Judge not – and say nothing about sin?
One of the most common ploys of unrepentant sinners is to tell believers that they have no right to judge their sinful behavior.
–
They claim Jesus loved everyone, including sinners, and they do not have to repent.
This is nonsense. This is putting 2 unrelated concepts together. Love and continuing in sin.
The rebellious, “you cannot tell me what to do or think” types, know how to cherry pick a single verse and twist it around.
–
This is the passage in context.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why behold thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?
Mat 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in your own eye?
Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
In context, if you go back and look at it, it is referring to hypocrites with the same sin judging others. We are to first take the beam out of our own eyes. It only forbids hypocrites from judging, until they correct themselves over the same sin.
It does not forbid righteous judgment, and in fact, we are commanded to judge righteously, using God’s word as a standard.
1Cr 6:2 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?1Cr 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
1Cr 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
–
1Cr 2:15 But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
–
–
So what did Jesus (and his disciples) say about repentance?
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Mar 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
–
–
And what are the terms for forgiveness?
Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shall forgive him.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shall not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Notice the word…….”if”………..there is no forgiveness, without repentance.
The Great Commission that Jesus gave was to preach the kingdom of God and its requirements.
Repent, be forgiven if one is truly sorry for their sins, be saved, and sin no more.
Unconditional love has nothing to do with being permissive toward sin.
God loves us, and will forgive us, not wanting us to perish, but we will send ourselves to hell, if we do not repent.
Hell is a choice.
God does not make this decision for us.
We do.
–
–Final note:
We judge the behavior as sinful or righteous, and explain what eternal destiny will result in relation to each behavior. We do not judge the motives.
–
See also
Are you REALLY sorry? Click here for more
Heaven Awaits 
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, JUDGING the twelve tribes of Israel. (mt 19,28)
Question: Is the mote and the beam really the same sin, or do we have to be free from every kind of sin, before judging others sins?
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1john 2)
Hi Silvan,
That is a good question.
We all have come short of the glory of God, but we can also be in a state of constant self-evaluation regarding our behavior. If we are, we are doing our best to obey God, even if we fail sometimes.
The kind of judgment discussed here is judgment about temporal behavior.
We make judgments every day. It is important to our spiritual and physical survival.
For example, we discover facts about a person that reveals he is a child molester. Do we let him near our children?
A man/woman has a history of murder or theft, and just got released from prison. Do we let them in our homes?
If someone is openly sexually perverse, adulterous, and blasphemous, and unrepentant, do we ignore them, because we sinned in some way that day, but were sorry?
The bible says that light has no business associating with the things of darkness. WE are not to even eat lunch with them.
So how do we know light from dark, unless we make a judgment?
Some judgment is necessary, if it is done fairly. We see a behavior that is sinful, and harmful to us spiritually or physically, and we decide to avoid that person until we see a change. We are protecting ourselves.
We also can, with kindness, encourage that person to see the error of their ways, witnessing the Word of God to them, so that they can repent, and change and be saved.
This is referring to unfair judgment, where were not just discern that others have sinned, but assume this is a pattern with them, when it might not be, and viciously condemn the person for eternity.
This is an issue of attitude as much as behavior.
An alcoholic condemning who got drunk one night. A greedy person condemning other greedy people. An adulterous woman condemning another woman as a “whore.” This is hypocrisy.
They do not see the beam in their own eye – that they have also sinned. They need to remove that first, and repent, before they have the proper, pure spirit to evaluate others.
When we have a lifestyle of sin, we do not have a balanced spirit, and our judgments are incorrect and unfair. This is because we lack the presence of the Holy Spirit. We need him to make good judgments.
Because here, we are ignoring our own sins as well, for which we have not repented, and focusing on the sins of someone else, who has the same sins.
I understand.
Maybe “judging someone” even means NOT the saying:
“What you are doing is a sin and god hates that”
but rather “For this action you will go to hell”
HI silvan,
What you say is true. Some people are very blunt and rude. This is a poor witness to the love of Christ. Others are just stupid, and do not know how to relate to people. These need to learn how to witness, before they talk to unbelievers.
Telling someone they are in sin takes much patience, love and diplomacy.
Like a mirror affect?
Or like the saying it takes one to know one?
Good points are raised in you posts.
Hmm, i meant, maybe “Judging” means just Speaking a Sentence, like it does a judge in court.
hi Silvan
Somewhere in our interactions, if we are to judge fairly, we also have to identify the wrong, and explain what the punishment will be if there is no change.
Hi ,
yes, i agree.
Judging as a judge in court means speaking a sentence which has legal effect/force!
When we are only pointing out what the sentence will BE, thats not judging. It is the knowing almighty that judges laws and character.
i agree, we have to do damage control on certain things. but in the end we must explain the consequences of their sin, in love.
yes this is right on, especially at the end when you talk about the hypocrites. this is where most christians mess up b/c they can get ugly and condenming and forget they are doing the same thing behind closed doors
Hi Marianne,
I think that behavior is the symptom and not the cause.
Like any thing that manifest itself at the physical level or outward level has its’ source beneath the skin so to speak.
The same is expressed by The Lord when referring to the fruit of the tree.
The fruit is the expression of the type.
So to look at behavior of any sort might be in certain cases the wrong approach.
If we look at Proverbs 17 : 19 The scripture says:
He loveth transgression that loveth strife:
And then look at Proverbs 27 : 4 we read:
Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy?
So if we look at both these ‘ strife and envy’ I think we find the underlying cause of sin.
I would even go a step farther and call ‘Strife and envy’ evil spirits.
And these can hide under ‘the skin’ so to speak and are NOT detected or ‘discerned’
unless The Holy Spirit reveals it.
Jesus Christ was delivered by ‘a chief priest’ as Scriptures says:
Mar 15:10
For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.
Mat 27:18
For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
We see envy as the cause of behavior in other instances like:
Act 7:9
And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
Act 13:45
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
Act 17:5
But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
So I think that this is what needs to be judged.
And James sums it up as evil spirits as well.
Jam 3:16
For where envying and strife [is], there [is] confusion and every evil work.
And Jam 4:5
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?:
I think that envy is not detectable until it comes to fruition and then it is too late.
That is the natural man cannot know the heart of another natural man.
BUT the Born from above man, the man indwelled by The Spirit of Christ can clearly see and detect and discern the root of the problem and by the authority of The Lord and in The Lord cut and remove this root of evil in another.
And this is all accomplished in and by the true servant of The Lord.
This is a gift of God to the one who has truly repented in his own heart from all the
transgressions committed against the Royal Laws of God.
And that is The Ten Commandments.
hi Marianne,
I like what you said ‘we are not even suppose to have lunch with them.’
Who would want to eat with someone that potentially can drug you or poison you
anyways?
Who would want to share food with someone who despises you and pretend they don’t?
Better to eat alone and to drink from your own well. Safer that way.
And don’t let so called unsaved family members trick you either …
Better to get use to the fact that they hate the living God in you.
As the scriptures says ‘your enemies will be those of your own household.’
Strange world we live in!
Just remember we are not at home here.
ABgail,
Very true. Each day, “going home” seems more and more appealing, based on what I see around me.
Here is a song to brighten your day!!
Let God Arise in all of us!
I think so many believers are so worried about “judging” – ie, offending – others, that they miss perfectly good opportunities to speak the truth about sin. And yes, we’d better have a pure and clean life, and learn how to be tactful and diplomatic before doing so. “A soft answer turns away wrath”. In my experience,the Holy Spirit has enabled me to speak tough truth into someone in such a way that they rarely get defensive and use the “don’t judge me” card. I have even gotten a humble ‘thank you’ later, for the guts to help them see where they were.
This is yet another area where we must have a healthy prayer life, be in the Word consistently, and maintain a humble attitude towards God, for this to happen correctly. Our relationship with God – as opposed to religious knowledge – will enable us to speak the truth in love, to someone caught in sin.
In not judging over the deeds and attitudes of others, we sin against our Father as we raise mere men to His level if we refrain from doing so out of “fear of man.”
Marianne, you are right – do not even eat with such a person.
It’s interesting to note, that the “Christians are not allowed to Judge” line comes from the supposed Christian saying that, “God loves the sinner, but hates the sin”
This was a statement from Ghandi!
He was not a Christian!
If you think about that statement, you will see that in actual fact, it’s a contradiction!
If you sin, then you are a sinner.If you are a sinner, it means you sin.If one continues to deliberatly sin, God cannot have a relationship with that person!
God does not like sin and does not like people who continue to prefer sin over His ways and Laws.
Yes God does continue to exercise His grace upon us,but only upon those who live by faith in His Son Jesus.
If we try to live by another set of standards, then we are in fact, setting up ourselves against the Living God.
Not a good place to be!
Bless your heart Marianne,
This is exactly the battle that is taking place. I have been called a viper spirit and a pharisee by fellow Christians for informing them that as spirit filled people we should be living holy. Anyway they don’t want to hear it and it seems as if it does more damage than good.” But only God knows” satan is hard at work to silence the saints from speaking the truth! God Bless
hey Marianne,
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. i loved this post b/c we have so many people quoting this verse out of context. when i hear them say, “And you should not judge,” it makes me want to puke. i know it is either by a sinner who doesnt have a clue what the scriptures are saying in context, or said by a carnal christian who never reads the Word anyway. loved this post b/c so few people and even christians understand what judging is all about. we ARE suposed to judge the fruits of another persons life who claims to be a christian and sin as a whole. God even said we will judge angels, basically saying “get use to it, it’s your job”. i even wrote an article about it months ago —-
http://www.helium.com/items/1053297-is-it-against-christian-principles-to-judge-others
hi jd
I agree. The “do not judge” permissive attitude has also allowed sin to flourish in our world, and now it has taken over. It is a sin of negligence on our part if we remain silent when evil is present, or someone has sin in their life, and we say nothing about it to help them. Like you say, we need to do this in humility.
i’m with you. again it is good to see other christians that actually discern scriptures instead of just going with the popular opinion. praise the Lord for saints like you! you may get a kick out of this article i wrote about christians and them loosing their identity.
http://www.todaystruthwriter.com/2009/11/17/identity-crisis.html
j.d.
BTW, can someone explain what it means ‘Let God arise’ in this youtube? Is our God such as a sleeping giant whom we have to invoke and call up and wake up to our bidding? What kind of modern unchristian music is that?
The heading for Mt 7:1-5 should not be ‘Judge Not’ as easily found, but actually ‘How not to judge others’.
The KJV style translation ‘Judge ye not’ is one of the well known examples of how not to translate ;-< (Another one – "Resist no evil". This is actually what Satan recommends nowadays. Most out there in the world applauds to it.}
It is warning about how people are doing: 'Don't be judging down others; that way you are not to get judged down.' That is, don't be judgmental.
'Judging' is which we have to do diligently in our life. All the more so, when so many are name-sake Christians. Only when diversity rulers, tolerance is the only thing accepted, and Christ is ousted, people will not know what judging is, and no voice in the wilderness will be heard. It'll be Sodom and Gomorrah.
hi Ounbbl
We can exercise prudent judgment, but not hypocritical judgment.
“let God arise” refers to allowing God to take first place in our lives. I have seen it in some scriptures. We are speaking to our hearts, not to God himself.
–
Not long ago, I met these wonderful Christians on the internet and we became friends. We developed a spiritually intimate relationship. Then i said something about smoking and the wife got really mad at me, ended up prohibiting me from talking to her children.
Said children had to shower in cold water during Minnesota winters, went very hungry and suffered a lot, I only learnt about this after God sent me dreams at night which I eventually discussed with the eldest daughter.
The dreams were spot-on.
I have forgiven her, but she continues to HATE my guts. She doesn’t forgive, hence she won’t be forgiven bu our Father.
We here at home in South Africa started praying for them and soon clothes, food and even furniture were delivered to their home. way too much – so they could sell off the rest and have much needed cash for gas & mains power.
Yet I was ousted because I said that smoking has to be a sin as it is not done out of faith in Jesus. The acid test made the wife on that side acidious.
For the record, we as a family suffer badly from the smoke of others and we end up unhealthy and with a much reduced quality of life. Smokers like this false Christian will find out that Heaven also has a smoking section.
Hell, yes!
Pieter……First of all,let me say I have never been
a smoker and never will be. I hate cigarettes and what
they do to a persons health. However, for you to imply
that someone who smokes will go to hell over it is
offensive and untrue. If someone knows Jesus as their
Lord and Savior and is struggling with this addictive
habit, do you honestly think smoking cigarettes will send
them to hell? That is religious and not righteous thinking.
Yes, maybe you should have said something to this person,
and if she got mad then that’s between her and God.
However, to try to put your own convictions on this woman,
unless the issue had to do with her smoking around you
or your family, in which case you had every right to
say something….you could have made her struggle even
harder. What if we went to every Christian gossip or
glutton, or every Christian who talks too much, and told them
if they don’t stop they will end up in hell. Judging righteously
is NOT telling someone they are going to hell, unless you are
sharing the truth that not having a relationship with Jesus
will send them there. No single sin will send someone to hell
if they truly know Jesus. I don’t condone sin,
because Jesus doesn’t.
But unwanted advice about personal sin in someone else can
cause more harm than good. The Holy Spirit knows
when to convict someone of something and it will be much
easier coming from Him. Now, her not forgiving you is a
different issue. Are you praying for her to forgive you or just
angry that she hasn’t done so yet? And for you to say she
is a “false Christian” simply from her getting angry about
something she was not ready to deal with is unrighteous
judgement on your part. God knows who is real and who
isn’t. You first said she was a “wonderful” Christian. What
changed. if you thought she was wonderful then and now
you don’t where is your discernment? I’ve been saved a long
time and I know I’m a true Christian, but I’ve certainly not
always reacted as I should have to certain issues or
confrontations. But God is working in me like everyone else.
Yes, if we know someone is sinning in adultery, or
homosexuality or fraud, or whatever and they claim to be
a Christian it would be our place to say something if we
have a relationship with that person. If not, unless God
says different we can pray for someone closer to them to
confront them and that their eyes will be opened to the truth.
We can pray for them to repent and turn from the sin.
But we cannot be their personal Holy Spirit. Only God
can do that! Some people have issues in their past that
makes it hard for them to get free from certain things.
Only God knows all of a persons past. Again, this is not
an excuse for sin. Sin should be confronted. But we should
be led by the Holy Spirit when doing so.
Pieter in S.A.,I am one newly saved individual that is battling with smoking.Of course i know and believe it is a sin coz not only am i doing without faith in the Lord Jesus,i am also harming my body which should be used to the glory of God.
HELP!!! somebody by the grace of God
What a coincidence? This was the topic that our priest talked about in his sermon yesterday.
“We are to first take the beam out of our own eyes. It only forbids hypocrites from judging, until they correct themselves over the same sin.”
Yes, so true! Judging oneself always overlook what we can’t see from another person’s eyes, there may always be imperfection or flaws…we shouldn’t be too proud of oneself.
“if they go back into a life of sin, and they do not repent. The bible says it would have been better if they had never known salvation….because NOW they know what and WHO they are rejecting.”
I am worrying about sinning, I felt sorry but it is too hard to resist. It is like living in a paradox situation, where I repent that my doings are wrong and should have discontinued, while still in some cases, continue what I am doing. I feel like a piece of rubbish now, countless of sorry and yet I did accomplished only in some cases not to do it again. How it is worse that I am now knowing that god is trying to save me, while I break the boundary of committing again, and turn away from him. I am feeling so bad right now because I am disobeying god, the one who saved me, so it is like trapping myself to the opposite way.
I do repent but I keep doing it, and that I know it is not truly sorry because I would have stopped it. I would have been a little more innocent if I do not know God. I have talked about this before, I better need to do an evaluation of my sins and suggest ways to improve it.
Do bad thoughts in heart count as sin? If so, does it sin less than doing bad things physically?
PG
There is a difference between engaging in a lifestyle commuted to sin, and making mistakes because you are weak.
As long as you repent each time of what you have done, and try to do better, you are ok.
[…] Judge not – and say nothing about sin? […]
India Reckoner said this on July 8, 2014 at 1:20 am |