Introduction: When Jesus began His ministry, he was tempted by the Devil for 40 days in the wilderness. Satan’s method was to quote scripture (not the Book of Mormon, or the Koran, etc) to Jesus, and then twist it to try to make Jesus do something sinful. We live in a time of moral decay. We are constantly confronted by sinful behaviors and heresies, and if we identify sin as sin, and if we identify heresy as heresy, we will probably be hit with Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Satan is up to his old tricks. He is quoting scripture, putting a “spin” on it, and causing confusion. What does the Bible teach about the Christian duty of judgment? Let’s begin with Matthew 7:1.
I. We must not judge hypocritically (Matthew 7:1-5).
We must not read verse 1, and ignore verses 2-5. Jesus is not saying to never judge anyone for anything, but to judge yourself first. We have a saying in English about the “pot calling the kettle black.” If sin is rampant in your own life, you ought not to be pointing a finger at others.
II. Jesus commands us to judge individuals, not just actions (Matthew 7:6).
Sometimes you will hear someone say that we should judge the sin, but not the sinner. Condemn sins, but don’t condemn people. But in Matthew 7:6 Jesus says that some people are “dogs” and “pigs,” and He tells us to discern who they are, and to waste little time with them. Psalm 22:16 throws some light on what a “dog” or “pig” may be: some one who rejects Jesus as Savior.
III. Jesus commands us to be judgmental about doctrines and preachers (Matthew 7:13, 15).
The gate and the way to eternal life is narrow, not broad. Our generation denies this and teachs that every religion leads to Heaven. Jesus tells us to be discerning about doctrine. He does not hesitate to say that some religious teachers are false prophets and hungry wolves. He tells us to beware of them. We must discern who they are, we must label them for what they are, and we must steer clear.
IV. Paul tells us not to judge one another about non-essentials and traditions (Romans 14:1-4).
How can you tell which issues are crucial, and which are not so important? No quick fix. This demands Christian maturity and strength which comes with time and Bible study and living for the Lord: experience. That’s why Paul does NOT send this advice to those who are weak in the Faith, but the other way around.
V. In John 7:6-7 Jesus makes a judgment about the world.
The works of the world are “evil.” The philosophers of our time say that there is really no difference between good and evil. They often say that there is a God, but that this God is just an impersonal power, that has both a dark side and a light side, such as “The Force” in the Star Wars movies.
On the other hand, there are worldly people who will admit that some things are good and some things are evil, but they want to reserve to themselves the power to decide which is which. They want to decide the rightness or wrongness of an activity by their own feelings and logic, or by the changing opinions of society at large. (ILLUSTRATE with the story of the Massachusetts judge.)
The judge decided what was right, based on her opinions, and her grasp of where American culture stands and where it is headed. We must not use her methods to determine what is right, and what is wrong. The Bible says, “Sin is the transgression of the Law” (God’s Law, the Scriptures). If my opinions and the ideals of my culture clash with the Bible, then (if I’m a Christian) the Bible is right, and my opinions and culture are wrong. If the judge in Massachusetts had been a Christian, Deuteronomy 22:5 would have informed her, and settled the matter of the cross-dressing high school boy.
Christians must beware of arguing the rightness or wrongness of a religion based on personal opinion, or how good it makes a person feel, or how much it is admired or accepted by society. The world’s religions are quite capable of making their adherants feel good, exalted, holy and righteous; and may even lead them to do many good works. They may build hospitals and feed the poor. We do not believe in Christ because that makes us feel good, or because we prefer Christianity over other religions. We believe because we MUST believe. God has created faith in our hearts, and taught us that His Word is true.
VI. In John 7, the people were making judgments about Jesus (John 7:12, 20).
They were judging Jesus by their feelings, their prejudices, their opinions and most of all by their lack of saving Faith. So they ended up rejecting the Son of God. Instead of inviting Jesus and God’s Word to sit in judgment over them, they decided to sit in judgment on Jesus and on His Word.
People today do exactly the same thing. I am strongly reminded of the so-called “Jesus Seminar,” a group of well-recognized university and seminary professors (often featured on TV talk shows, and religious documentaries) who are going through the Gospels line by line, and deciding which parts are true and which parts are myth. Before they even began, they decided that the Bible is NOT the Word of God, so they can cut it up as they please. Christians don’t cut up the Bible. Christians don’t sit in judgment on the Bible, but they allow the Bible do judge them, their thoughts, their faith, and their actions.
Conclusion: When people tell you to make no judgments, based on Jesus’ saying, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” they are taking Scripture out of its context. They are using Scripture to prevent you from doing what is right, just as Satan tried to do with Jesus 2000 years ago. In John 7:24 Jesus commands “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” We live in an age of spin, of exaggeration, of deception and of the outright cleverly worded lie. We must not judge people or ideas or activities by the appearance which is presented to us by the world, or we will certainly be deceived. We must judge righteously. And the only way we can possibly do that is to fill our hearts and minds with the Word of God, and hold every person and opinion up to it’s light. May the Lord help us and grant us discerning hearts. Amen.