It seems like everywhere you go you hear people saying “don’t judge” or “only God can judge me”. But is that what God says? No, John 7:24 says “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”. So saints are supposed to judge everything according to God’s word and live within these righteous judgments. The purpose of this teaching is to show you the right way and wrong way to judge from scripture. May God grant you wisdom, knowledge, and righteous judgment to do His Work.
Opening Verses: Isaiah 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. (There is no redemption without God’s judgment. They are vital and essential in order for the christian to be saved.)
Psalm 9:16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. (The Lord is not ashamed of His judgments. He is known by them.)
Isaiah 61:8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. ( If God loves His judgment then His people should also love His judgment.)
Isaiah 5:16 But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
What the Bible does warn strongly against hypocritical judgment. How can I call someone to repent when I am committing sin myself?
Romans 2 1-3 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?
(If you judge others for a sin, and you are in sin yourself, you are storing up wrath upon yourself for the day of judgment. You must be free of sin in order to judge others for their sin. So Paul didn’t have a problem with them judging sin. He had a problem with them judging others while they were still committing sin themselves. Don't be a hypocrite.)
Matthew 7:1-5 1Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam isin thine own eye? 5Thou 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.
(Jesus is teaching and warning us that we must first remove the plank out of our eye before we can judge our brother. You must practice what you preach because you will be judged to the degree you judged others. Does that mean if we never judge anybody we will never be judged? No, we all will be judged in righteousness by Jesus Christ. God’s standard is Holiness (Hebrews 12:14).)
John 8:7 “7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” What do people say? They say you cannot judge because Jesus said we are all in sin. But what did Jesus say? He said, he that is without sin among you let him cast a stone at her. So he was not saying everybody is in sin. He knew the hypocrite men trying to stone her were in sin because He could read there motives. It is true, if everybody is in sin, then noone would have a right to judge according to God’s Word. But we see the apostles judging according to the bible all through scripture.
John 12:46-48 46I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
(What is Jesus saying? He saying judgement time is not until the end. So He is talking about final judgement. How do we know? Because Jesus Judged all the time. He called people children of the Devil and testified against the evil of the world. That is judgement.)
1 Corinthians 5:12 - 6:7 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 1Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2Do 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? 3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. 7Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go
to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
(In the Context of this scripture Paul is talking about judging between people in the church. Christians should not be taking each other to an outside court in front of unbelievers to work out disputes. Christians have leadership established in each church so they can work out issues between believers. This is assuming those believers are submitted to their local church leaders. People in the world do not have church leadership to help them work out things like we do. They must work it out in court.)
Examples of wrong judgment in the Church
James 4:11-12 11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
(At this time there were many customs from the old law that people in the church would follow such as not eating pork. The Bible teaches not to judge each other in such cases (Romans 14).)
Romans 14:12-13 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
(If you go back and read the context of this verse you will see that people were judging each other according to the Old Law; do not touch, do not taste. This was causing division in the church. We shouldn’t judge each other according to other’s personal convictions that are not condemned in the Bible.)
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days. (At this time there was a heavy Jewish influence in the Church so many were still trying to be justified by the Law. Paul was telling the people not to listen to people who judge you in this way)
Examples of Righteous Judgment in the Bible
Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
(Judging righteously brings godly sorrow over sin, which leads to repentance, which brings reconciliation between God and man)
John 7:24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Proverbs 31:9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not;Lift up your voice like a trumpet;Tell My people their transgression,And the house of Jacob their sins.
Psalm 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Psalm 149:5-9 Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, 7 To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples; 8 To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute on them the written judgment— This honor have all His saints.
Zechariah 3:7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:‘If you will walk in My ways,And if you will keep My command,Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts;I will give you places to walk, Among these who stand here.
Psalm 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
1 Corinthians 2:15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper,And every tongue which rises against you in judgment. You shall condemn.This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,And their righteousness is from Me,”Says the Lord.
Isaiah 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.
Ezekiel 22:2 “Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations!
1 Kings 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
Colossians 1:28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 5:20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.
Jude 1:14-15 14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Malachi 3:18 Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
Ezekiel 44:23 “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths. (Righteous judgment also brings unity within the body of Christ, assuming the members are looking to obey the Word)
Proverbs 28:4 4They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.
Proverbs 28:5 Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.
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