| Matthew 7:1 Judge not,
that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 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? 5 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's eye. 6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. |
Luke 6:37 Judge not,
and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye. |
| Judging others is
wrong for two reasons. First, we are taking to ourselves a right God
reserves specifically for himself (Hebrews 12:23, and others). Only
God has the power and authority to determine who is worthy of condemnation,
and who will be pardoned through acceptance of Christ as Savior. When
we judge someone else, as opposed to judging their behavior, we cheapen the
grace of Christ, because he died for all sinners, and salvation is free and
available to all. Someone who refuses the free gift of salvation will
be judged at the Great White Throne. Our only role and obligation is
to witness to the lost of the Gospel, and to share God's love with them,
whether they are enemies or friends. Secondly, it is wrong to judge others because we are all sinners, saved only by grace. We have no right to take any pride in our own righteousness, or to criticize others when we ourselves fall well short of perfection. Rather than being the self-righteous Pharisee, we should confess our own sinfulness before God (Luke 18:9-14). We should never turn a blind eye to sin, but neither should we refuse love or concern to someone because their behavior is reprehensible. That is the difference between, for example, condemning homosexuality but offering love, prayer, and concern for the homosexual. All unbelievers are in bondage to sin, and however they may wish or believe otherwise, no more in control of their actions than a robot managed by a remote control. The two passages in Matthew and Luke each have brief parables and illustrations which at first sight do not appear to be related to the theme of reserving judgment. The admonition not to give what is holy to dogs or to cast pearls before swine also involves bad judgment, this time of assuming that unbelievers will understand and accept the truths of scripture beyond the message of salvation. Just like a teacher can't instruct a student who is a novice to science about advanced physics, so we can't expect a lost sinner to accept or understand teachings about spiritual purity and sanctification: 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. When the lost are caught up in their own false religion, such as Islam, the response to even the presentation of the Gospel can be quite violent. We cannot share the Truth to those who refuse to hear; only God can open the ears of the deaf, or soften the soil of a hardened heart. Nonetheless, we cannot judge that someone is unworthy of salvation, and refuse to witness when the Spirit directs us to speak. Giving is related to forgiveness because, when we forgive, as when God forgives us, we are in effect writing off a debt, or giving to someone else the value of what is owed. Giving without expectation of return, just as when Christ gave his life for us, is the other side of the coin of forgiving a debt; rather than not expecting payment of what is due us, we are sharing what is not required of us. If we give simply because we are repaying a debt, or because we expect payment in return, our motive is not love, but obligation. We are to withhold judgment, but not withhold help that is in our power to give. Regardless of how foul the sin we see committed, we can't withhold giving from the sinner. The promise is that, if we give out of kindness and mercy, not only the Lord himself but other people will give in return. We may not receive a reward in kind, but a harvest of love and approval is more than sufficient, even if no reward ever comes from the one we actually help. If we give with a stingy spirit, we'll receive a stingy reward. In God's economy, the spirit of giving is more important than the actual amount, as in the case of the widow's mite (Luke 21:1-3). What does the parable of the blind leading the blind have to do with either passing judgment or forgiveness pr giving? In these, and in all areas or life, we should not look to the world for guidance. Our example of love, compassion, and forgiveness is Christ himself. Though he condemned the greed and hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, he died for them as well as us. Far from condemning those who tried and crucified him, he asked the Father to forgive them. He did not join in stoning the woman caught in adultery, but first delivered her from physical death, then forgave her. Saul attacked the church of Christ, and persecuted those who belonged to him, but Christ called and redeemed in a sovereign way, his past sins notwithstanding. We cannot substitute our own judgment for that of Christ in any part of life; he is our judge in all things. |
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