Judge Not!

Possibly, one of the most misused and misunderstood terms in the Christian language is the one that says, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Many times, it is used by someone who has been confronted about a wrong doing. It is followed up by something like, "Until you are sinless, don't point out what I'm doing wrong." What does the Bible say about it? Well, let me make it very clear, I'm not a Bible scholar, but I have asked God for wisdom in this area and I will share with you what He has shared with me.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to share the Truth with the non-believing, (Romans 10 tells us they can't call on Someone they haven't heard of and they'll never hear if no one tells them. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.) We also have a responsibility to encourage and edify fellow believers. (Eph. 4:15 talks about speaking the truth in love, and Galatians 6 talks about restoring someone who has been overtaken in a fault or who strays from the Truth.) No where in Scripture does it say that a person must be perfect and sinless to do these two things. It would certainly be wise to examine our own life to be sure there isn't a glaring fault that would discredit our efforts, but when God hand picked His apostles, they were far from perfect and He still uses imperfect people today. Praise the Lord for that!!!

Now where do we step over the line into judging?

Let's think about the job of a judge. A judge has a couple of responsibilities: To use the law to decide if a person is guilty and to assign punishment and see that it is carried out if that person is found to be guilty. John, chapter 8 gives an account of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees and Scribes believed themselves to be the most spiritual and they immediately brought the woman to Jesus. Not for healing, not for restoration, but because they wanted to be sure that she was punished for her sin. They even made a suggestion as to what punishment should be issued. What was Jesus' reaction? Verse seven says that He stood up and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her." According to Scripture, you do have to perfect to convict and decide punishment for someone in a spiritual sense. These jobs belong only to a holy God.

They could have went to her lovingly but they didn't. They could have pointed her to Jesus for forgiveness, which was the whole reason Jesus was on the earth. But they didn't. Their spirit was all wrong. Most likely, they forgot that they too fell short of the glory of God. If they happened to remember that they had sin, they probably compared it to hers and decided that their sin was somehow less offensive to God.

We can, however, and should, proclaim the Truth to all that God leads in our path. Why? Because the truth will set them free!! The key is what spirit you do it in. The only effective way is in love. I Cor. 13 tells us that the good things we do must be done in love, or it has no profit or effectiveness.

It isn't time for Christians to back down. We should be bold in sharing God's Word. In order to so, we must first know what His Word says. Satan and even unbelievers use Scripture, and if we don't know it, we will be tossed to and fro. Ephesians 4:14-15 says we need to quit being immature Christians, tossed to and fro and blown away by every wind of doctrine and by the trickery of men and cunning craftiness. They are trying to deceive us. Instead, we need to speak the truth in love and grow up into Him in all things. (paraphrased...please read for yourself) Boldness comes from confidence. Confidence comes from knowing the facts. If I focus on myself, I can't be bold because I hear Satan reminding me of all the reasons I am not worthy to speak God's Word. But, if I focus on what I know to be true about God, I can proclaim truth with all confidence!!