“Judge not” (Mt 7:1a) and “judge
ourselves rightly” (1 Cor 11:31a, NASB) are the preventables in becoming the
object of judgment! “That you be not judged (Mt 7:1b) is described in the verse
following it, “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with
the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Mt 7:2).
Since God is holy and His judgments
are not contradictory to His character, all of His judgments are holy,
righteous, and just. If we are guilty of hypocritical criticism, God Himself
will not, therefore, judge us hypocritically (“with the measure you use”), but
because He is all-knowing, He will allow us to be subjected to the measure we
used to judge others by employing someone else to measure back in kind on us.
Believe me; there are enough hypocrites running around looking for a job! We
should exercise extreme caution thinking along these lines, “Oh, God is going
to let other people do His dirty work for Him!” I will just cite three
references and move on (Jas 1:13; 1 Sam 2:2; Rom 11:33). Let’s return back to 1 Cor 11:31 for a little
background.
Technically, this conditional verse with contrary to the fact meaning (1
Cor 11:31) has reference to abuses in the
Lord’s Supper by the Corinthians, but it finds application in avoiding being
chastened, the consequences of disobedience (1 Cor 11:32; 1 Pet 4:17; Heb 12:5-7, 10), through a thorough self-examination (acknowledgment and application). “If we would judge
ourselves” (the Corinthian believers were not currently doing that), we would
not be judged (chastened, disciplined, not
punished)” (the Corinthian believers were experiencing already God’s judgment (cf.
1 Cor 11:30).
Do you remember the old saying that an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure? The preventables (judge not and judge
ourselves rightly) are exactly that; they avoid trouble ahead of being directed
our way. Every believer is to correctly examine his or her own life to see if
any thoughts and outward behaviors are contrary to the Word, but in this
self-scrutiny, it is wise to ask the Lord for help (cf. Psa 26:2; 139:23-24;
Jer 17:9-10). If we scrutinize ourselves, obey the Word, and confess any sins (1 Jn
1:9), we will not be disciplined or chastened by the Lord.
Let me add something here on
chastening; it is not completely avoidable for at least two reasons: our sinful
nature stays with us on this side of eternity and growing in Christ-likeness is a
lifelong pursuit because Jesus is infinite in nature. Since we will never see
perfection on this side of eternity, we all need discipline and training. It just
stands to reason.
When I was growing up there were times my bottom got heated up at one time or another, but only my father or mother spanked me because they loved me and wanted me to do right. I am saying here in this article that we can avoid or limit chastening through obedience, but given the fact we will never reach sinless perfection on this side of heaven, chastening is part of the lifelong process of growing in Christ; we will not outgrow the need of it because we are saved sinners (Psa 119:67). Take a moment and read this passage on being chastened (Heb 12:5-11; in the pain, it will make you feel better, promise!).
When I was growing up there were times my bottom got heated up at one time or another, but only my father or mother spanked me because they loved me and wanted me to do right. I am saying here in this article that we can avoid or limit chastening through obedience, but given the fact we will never reach sinless perfection on this side of heaven, chastening is part of the lifelong process of growing in Christ; we will not outgrow the need of it because we are saved sinners (Psa 119:67). Take a moment and read this passage on being chastened (Heb 12:5-11; in the pain, it will make you feel better, promise!).
Without this self-examination or
spiritual calibration with the principles of Scripture, we may deceive
ourselves into thinking we are holy in a manner that enables fellowship with
the Father and the Son (1 Jn 1:3), but we aren’t; some personal sin is
interfering with the relationship in fellowship (cf. Psa 66:18); we are praying
but the Lord is not answering! This is one of the toughest prayers I know (Psa
139:23-24). If we are out of fellowship with God there is no way we can judge
without hypocrisy (again, sinning against knowledge, missing the mark of God’s
standard of righteousness, and ignoring sin in the camp).
People may think, “Okay, I will avoid
making hypocritical criticisms, but we are still not to judge because we are
all sinners and only God knows the heart (Jer 17:9-10).” I get that, but righteous
judgment on our part doesn’t make claim to know what is in the inner chambers
of the heart of a person nor does that lack of knowledge bar us from judging
them to bring about some kind of resolution.
We can get a pretty good idea of what’s
in a person's heart: fruits and tongue. You can get down to the FAT of it: fruits (Mt 7:20) and tongue
(Lk 6:45; Mt12:34-35; 15:18). It is of truth according to Jer 17:9 that we
cannot know or trust another’s sinful heart much less our own. God, however,
knows the heart of man very well (Jer 17:10). The Holy Spirit knows the mind of
God (1 Cor 2:10, 11), and if we are walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), we are in
a position to judge righteously according to the truth of Scripture and without
hypocrisy.
Sometimes, even though we may be pure of heart, acting out of agape love,
empowered by the Spirit, some will still buck like a wild stallion and accuse
us of being self-righteous. That is SOP or standard operating procedure of
worldly thinking. We must not be deterred by it! I cannot express how important
it is to obey the Holy Spirit than doing or saying nothing out of concern of
offending. The offense has and will come because of unholiness. According to
Hezekiah's collection of Solomonic proverbs, "He who trusts in his own
heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered" (Prov 28:26).
Remember what the preventables (judge
not and judge ourselves rightly) prevent– being the object of judgment, getting
dished what we dished out, or being chastened (cf. Rom 8:28). As saved sinners,
we are expected to judge in a
righteous manner (without hypocrisy), Jn 7:24 (it is in the imperative mood); failing
to judge rightly is failing to execute a command. We all need to get off our
self-righteous hobby horse and quit saying, “We shouldn’t judge!” Goodness, we
all judge every day on this or that person or this or that thing; pretentious
piety is nauseating. We just need to be spiritually right and just when we have
to judge and square shoulders whenever we do it.
Can you imagine every believer
performing this exhaustive self-evaluation? The need for judging among
believers would be drastically reduced, but not eliminated, unfortunately. Now,
you know what the number one trouble is – disobedience to God and obedience to
sin! And in one way or another, our interaction with sin reveals whether we have
something in common with the light or with the darkness.
God is absolute light
(“in Him is no darkness at all,” 1 Jn 1:5). He dwells in unapproachable light
(1 Tim 6:16). If we claim to have fellowship with Him (which requires salvation
before relationship) and walk in darkness, God cannot have fellowship with
darkness (light and darkness do not mix). Therefore, “we lie and do not
practice the truth” (1 Jn 1:6), or in other words, we are not saved. Light cannot have fellowship with darkness. This walking
in darkness is described as “not practicing the truth.”
“But 1 Jn 1:7 contrasts a different
attitude toward darkness because it continually moves away from the darkness
(Eph 5:8) – as we keep walking in the light, “we have fellowship with one
another” (cf. 1 Jn 1:3), but this cannot happen unless we have fellowship with
God in Christ. Often the phrase “with one another” is assumed to refer to other
believers; but verse 6 is speaking of “fellowship with Him (emphasis mine).” As we keep walking in the light (as opposed
to “walking in the darkness,” 1 Jn 1:6) as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with God and God with us (“with one another,”).
There is no other way for fellowship
but to be “walking in the light,” not skipping along in the darkness.
Fellowship is based on commonality, a shared thing. Darkness has nothing in
common with God because in Him is no darkness at all (1 Jn 1:5). One who is in
the light does not make a practice of sin because in him or her the Holy Spirit dwells;
one who is in darkness cannot practice the truth for the truth is not in him or
her. Note that this “in the light” is not according to the light.
These are positional statements above.
The one who is walking in the light is saved (positional fellowship), and
therefore, he or she practices the truth (practical fellowship, it’s habitual, continual,
a lifestyle of living in the light). In contrast, the one who is in darkness is
unsaved, and therefore, he or she cannot practice the truth because he or she
is habitually and continually living a lifestyle of living in the darkness
revealing the fruits of darkness (cf. Jn 8:44); there is a conspicuous absence
of light in the life (cf. 2 Cor 4:4).
This fellowship in light is only made
possible by the blood of Jesus who cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7b). The
Holy Spirit within the heart and the outward manifestations of His residence
distinguish us from those who do not have the Holy Spirit of God; the hearts of
the unsaved are Spirit-free and enslaved by sin to bear its penalty –
separation from God for all eternity unless remedied by regeneration.
We have
fellowship with God only through faith in Jesus who made fellowship with God
possible through the atonement of His blood for sin. He paid the penalty in our
stead and satisfied through His death that penalty once and for all. We were
once an enemy of God and alienated from Him and dead in trespasses and sins (Rom
5:10; Col 1:21; Eph 2:1-2, 12; 4:18; Titus 3:3), but now we are sons and
daughters forever, “heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7) and
in fellowship with Him through obedience to the authority of God’s Word (1 Jn
2:3; cf. 1 Jn 1:3; cf. writing to believers 1 Jn 2:12-14, 25; 3:1-2; 5:19).
So we have a positional fellowship
(salvation) when we by faith allow Christ to be our personal sin-bearer (Jn
3:16; 5:25) and set apart from the world at the time of conversion that is
forever unchanging (cf. 1 Cor 1:2; 6:11), but there is a practical fellowship
(sanctification) where fellowship is progressive (maturing in the faith and
growing more like Christ) and predicated on being separated from every form of
evil (cf. 1 Thes 4:3; 5:23).
Understand that disobedience of a
genuine born again believer breaks practical fellowship with God in the daily
routines of life until having a 1Jn 1:9 experience, but positional fellowship
(salvation) remains unbroken for all eternity (Heb 10:14). On this side of
eternity no believer ever attains sinless perfection (cf. 1 Jn 1:8, 10),
achieving perfect fellowship in sharing of His character and nature. However, there
is ultimate fellowship or sanctification taking place when we are in heaven,
forever free from the presence of sin through glorification (“as He is”),
forever in fellowship with our blessed Lord!
Until then, we must judge ourselves
rightly and avoid judging hypocritically. If anyone should know better about
being the object of hypocritical, self-righteous, hypercritical, unjust,
unkind, and unmerciful judgments, it would be Jesus. He is pretty emphatic on
doing the right thing even under the most intense of moments, and so should we
if we are to be like Christ.
This article is not a pejorative of any particular church but of Christianity in
America as a whole. It is nothing more than advocating the need for personal and
corporate holiness among believers within and without the church as commanded
by the LORD (1 Pet 1:15, 16). It stands to reason that judgment calls are
reduced when we all as
believer-priests judge ourselves rightly in accordance with the teaching of the
Scriptures. Judgment begins with us getting our act together before the Lord and
others before expecting others to get their act together, yes?
Worldliness has nothing to do with purity for all that is in the world is not of the Father but of the world (1 Jn 2:16); biblical judging is all about the promotion of holiness before the Lord and others and performing the will of God. And the benefit of that is – “abides forever” (1 Jn 2:17). Judging rightly unifies; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life divide.
Let me throw out a caution flag for your consideration even though I am promoting more judging rightly of ourselves and of other believers; we are an absolute zero if having all faith but not possessing agape (love, cf. 1 Cor 13:2). In Part 5 we will talk about the wrong kind of forgiveness that has crept into the churches across America. <><
Worldliness has nothing to do with purity for all that is in the world is not of the Father but of the world (1 Jn 2:16); biblical judging is all about the promotion of holiness before the Lord and others and performing the will of God. And the benefit of that is – “abides forever” (1 Jn 2:17). Judging rightly unifies; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life divide.
Let me throw out a caution flag for your consideration even though I am promoting more judging rightly of ourselves and of other believers; we are an absolute zero if having all faith but not possessing agape (love, cf. 1 Cor 13:2). In Part 5 we will talk about the wrong kind of forgiveness that has crept into the churches across America. <><
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