Endless Prayer

You are probably reading this post for 1 of 2 reasons:

1. You feel you have been judged by someone and want to get some scripture against judging people.
2. You have judged someone and want to justify your actions.

So were you wrongly judged by another? Did you judge someone fairly? These questions and more will be answered in this post. First things first. The scripture you were looking for, or the scripture that was used against you for judging someone.

Matthew 7:1-6:

1. Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

3. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4. How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5. Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

6. Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Let us dig through this scripture and examine other scriptures to see the Truth.

First, for those who belong to Christ their is no longer judgement for our sins.

John 3:18:

18. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

This verse clearly states that we are no longer in danger of eternal judgment from God if we have our faith placed in Christ. Christ himself says many times in scripture that he did not come to judge the world but to save it.

So is this the full story? Do we not have the responsibility to judge right from wrong? Let me pose the question like this: Do we have the responsibility to put murderers, rapists, thieves, in jail to protect our society? Can their be no law and order? Is every man/woman now free to follow the desires of their own heart? How about the Christian, are we now free to commit any sin we desire free from the consequences?

Lets look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24:

23. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”^[a]—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”^[a]—but not everything is beneficial. 24. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.

a. all Things are lawful

In this scripture Paul makes it very clear that though we no longer live under the law (we live in Grace) our actions still have an affect on others. As Christians we should be more concerned how our lives affect others than we are with our own desires.

How many who do not know Christ will turn from him because of your actions? How will you actions affect your relationship with God or your attitude toward God? How will your actions affect your Christian brothers and sisters? Though we no longer live under the law our actions still have consequences which are eternal.

I hope at this point you are reflecting on your own life and your own actions. This is the point of Matthew 7:1-6. We often overlook our own shortcomings and point out those of others when what we should be doing is focusing on our own faults and allowing Christ to help us overcome.

So is it wrong to judge? Yes and No. It is wrong to judge others as inferior, less godly, less spiritual, ect. But it is not however wrong to discern (a form or judging) when a brother or sister in Christ is struggling in sin so that we can help them overcome such sin. Lets have a look at scripture that supports this idea.

Galatians 6:1:

1. Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

We are never to judge critically or with arrogant spirit because this is unrighteous judgment and scripture condemns this type of judgment. We are however responsible for one anothers spiritual lives, we are after all one body with Christ as the head. Let us therefore examine our own lives so that we may better serve God and be better equipt to help our brethren when they fall into and are overcome by sin.

Endless Prayer:

Lord let us not think so highly or ourselves. Let our spirit be humble and let us be critical of our own lives and of our own relationship with you. I ask that you help us to remove the beams from our eyes, not that we would cast bitter judgment, so we help one another remain faithful to your calling. Refine us, mold us, break us, reform us into the image of Christ. Let our lives be lived so that others may call you faithful. Open our eyes to the pain in this world so that we can be used by you as instruments of change.