The Exercise of Righteous Judgment

Judge not according to the appearance, 

but judge righteous judgment.

John 7:24

To judge means to form an opinion about something or someone often times based on what we see or heard rather than on what we know.  There is a correct way that we, as believers are to judge people and situations.  Judgment is a serious matter and a much needed necessity within the church; among those who are believers; true worshipers of God. There is a place for righteous judgment. It sounds harsh, but fellow-shipping or keeping company with a fellow believer who has lapsed back into sin is to be avoided.

During biblical times when Christians persisted in sin, they were judged by their brothers and sisters in Christ.  In looking at our church today, it is nearly impossible to tell who the true believers are from the 'guests or visitors'.  Sin has crept into the church, has gotten comfortable, has been allowed to remain there and invite its friends.  

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jude 1:4

Why?  Could the answer be 

√     for increased membership, 

√     for increased financial gain, 

√     for need of musicians, singers, or 

√     for fear of offending someone?  

We should be offending souls to heaven not defending souls to hell!  Apostle Paul made it very plan that though we continue in love for our back-slidden brother or sister, that person is to be marked and removed until such time of their restoration.  Apostle Paul explained to the Corinthians: 

"I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner -- not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves that wicked person" (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

Apostle Paul asked this question at Corinth, when Christians came into conflict:

"Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?" (1 Corinthians 6:1-5).

We should not reserve judgment when faced with clear manifestations of evil.

Each of the 7 churches mentioned in the book of Revelations, including Thyatria, were reprimanded: 

"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols"  (Revelation 2:20)

What if false teaching on divorce and remarriage leads God's people to commit sexual immorality? Will God hold us guiltless if we allow such to be taught, and if we fellowship with people Jesus says are committing adultery? 

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.  Matthew 5:31-32; 

He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.  Matthew 19:9; 

And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.  And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.  And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.  Mark 10:10-12; 

Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.  Luke 16:18)

Many commands of God require the exercise of righteous judgment:

"But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us"  (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

"And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15)

"Teach and exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself" (2 Timothy 6:2b-5)

"Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple"   (Romans 16:17-18)

All these commands require the careful exercise of righteousness judgment. Do not be deceived by smooth words and flattering speech. Beware of wolves who come to you with a sheep's skin covering.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. Jude 1:16

We must be careful not to make unqualified judgments.

But we must judge appropriately when commanded to do so.

"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment"   John 7:24

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 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's eye.  Matthew 7:1-5

Love our brothers and sisters who have slipped or lapsed back in to a life of sin but don't make them comfortable in your presence by 

• pretending that there is nothing different, 
• that there is nothing wrong in their relationship with God, 
• that they are no longer proving that good, perfect and acceptable will of God; 
• that everything is the same when we know that they are now on a different path than the path of righteousness. 

Judge them righteously according to the word of God and help to lead them to the path of restoration instead of sugarcoating their sinful ways down the path to hell.

(Biblical Studies)

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