CHRISTIANITY: FALSE DOCTRINE, FALSE
TEACHING
(Judgment/Judge Series)
Part 4: What is Judge Not, That Ye Be
Not Judged?
In
the name of God, Master of the universe, Ruler of the earth.
Being able to distinguish between
good and evil is very important for Christians. Thus, the difference between
the righteous and the unrighteous must be evident to all Christians. Therefore
God is good and righteous and Satan is evil and unrighteous.
The scripture noted in Matthew
7:1-5; is some of the most misquoted and misunderstood scripture in the Bible.
However, we believe that usually this scripture is willfully misinterpreted.
The first reads:
Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
Many people that resent being
brought up for review and corrected for wrong doing, for example; most
Preachers often quote this scripture. Also, many apologists for False Prophets
often quote this scripture. We have also witnessed people that have very little
knowledge about the Bible quoting this scripture in defense of evil wicked
people. These people have heard this scripture quoted. Thus, it has become a
classic response to any criticism levied against the church and its leadership.
Meanwhile, these apologists and
those ignorant of the scriptures fail to not that the word Judge like many
other words in the Bible has various meanings. Thus intelligent Bible readers
determine the particular context of the scripture and how a particular word is
used. This brings up the argument that the Bible contradicts itself.
For example in John 7:24; Jesus
says for us to judge. However, Jesus says make righteous judgment. Thus we see
in Matthew 7:1; that we are instructed not to make an unrighteous judgment.
Therefore in Matthew; if the judgment is made according to truth and facts in a
particular case then it would be righteous judgment and not forbidden by this
verse.
The statement by Jesus “Judge not”
is against destructive criticism that seeks to tear down someone, to build up
oneself. It is not against critical thinking, but a call to be discerning
rather than negative. We also should be eager to examine our own motives and
conduct before any evaluation of others. One cannot be critical of other people
for offenses that he willfully commits with no remorse.
Thus, magnifying others faults are
incorrect while ignoring our own. However, if we keep God first and exercise
love for God, we will have a forgiving heart and strive to help our neighbors.
The contradictions of a hypocrite
are also reflected in these verses. Hypocrites are people who pretend to be
something they are not. Thus, two wrongs don not make a right. You cannot judge
or criticize a drunkard who actually drinks less than you do.
Meanwhile, Jesus tells us in
Matthew 7:15-20; to discern false teachers. False Prophets were common in Old
Testament times. They claimed God divinely inspired them, but they only
prophesied what the ling and the people wanted to hear. In the year 2000 we
still have False Prophets. Since the world has grown large with an increase in population,
we have countless False Prophets today of every religion race and description.
However, Jesus teaches that the
Saints of God should beware of those that are smooth talkers and sound very
religious who always beg for money. You can always determine False Prophets if
money, fame or power motivates them. Those that increase themselves and
decrease Christ are to be held you for review.
For a concluding statement we
return to John 7:24:
“Judge not according to the
appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
Again we note that people resent
and take offense to being penalized and criticized. We believe that church
Leaders/Preachers/Teachers are at the head of this list. Therefore, they have
been the primary sources of misinformation about judging. These people
consistently make a defense for their acts by quoting Matthew 7:1.
However, they only render a
superficial and limited review of this scripture. They willfully or out of
ignorance fail to consider all that Jesus says in this scripture. The word
appearance in this scripture in John is very important. Also, Jesus gives more
specific information on the act of judging.
Here we see the clear logic, not to
make conclusions solely on outward appearance. The honest and sensible thing to
do is to gather all the facts. Thus one should investigate a given situation
and get the whole truth. Then a judgment or evaluation can be rendered based on
truth and honesty, thus a righteous judgment.
Other Scripture references are
noted in:
Luke 6:37-42 Jesus teaches about
criticizing others.
James 4:11, Romans 2:1-3, God’s
judgment of sin.
Cont. Part 5: The Last Judgment
carl@freedomjournalpress.comcastbiz.net
