{"id":3725,"date":"2024-08-12T01:21:12","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T01:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allthecounselofgod.com\/?p=3725"},"modified":"2024-08-12T01:24:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T01:24:27","slug":"is-it-right-to-judge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthecounselofgod.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/12\/is-it-right-to-judge\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Right to Judge?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How many times have you heard someone whine, \u201cJudge
not, that ye be not judged?\u201d This verse of Scripture from Matthew 7:1 is
often quoted out of context by people who are terrified at the idea of
someone preaching against sin or pointing out any form of error in anyone,
especially in themselves.
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As I stood in a voting line one day I overheard a woman
justifying her foolish choice for president by saying, \u201cWell, we aren\u2019t
supposed to judge.\u201d Imagine that! Choosing NOT to judge a political
candidate on election day! No wonder our nation is in such a mess!
As for Matthew 7:1, the context (verses 1-5) allows judging after you have first judged YOURSELF. Jesus did not make a blanket statement against judgment. He simply pointed out a RULE for judging.
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Now, the word \u201cjudge\u201d in its various forms (judgeth, judging, judgment, judges, etc) is found over 700 times in God\u2019s word. One whole book of the Bible is titled \u201cJudges\u201d for it was written at a time when God raised up judges to lead His people.
As we are about to see, God EXPECTS His people to judge. In fact, you are sinning against God if you refuse to judge! (Read that again, please)
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God Expects Us to Judge
\u201cThe mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.\u201d (Psa. 37:30) A righteous person will talk of judgment. He will not REFUSE to judge. He will talk judgment.
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\u201cSeek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.\u201d (Amos 5:14-15) How can you hate the evil and love the good if you refuse to judge? You can\u2019t. You are SINNING when you refuse to judge.
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Our generation is well described in Isaiah 59:8: \u201cThe way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.\u201d People have refused to judge, so there is no peace.

Paul said in I Corinthians 1:10 to \u201c. . . be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.\u201d Why would Paul make such a statement if judging is wrong? In I Corinthians 2:15 Paul says, \u201cBut he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.\u201d Judging is not a sin; judging is a characteristic of being a spiritual person! Satan has been lying to us, hoping that we will NOT judge, because he knows that the right kind of judgment PLEASES God and betters our lives and Christian service.
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Someone says, \u201cBut should we judge PEOPLE?\u201d Yes,
we certainly should. Paul actually REBUKES the Corinthians for NOT judging:
\u201cDare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the
unjust, and not before the saints? Do 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? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more
things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things
pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the
church. I 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?\u201d (I
Cor. 6:1-5) If judging is wrong, then Paul needs to confess and repent for
misleading these Christians! He clearly told them to JUDGE PEOPLE.
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If judging people is wrong, how can we obey Romans
16:17-18? II Corinthians 6:17? II Timothy 3:5-6? I John 4:1? Friend, if
judging is wrong, then God has contradicted Himself and His words cannot be
trusted!

Notice Malachi 3:18: \u201cThen shall ye return, and
discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not.\u201d WOW! Does that sound like it is wrong to
judge?
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What about Revelation 2:2? \u201d I know thy works, and
thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are
evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and
hast found them liars:\u201d Why would the Lord be pleased with these
Christians if judging was wrong? Is it not impossible to find someone a
\u201cliar\u201d without judging them?
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If the Bible is clear about anything, it is clear about
the importance of judging on a regular basis in order to properly serve and
honor God. To ignore this fact is to ignore all of the Scripture just
presented and also the rest of the Bible. God expects us to judge.
God\u2019s Rules for Judging
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Now I do not wish to imply that we should spend all of our
time judging. Sometimes people judge when they have no business doing so. In
John 7:24 Jesus tells us to judge RIGHTEOUS judgment. This can only be done
by following the rules that God has established in His word. Here follow
seven good rules from Scripture:
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Judge Scripturally
Isaiah 8:20 says, \u201cTo the law and to the testimony:
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them.\u201d Our standard is God\u2019s word, not our feelings, our traditions, or
our opinions. Right and wrong should always be determined by God\u2019s word.
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Don\u2019t Judge When God\u2019s Word Is Silent
If God\u2019s word is silent about a subject, then you may not
have to judge at all. Don\u2019t rush to judgment on an issue when the Bible says
very little or is silent about it. Don\u2019t make more of a matter than God makes
of it. A good example of this is found in Colossians 2:16: \u201cLet 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:\u201d That is, these are not subjects
of great importance today, so let\u2019s not make these great issues of judgment.
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Pray for Good Judgement Ability
When Solomon received his kingdom he asked God to
\u201cGive therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people,
that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so
great a people?\u201d (I Kings 3:9) James 1:5 says, \u201cIf any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him.\u201d We should pray for good judgment
ability.

Don\u2019t Respect Persons
\u00a0Proverbs 24:23 says, \u201cThese things also belong to the
wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.\u201d Treat all
parties fairly without favoring anyone, such as family members or friends. A
truly fair judge is blind and deaf to any outer influence. (Isa. 42:1, 19-21)

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Judge in Truth
Do not judge another when you do not have all the relevant
facts. Jeremiah 5:1 says, \u201cRun ye to and fro through the streets of
Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye
can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the
truth; and I will pardon it.\u201d A true judge is one who seeks the truth.
If you must judge, be sure and get all the facts. A Japanese proverb says to
\u201csearch seven times before you judge.\u201d
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Judge Mercifully
Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:2: \u201cFor with
what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it
shall be measured to you again.\u201d You\u2019ll reap what you sow (Gal. 6:7-8).
If you are swift and harsh in judging others, then God will see to it that
you receive the same from others. Has God not been very merciful to you, even
though you deserved it not? Likewise, you should exercise mercy toward
others.
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Don\u2019t Forget to Judge Yourself
I Corinthians 11:30-31: \u201cFor this cause many are weak
and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged.\u201d If you are a true Christian, then you belong to
God. You are God\u2019s child. If you refuse to judge and improve yourself as a
child of God, then God will take it upon Himself to judge you. Many of the
troubles that we face in life are nothing more than God\u2019s way of judging us
since we often neglect to judge ourselves.
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Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if every Christian actually took
time to judge themselves before judging anyone else? In Matthew 7:4-5, Jesus
says, \u201d Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote
out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou 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\u2019s eye.\u201d A good judge will not
fail to judge himself.

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