Beginning in verse 24 of chapter 24, we find that "...some days later Felix [the Governor] arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul [the Apostle] and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, Go away for the present, and when I find time I will summon you. At the same time too, he was hoping that money would be given him by Paul; therefore he also used to send for him quite often and converse with him." When we're talking about the Bible with others, we may find ourselves discussing topics such as "righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come"--just as Paul did with Felix. Now, at that time, Felix became afraid, perhaps realizing just what a serious position he was in because of his sins. But today, it would be far more likely instead that Paul would be accused of being judgmental and self-righteous. After all, wasn't it Jesus Himself that said, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged?" This passage--Mt 7:1--is one of the most often quoted passages in the Bible; and unfortunately, it's misuse or abuse has led many of those who profess Christ to think that they don't have the right to judge what they see and hear--that they aren't to make judgments in such things as lifestyle or belief. Yet, Biblically, that's just not the case; we have not only the right, but the responsibility to judge.
What does it mean to judge? It may seem a simple word, but unless we both agree on the definition, we will never be able to agree on the subject it deals with. So if we were to look in the dictionary--I have Merriam-Webster's 10th collegiate here--we would find the first two definitions were the following: Judge-"1: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises 2: to sit in judgment on : TRY"
Keeping these definitions in mind, go ahead and turn to Acts 4:18. We have to make judgments everyday--dealing with things of the world, and with the things of God. Earlier, in chapter, Peter and John had healed a man, using it as an opportunity to teach about Jesus and to show that what they said was true. As a consequence, though, they were arrested for teaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead. The next morning, they were questioned about it by the rulers of the Jews. Beginning in v18, "...when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard." Peter told the Jewish rulers that they would have to form their own opinion, or judge for themselves, as to whether it was better to listen to God, or to man--but as for Peter and John, well, they would follow God.
We see something similar in 1 Cor 10:14, in that Paul expected his readers to consider what he was saying, and make a proper judgment. Speaking about the Lord's supper, he wrote, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" He asked them to judge what he said, and expected them to see the truth of it. They were supposed to weigh the evidence, and form an opinion based on it.
Turn now to 2 Thess 3:6. Not only are we to make judgments about what someone may say, but also how they may behave. Paul wrote, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us." Then in verse 14, "If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame." If we aren't able to judge others, how would we know to keep away from a particular brother, or take note of him? We have no choice but to make a judgment, if we are to obey this commandment. We see similar commands throughout the New Testament, including Matt 18:15-17; Rom 16:17; 1 Cor 5:11-13.
If, then, we must all at one time or another make judgments--both about how we are to behave, about what people say, and about people themselves--we need to understand how we are to judge. In John 7:21-24, some of the Jews thought that Jesus had broken the Law of Moses by healing a man on the Sabbath; but in verse 24 Jesus told them that they ought "...not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." In other words, they were not to judge according to how things looked, or how they appeared on the surface, but they were instead to judge in harmony with the right, or truth.
The first definition of judge that we looked at gave the idea, "to form an opinion about"; but as a friend of mine has said, opinions are like noses--everybody has one. That's true; everybody has an opinion about something. But opinions are not all created equal. Actually, the full definition was, "to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises"--and this agrees with scripture: in 1Thess 5:21, we read that we are to, "...examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form [or appearance] of evil." We must make judgments based on the evidence, and cling to the good while avoiding the evil. But what should be our standard of that which is good and evil?
The Apostle John said something similar in 1 John 4:1: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Not everyone who says they are from God really is from God. We must carefully test what they have to say in order to ensure that it is the truth. How might we do that? By carefully comparing it to the word of God, as we read was done in Acts 17 beginning in verse 11: "...these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed..." Everyone has opinions, but only those opinions that agree with God's word are correct. Righteous judgment, then, is not looking merely at the surface of something, but examining the evidence carefully in the light of God's word.
Turn now to Matt 7:15. Here, Jesus said, "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves" Now, Jesus is specifically warning his disciples to beware of a group of people. If we aren't able to judge others--in other words, form an opinion about them--how would we know to beware of them? The fact is, though, that we must be careful who we listen to, and the only way to do that is to make judgments. Actually, in the following verses, Jesus told his disciples how to know who the false prophets were: "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." They were to recognize the false prophets by their actions--that would be evidence that could be used to judge if they were from God or not.
What then did Jesus mean when He said, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged?" Does that mean that we cannot rebuke someone who has committed sin? Certainly not! We read in Luke 17:3,4 that Jesus also said, "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."
Turn to Matt 7:1-5, and we'll read the passage to understand the context. "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
This passage does not condemn making judgments (i.e. forming an opinion based on evidence); but rather, hypocritical judgment. An example of hypocrisy is found in Mt 23:3,4, when, speaking about some of the leaders of the Jews, Jesus said, "...do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger." These Jewish leaders required a lot of things from people, but were unwilling to do them themselves--much like the old saying, "do as I say, not as I do."
In Matt 7, Jesus spoke of someone that was making a judgment about the fault of another, but was ignoring the huge faults of his own. At the end of the passage Jesus said, "...first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." We must recognize that we ourselves have faults, and be willing to correct those faults. Here, Jesus teaches against the merciless, self-righteous, hypocritical judgment that we, as humans, are prone to.
Earlier, we read two definitions from the dictionary regarding the word, "judge." We've dealt with the first definition quite a bit, but not on the second: "to sit in judgment on : TRY". There are judges on earth who hear cases against others, and quite rightly, pronounce some form of judgment regarding the case. Yet, in the eternal sense, there is only one judge with whom we will have to do. Turn to 2 Cor 5:10. Here, Paul writes that, "...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." We will all be judged, and that judgment will be based on our own behavior while on here--no one else on earth can affect the outcome.
Jesus gave the standard that we will be judged by as well: "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak." (John 12:47-49) We will be judged by the words of Christ, and those to whom he gave authority--His apostles.
I said that no one else on earth could change the outcome of the judgment based on behavior, which is true--yet, the Christ who died for you can. Look in Gal 3:26,27. Speaking to the Christians in Galatia, Paul said, "...you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." Are you clothed with Christ? Are you prepared for His coming?
