If I had a nickel for every time someone has said to me, “Judge not,” I’d be rich enough to build a million dollar mansion by the lake by now.
For those who still don’t understand this subject, let me give you a passage of Scripture that blasts the whole “Judge not” fallacy straight into oblivion. I’ll even underline some key points just in case you miss it…
1 Corinthians Chapter 5
1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. 2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.
Many will tell you we are not to judge. So, the answer is really simple, I won’t listen to the “many,” I’ll listen to God’s Word. Keep right on judging, folks. It’s how we identify error and stay clear of it.
Thanks for addressing this issue. You are correct. The problem faced by the church today is that we know very little about our Bible. Read the Bible without a filter and it is very enlightening. I found that many ‘churchisms’ like the one you mentioned in just not in the Bible.
The chief goal of an adversary is to separate the opposition troups from the home base by disrupting communications. Our adversary has been successful at removing the literal interpretation of the Bible from the Church.
Many churches read the Bible but they filter what it says until they have modified its meaning and downplayed its power. All of this because “we don’t want to seem judgemental…” The Church today needs a backbone infusion. Only a return to the Bible and its proper interpretation and application can stop the implosion…
At the church I used to attend(non WOF) a young “minister” who was a recent graduate of a well known WOF school made this statement from the pulpit: “how dare we say anything against the preachers on TBN.These are God’s chosen and we are not to say a word against them”.
That was the beginning of the end of my tenure at that church.
If only the people setting on the pew would open their bibles and earnestly seek God for understanding they would know that there is nothing in scripture that teaches we are not to judge those in the House of God.
Sadly….this is just one more tool the adversary has at his disposal to silence the church. Which in turn leads to an “anything goes” doctrine in our churches.After all, if we are not to judge anything as wrong, everything must be right.
Just another example of picking and choosing which verses we will accept or reject according to the fleshly desires of our hearts.
Ron
Right. Judgment begins in the house of God.
Excellent biblical explanation on the proper understanding of judging. Those who insist on keeping their heads in the sand and spew out a phrase they have no understanding of prayerfully will be enlightened upon reading this.
I agree totally. There needs to be an addressing of this misused verse. Any verse taken out of context destroys doctrine. It is vital to understand the entire Word of God and read it with one’s spiritual eyes opened and close out the noises of the world.
We indeed need to rediscover a backbone and stand up for something Biblical, rather than nitpicking God’s Truths and taking verses out of context just to fit in someone’s ideas they have formed for themselves over the years, with influence of the world.
We need to examine the lives of those who call themselves Christian Leaders. It’s not just what they are teaching but how they are living. We need to examine the fruit of the tree. We are to test the spirits.
The Bible needs to be a vital part of the Believer’s life and not just spoon fed mush from the pop Christian leaders of the time. And certainly not from fad driven churches and “movements”.
One more thing about discernment. I find it to be personally humbling whenever I feel the need to expose something unBiblical. It certainly does not lead me to feel self-righteous (as the nay sayers claim). Using discernment exposes the need we all have for staying tightly wound into scripture to prevent our own minds from straying from the truth.
Resist the lie of the evangellyfish movement. If you practice discernment in love, it does not mean you are self-righteous and legalistic. Anyone can plug their ears and be a doormat. That requires no effort or courage at all.
Living Biblically requires God’s power.
We need to be reminding each other of the dangers of following false teachers, spending money on false ministries and the judgment that comes from God on the false teachers and their teachings.
Crystal, you are correct to “judge” anything that will have a bad effect on other people.
Any movement that seeks to decieve, fleece and eventually spiritually strangle well meaning people deserves such criticism/judgement. This wild and accountable Charismatic movement has been responsible for crippling multitudes of people in the name of God.
The “do not judge” line is what they always use to scare the people who try to criticise them and this along with “do not touch the Lord’s anointed” is the control phrases they use to keep their followers in check and the money rolling in.
Shame on them!
Love, Peace and Respect to you all
It’s a shame that false leaders would think to keep the sheep dumbed down, but to twist Scriptures to do it just reflects how wicked they really are.
Whereas John 3:16 was once the most widely recognized/quoted verse in the Bible, sadly today it is “judge not…..”
How far we have fallen….
Hi Crystal,
This is one of THOSE subjects isn’t it?! One of those things whose ugly head never quite disappears totally!
Here is a great article on this subject at Let Us Reason: http://www.letusreason.org/Pent47.htm
and also I have began a thread on the forum over at Faith Defenders if anyone wishes to open this subject up further:
http://faith-defenders.com/forum/index.php?topic=662.0
God bless and keep up the great work here, I always so love visiting this place!
Judge with righteous judgement, which is based in scripture…unfortunately, so few know scripture…so most base judgement on their own feelings or opinions…unrighteous judgement…resulting in everyone doing what is right in their own eyes…
There is good news in this. God is working in His children’s lives, gives spiritual discernment to each, and the sheep don’t remain ‘dumbed down’.
I’m one of the Christians whom God delivered from the errors of Pentecostalism. What He has done for me He will do, is doing for others.
I think it’s harder for those born into Charismatic churches-it might seem like they are turning their backs on the beliefs of their parents and grandparents. But I trust that God is as patient with them as He is with us.
God is at work preparing The Bride for the Bridegroom’s Return. We must be found faithful and remove ourselves from unrighteousness and false teachings.
Judge not, unless its my enemy. THEN judging is A-OK, Joe!
Paul Washer put it this way to those who say “judge not lest ye be judged”: Twist not Scripture lest you be like Satan. I like that.
Aren’t we to immitate God? (Eph. 5:1)? Does He not judge? Has He not commanded us to judge all things righteously?
Speaking of judging with righteous judgment, consider this:
Joh 7:24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Right judgement is going deeper, looking behind the surface, and looking to see if there is actual fruit (not foliage). Its practicing what Jesus said about the pharisees having a look of holiness but INWARDLY were dead and rotten and absolutely corrupt: they were white-washed tombstones. It means asking hard questions, observing things said and behavior.
The standard to discern r or judge if something is of God is Scripture:
Heb 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice TO DISTINGUISH good from evil.
Is. 8 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
2Ti 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. AVOID such people.
1Co 5:11 But now I am writing to you NOT TO ASSOCIATE with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler–not even to eat with such a one.
Mat 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1Co 15:33)
‘Judge not’ and ‘touch not’ along with ‘you are in danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit’ form a demonic three strand cord that hold the deceived in bondage. It is like a rope around the neck of the fearful and unbelieving.
There is, in my short experience, a laziness within the church. The first instruction God gave me when I was saved seven and a half years ago was this: “READ THE BIBLE!” – He could not have been any clearer if He had held a megaphone to my ear. It was a matter of urgency, and in retrospect, a life saving command given all that has transpired since.
On joining a charismatic church I learnt very quickly that even some within the leadership had a light regard for Scripture. The Bible was treated as an optional add-on to whatever ‘new thing’ God was allegedly (ie Lakeland) doing elsewhere in the world. Over time, as I drifted further from my first love, I too ceased to study. I lost my sharpness and allowed ‘more anointed’ Christians to do my thinking for me.
I thank God that He rescued me from my sin (tolerating Jezebel) and utter stupidity. Last April, as Bentley mania swept my former church, God guided me to a discernment site such as this (in spite of previous warnings from leaders in my church to stay away from them).
There was much boasting of instant fruit coming out of Lakeland which my former church were terrified to judge, weigh, test. They dared not to speak ill of what the ‘Holy Spirit’ was doing. To even doubt Mr Bentley by questioning his teachings would have meant risking being mauled by bears.
Ironically, God allowed (perhaps because of my spiritual condition) a certain amount of thinking to be done on my behalf again. The difference this time being that these teachers had a love for truth, and despite vicious opposition, a God given love to snatch the deceived from the fire. I saw how skillfully – like a surgeon’s knife – the Word of God was used to dissect false teachings. I saw the WHOLE counsel of God being used. I saw Scripture interpreting Scripture. The facade, over time, was completely demolished. On getting my family out of that church (they refused to repent after I warned my former pastor) it felt as if Jesus had saved me all over again. The noose had been cut from my neck.
I encourage whoever runs this site, and those who contribute, to keep up the fight. God bless you all. And to Wally – evangellyfish – funniest thing I have heard in ages! True as well; no backbone and full of poison.
I think people need to start using some common sense when reading the Bible. This “judge not” thing doesn’t make much sense at all.
As a Christian who posts regularly on the web in various places defending God’s Word, I get the “judge not, lest ye be judged” thrown in my face quite a bit.
However, I always respond with the entire passage:
Matt.7:1-2
[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.
Of course we should judge. We are just warned that we shall be judged by the same standards.
I am comfortable with that.
Mandy,
Do not be deterred by the ‘judge not’ crowd. Those in error do not want anyone judging because they will be shown for who they are. The light shone in the darkness reveals what is really there…
A great amount of the New Testament instructs us to discern and judge based upon the truth of scripture. Carry on…Only the heretics need be afraid.
Indeed, we need not fear those who want to throw the Word of God around carelessly. When we see error, we must speak up about it. We shouldn’t remain silent just to make them comfortable in their misinterpretation of Scriptures.