Who Says Christians Aren't Supposed to Judge? Not Jesus!

Another Patton Associates Spiritual GrowthTip™

“Jesus Commends Judging the Behaviour of Other Followers"

by: Gary F. Patton  (gfp'42™)

Have you like me heard someone say: “You can’t judge other people? How about: “It’s Biblically wrong to judge?” Or even worse: “Don’t judge me! Jesus says you can’t.”

On the contrary, what I believe the Bible says is:

“Who says Christians aren't supposed to judge? Christians who say we cannot judge others are ONLY partially right!” ~  gfp '42™

Please read on and I will explain the Biblical reasons that I say the above. Plus, I’ll explain the major exception and how, when, who, and for what Jesus commands us to judge.

God Says!

To start with on this heavily-debated, Biblical subject of a Jesus Followers right to judge, here's what our Master says in Revelation 2:2:

"I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false."

If Jesus commended the Ephesians in their day for judging so-called Apostles within the Body of The King and finding them false, why would we not judge leaders and others in the Body today?

Further, in Luke 12:57 our Master says: "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?" Again, in John 7:24  Jesus also says "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly."

In light of the above, therefore, I further suggest that, while we are to judge other Followers' behaviour, we must judge by the power of Holy Spirit operating in us to avoid a "fleshly”, unBiblical judgement.

Woah Nelly! Doesn’t Jesus Also Say?

Despite my comments and Scripture references above, we may not judge another Follower's motives ...even if we think it's by the Spirit! We must not because Jesus Followers, even those with the Gift of Prophecy, "see through a glass darkly". I also say this because of Jesus' otherwise contradictory command in Matthew 7:1 and Luke 6:37:

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Taken out of the context of the whole of New Covenant Scripture, one could mistakenly think Jesus’ is a blanket command to never judge anyone for anything. The problem with this interpretation, however, is that it cannot be jibed with our Lord’s own behaviour and teaching ...both of which are models for Followers.

For example, our King often judged others: Jesus said the Pharisees were “whitewashed tombs”; He said Herod was a ‘fox’; He called the disciples ‘fools’; He labeled Peter was a ‘Satan’!

To rationalize this obvious contradiction, some Christians would argue that Jesus had the right to pass judgment because He is God and we’re not. True, but in leaving final judgment to Him, as the New Covenant says elsewhere we must do, does Jesus really intend us to pass no judgment of any kind on anybody or anything?

We can know this is not correct because both Jesus and His first Ambassadors tell us to beware of “false prophets”, but how do we know they are false prophets unless we judge the content of their teaching? He also tells us to not cast our pearls before swine, but how do we know who’s ‘swiney’ unless we pass judgment on their observable character traits? In addition, Jesus tells us to rebuke Brothers who sin against us, but how do we do that without first judging what they did is sinful?

The fact is, Matthew 7:1-5 is not hung on a sky-hook, alone in the New Covenant. The passage is only a small part of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”. One aim of it was to contrast for Jesus’ first listeners and us the righteousness of God’s Kingdom to what the scribes and Pharisees call ‘righteousness’.

I suggest this command of our Master and Saviour ONLY means that we are to NOT judge another Follower's motives, but it does not refer to their observable behaviour. And if you require more truth regarding a Jesus Follower’s Biblical requirement to judge Fellow Followers, I commend to you the entire book of Jude.

God’s Ambassadors Say

As for judging non-Followers, Father also makes VERY clear through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:12 that we may not do so:

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?"

As you can see in this latter Verse, Jesus, “God The One & Only”, also inspires through Paul’s writing His previously clear, personal statements that His Followers must  judge Believers in Him. You'll note that Paul's question here is obviously rhetorical!

Likewise in James 4: 11-12, another of Jesus’ Ambassadors, His half-Brother James, warns

us not to ‘slander’ or “speak against” (not to)  a fellow Follower behind their backs because that is NOT carefronting but the worst kind of judging ...sinful gossip. The ‘Law’ James says we slander when we do gossip is the Jesus’ “Law of Love”, not the old Covenant Law. You’ll note that James also reconfirms we must not judge non-Followers he calls our ‘neighbours’.  

Having reviewed what the Bible actually says about ‘carefronting’, you will now understand why I believe the much-believed myth of Christian non-judgmentalism is demonic in origin. I think it is Satan's attempt to short-circuit mutual accountability within the Body of Christ.

Satan's myth also negates tough love which is just as crucial a part of Jesus' "Platinum Rule" as any other dimension of Body-commanded love.

Brothers and Sisters, as our almighty God commands us, be obedient and judge well because...

“Christians who say we are not to judge others are only partially correct! Judging rightly is what Jesus commands. Love and truth are “The Commanded Conjoined Twins” for Jesus Followers; they must never be separated if we wish to obey Jesus’ “Platinum Rule”!” ~  gfp '42™

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"Christian: Pray for and Reach Out to Muslims!"

Home-grown, radical Islamic terrorism will probably escalate given the success of the Boston Marathon bombings and the close call and recent arrests of an extremist Muslim Toronto resident and another in the U.S. because of their planned derailment of a Canadian passenger train near Toronto.

You also probably heard about the Canadian Muslim who took part in the large terrorist attack and subsequent murders of workers and others recently at the oil refinery in Algeria.

The temptation resulting from this horrible violence and the fear it causes is to build barriers, not bridges, in Canada and the U.S. to our Muslim neighbours.

However, may I remind you of Jesus’ choice of disciples, and the bridges that He chose to build with them to the local culture groups in ancient Israel when He was first here.

One of Jesus' Ambassadors, Matthew, came into His inner circle as a collaborationist tax-collector. Matthew abetted and aided the occupying Romans in oppressing the Jewish nation before he chose to follow King Jesus. Most Jews felt about Matthew much like the Dutch did during WW II about their fellow citizens who collaborated with and helped the Germans.

On the other hand, Simon the Zealot, another of Jesus' 12 key Ambassadors, was the ancient Jewish equivalent of the Tsarnaev brothers when Jesus walked around Israel. The Zealots were masters of ferocious and violent terrorism against the Roman authorities and soldiers occupying Israel.

It would have been interesting to sit in on conversations with Jesus and those two ...Matthew and Simon. We would have heard Him share in his own voice His peace-making, non-violent "Third Way" that we can still read about in Matthew 5:38-48.

Despite who Matthew and Simon were and the terrible things they had done before meeting Jesus, personally, He chose them, made them His friends, and partners with each other. That same invitation is available still today to everyone who will choose to believe in, follow, and obey Jesus, "God, The One and Only King".

Jesus also made the nobodies, Matthew and Simon, His Apostles. 'Apostle' is really better translated ...rather than being transliterated... as 'Ambassador'. And Jesus sent "His 12 Ambassadors to the whole world of non-Jews and told them to tell their Disciples (Learners) down through the ages to us to do exactly the same thing.

In view of Jesus command to His Followers in all ages, one of the saddest statements to come out of the Tsarnaev brothers’ story was this entry by Tamerlan, the eldest, on one of his web sites:

"I have no American friends – I don’t understand them."

Do you, like me, wonder if Jesus holds Tamerlan responsible for the non-action of Christians who may not have reached out, in love, to the Tsarnaevs who were ordinary "Street Muslims", to use a term common in the media, before the demoniacal violence took place?

Or will Jesus be asking so-called Jesus-Following neighbours of the Tsarnaevs about what they did to share His non-violent Gospel of grace to the Brothers and their family ...before it was too late?

For unconditional love is Jesus' ONLY prescription for what is needed to hopefully counter and overcome radical Islamist hate and violence against non-Muslims ...especially Christians and Jews.

Despite what Islamic apologists argue, Muslims are taught these attitudes by their Holy Book, the Qur'an. (In it, regrettably, they find many hateful, violent commands like those in verses 4:76, 5:33, 5:51, and 9:5!) 

Please pray for and reach out to your Muslim neighbours, without fear as Jesus commands in Matthew 28:18-20. Please also pray for both the persecuted and their persecutors in the genocide being implemented against Christians by radical Islamists, plus ordinary Street Muslims, throughout the Muslim-majority world and especially, right now, in Egypt, Iraq, and Syria.