Subject: Whats the point? |
Bible Note: Learning2Be: As an opening observation, I note that your post is not encumbered with any Bible references :-) ..... Witnessing through personal testimony, in your words, "to go and tell what the Lord has done in your life -- what you personally have seen and done," is not without precedent in Scripture. But there is more to witnessing than this. There is the witness of teaching. Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all his commandments (See Matthew 28:19,20). There is the witness of preaching. Paul charged young Timothy: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching." (Cf. 2 Timothy 4:1,2). ....... Now let's re-examine this statement of yours: "When you decide that others are wrong, you are judging." Now I take it that you derived your thinking on this subject from Jesus' words in Matthew 7:1, "Judge not that you be not judged." This verse of Scripture, along with Acts 2:38 and Hebrews 6:4-6, is possibly among the least understood and most misinterpreted passages in all the New Testament. Sad to say, it is used as an excuse -- a cloak to hide behind -- in order to avoid what Scripture commands us to do, which is to "convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2). In other words, we take Jesus' wods to mean that we are supposed to look the other way and let false teaching go by uncorrected, or let immorality creep in the church unchallenged, lest we be guilty of "judging." Nothing could be further from the meaning of Christ's words in Matthew 7:1. The context of Matthew 7 along with a passage in John which I will cite momentarily, clearly show that "judge not" does not prohibit all kinds of judging, or determining that others are wrong is necessarily being judgmental in a forbidden sense at all. Jesus taught that there is, in fact, a kind of righteous judgment -- and yes, He uses the word "judgment" -- that we are supposed to exercise. Here's His teaching: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24). Now back to Matthew 7:1. Jesus here is not speaking of righteous judgement as He did in John 7:24. He is instead speaking of the mean, self-righteous, unfair, and hypocritical kinds of judgements. Look at the distinction Jesus draws between making these kinds of detrimental and unfair judgments against one's own brethren: "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" (vs. 3). This is something like the pot calling the kettle black. It is hypocrisy and Jesus condemns it. But in vs. 6 Jesus warns against giving what is holy to dogs and casting pearls before swine. Clearly there has to be a measure of judgment involved in determining who the dogs and swine are! ...... Referring again to your statement, "When you decide others are wrong, you are judging." Yes, you are. But you may be making the kind of righteous judgment Jesus spoke of in John 7:24 and implied in Matthew 7:6 in his reference to dogs and swine, and Jesus taught that we are supposed to exercise this kind of judgment. Or you may be making the kind of censorious, hypocritcal, and self-righteous judgment that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:1, and Jesus condemned this kind of judgment. --Hank |