it?  Do you believe Jesus was telling the Pharisees to keep silent concerning adultery (or any sin in general)?  Is that what you believe?  This is not the case at all.  This is again an issue in which Jesus was teaching the religious leaders of the day to NOT be hypocritical in their judgment!   Look at the rest of that passage at the judgmental words of Jesus (by today's church standards):   John 8:11:  "...go, and sin no more."  In other words "STOP your adulterous ways, repent, and don't do it again".  What do you think would happen if we confronted someone like this today? 

By today's theology, all the Men of God from the New Testament violated the principle of "don't judge".  Look at these examples:

"... why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God...."  Peter in Acts 5:4

"Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."   Stephen in Acts 7:51

"But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed."   Paul in Galatians 2:11

"For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,..."  Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:3

"If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it."   John in 1 John 5:16

How could you possibly see a brother commit a sin unless you've first judged that he HAS sinned?  You cannot.  Paul further instructed us that we SHOULD judge:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

Again, in Galatians, according to Paul's instruction, we must make judgments: 

Galatians 6:1 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

Everybody Judges

Everybody, without exception, makes judgments every day!  You can't be a good parent, teacher, counselor, employer, leader or any other number of things without making judgment calls.   Do you believe lying is wrong?  Do you believe stealing is wrong?  Do you personally believe that unbelievers are going to go to hell?  Do you believe the unsaved will be in the Lake of Fire?   If so, then you're guilty of judging them.  Try to excuse your way out of this if you wish, but you have made a judgment whether you like it or not. 

The truth of the matter is that everyone judges according to "SOME" standard.  Where the problem comes to light is in the standard by which judgments are made.  Unfortunately, the standard today is that which is written:

Proverbs 21:2  "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts"

The problem becomes more apparent when we realize that the standard by which most of the world today lives is not a standard at all but is more of a "relative thinking guideline". 

We must get back to the biblical standard set for us all.  There is a standard and there is a guideline for our lives:  It's called the bible. 

John 7:24 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

Read what the bible REALLY says about "judging":

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

2 Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,..."

Titus 1:13 "This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;...".

Titus 3:10   "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;  Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

2 Thessalonians 3:6 "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."

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

Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

2 Timothy 3:5 "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

2 Thessalonians 3:14 "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."

2 John 1:10-11 "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

How could you possibly follow the teachings of the word, especially in those scriptures unless you make a judgment in the matter?  

Proverbs 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."