Why do Christians judge each other when Jesus said not to?
Preamble:
I have had occasions when people try to defend their wrong action said: “Do not judge”. I sincerely hope that this questionnaire is not asking this question so that he/she would refuse to be on the Lord’s side when asked to do the things that would guarantee eternal life.
In John Chapter Four, there was a drama between the woman by the well and the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord was witnessing to this woman by the well, Jesus told her, you had five husbands and the one with whom you are living now is not your husband.
To some people they may hide under this umbrella. In actual fact, Jesus was trying to pass a particular message of salvation, love and monogamy. This is the message endorsed by God right from the creation of the world. Anything contrary to the set up by God’s order is a sin and preachers or followers of Christ has a mandate to correct such evils through our ministration. Jesus said:
Mark 16:15-16 “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
I sincerely hope that you are not offended by the last phrase in verse 16 above. If you believe not you shall be condemned (damned). It is serious!. You better repent of your sins today so that you can be justified -.John 3:7
DO NOT JUDGE – MATT. 7:1-5
“Judge not, that ye 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.” KJV
The sixth section of the new King’s decree on the mountain, vv 1-12, concerns the principles of the kingdom people in their dealings with others.
The kingdom people, living in a humble spirit under the heavenly ruling of the kingdom, always judge themselves, not others.
Under the heavenly ruling of the kingdom, the kingdom people will be judged with what they judge others. If they judge others with righteousness, they will be judged with righteousness by the Lord; if they judge other with mercy, they will be judged with mercy by the Lord.
MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT
(James 2:13).
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hat shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoicest against judgment”
As the Kingdom people, living in a humble spirit under the heavenly ruling of the kingdom, we must consider the beam in our own eye whenever we look at the splinter in our brother’s eye. The splinter in our brother’s eye must remind us of the beam in our own eye.
This is what the Lord Jesus buttressed in his sermon on the mount. Don’t be a Pharisee, be a Christian!
OCCASION THAT WARRANT YOU JUDGING YOURSELF
1 Cor. 11:27-34
“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.”
The bread is broken that we may eat it (Matt. 26:26).
The word unto, here and in the next verse implies not only a purpose but also a result. Participation in the Lord’s supper will surely produce a result – a continual remembrance of the Lord for His satisfaction.
To take the Lord’s Supper is for the remembrance of the lord Himself, not for anything else.
The bread is of life (John 6:35) and the cup is of blessing (10:16). This cup is the new covenant, comprising all the rich blessings of the New Testament, including God Himself. The new covenant was established by the Lord’s blood, which he shed on the cross for our redemption (Matt. 26:28).
The real remembrance of the Lord is to eat the bread and drink the cup (v. 26), that is, to participate in, to enjoy, the Lord, who has given Himself to us through His redeeming death. To eat the bread and drink the cup is to take in the redeeming Lord as our portion, as our life and blessing. This is to remember Him in a genuine way.
Or, proclaim, display. To take the Lord’s Supper is not to remember the Lord’s death but to declare and display it. We remember the Lord Himself by declaring and displaying His death.
We should take the Lord’s supper unto the remembrance of Him by declaring His redeeming death without ceasing until He comes back to set up God’s kingdom (Matt. 26:29). By His first coming the Lord accomplished His death to carry out an all-inclusive redemption for the producing of the church. After His death He went away to receive the Kingdom, (Dan. 7:13-17; Luke 19:12). The period between His first and second comings is the church age. The church thus bridges the gap between the Lord’s first coming and His second coming and connects His death in the past with God’s kingdom in the future. Hence, to declare the Lord’s death until He comes may imply the declaring of the existence of the church for the bringing in of the kingdom. When we eat the Lord’s supper in this way, with a view to a continual remembrance of Him in His first and second comings, that supper becomes a satisfaction to Him in relation to the kingdom, God’s administration.
That is, not respecting the significance of the bread and the cup of the Lord, which signify His body broken for us and His bloodshed for our sins through His death, accomplished for our redemption.
That is, bring judgment to himself (vv. 29-30)
That is, examine himself, put himself to the test and have himself approved, meeting the prescribed specifications.
Eating the bread or drinking the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner brings judgment to us. This judgment is not a condemnation but the Lord’s temporary discipline (v. 32).
Lit., to distinguish, separate, discriminate, make a distinction. To fail to discern the Lord’s body is to fail to make a distinction between the bread, which signifies the Lord’s body, and common food. It is to fail to evaluate the significance of the bread that we take at the Lord’s supper. This brings judgment, the Lord’s discipline, to us.
The apostle used the expression the body instead of the body of the Lord. This may imply the fact that, in addition to the physical body of the Lord (v. 24), there is the mystical Body of Christ (Eph. 4:4). Therefore, when we participate in the Lord’s table, we must discern whether the bread on the table signifies the one Body of Christ or any division of may (any denomination). In discerning the Body of Christ, wee should not partake of the bread in any division or with any divisive spirit. Our participation in the Lord’s Table must be the unique fellowship of His unique Body without any division in practice or in spirit.
JUDGMENT WILL BEGIN IN THE HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH
1 Peter 4:17 “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?
This is nothing but encouraging sinners to come to repentance. If God will judge the Church, then sinners had better be informed now that their part will be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death – Revelation 21:8
CONCLUSION:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
Proverbs 6:16-20
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea; seven are an abomination unto him;
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that devisth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. My son keep they father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Friends, have been born again? If not you can be a child of the Kingdom today and you will escape the judgment of the devil already hanging on your neck. As long as you are not on the Lord’s side, you stand condemned – John 3:16-18.
God bless you real good!
N. B: Quotations this week are from King James Version of the Bible, please.
Rev Debo Adeyemo
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I think Christians judge one another for two main reasons: our fallen nature, and misunderstanding of Jesus’ words. 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Matthew 7:1-2 (NKJV)
It’s often said that Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven, and how true this is! Although Christians have the grace of God to guide them in their actions, we still make mistakes sometimes. One of the most common mistakes Christians (and anybody) make is casting judgement. I don’t believe this passage is condemning making judgements about actions or behavior. For instance, most people consider calling people names or harrassing them is wrong, and this is a judgement on some peoples’ behavior, which is not wrong by either Scripture or logic. I think Jesus’ primary concern here is with Christians judging other people where in areas where judgment belongs to God alone.
An example would be one Christian concluding another is not a real Christian and therefore going to hell, because they belong to a different denomination. While there are some Christian groups that teach errors and Christians who hold false beliefs, only God Himself is truly able to see what’s in a person’s heart. Because of our sinful nature, we often judge by outward appearance “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) So, I believe the primary reason Christians judge is simply the same reason why we do other things Christ has told us not to do, sinfulness and misunderstanding of God’s Word.
AJ Demers
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Yes, this happens. And it is not only individual Christians that are responsible for it. Almost all churches do this too.
Have you ever experienced a church that has a written code of doctrinal belief that prospective members ‘must’ either verbally agree to in the presence of others, or perhaps sign? A church that makes baptism conditional upon certain standards being met; eg. Quit Smoking? A church that refuses to marry a divorced person? A church that refuses to bury a child because the parent was not married? A church that asks someone to leave because they have caused offence in some way? A church that seeks to dictate to the consciences of it’s members? Yes you have! And so have I. I belong to one that is guilty of a number of these things and I expect you do too. I have yet to experience a church that does not have some sort of judgementalism in it’s charter.
Is it any wonder then, that some members of a certain mind set, have an unwritten set of rules of conduct that they not only observe themselves, but seek to impose on others also?
I have discovered during my management career that the fault almost always lies with the system, not with the individual. Fix the system and the problem goes away, usually. The problem then lies mostly with churches that impose rules like those described above.
To be fair to the churches, one has to acknowledge that in some respects they are caught between a rock and a hard place. As human organizations they must have some rules by which to operate. It is a fact of life that not all members are above doing something wrong, which would be considered wrong in the eyes of God, and of necessity they need a means of self cleansing. One popular way is to disfellowship individuals who break rules of conduct, and this is used by most. Others deny membership to individuals who do not meet certain standards of behavior in the first instance. In doing this of course there is often judgement coming into the picture.
Because of human nature and to prevent any church leader from going too far either one way or the other, rules and conditions are written and church leaders are required, on forfeiture of their paid position, to carry them out. And with all this in place we have the system that results in judging each other.
So what do you do? Personally, I believe that churches should not burden people with any rules other than what God has set out as conditional for acceptance into heaven. Administrative rules excluded of course. I believe baptism should be offered immediately upon conversion, and that membership of the church group is automatic. The tares and the wheat will grow together and God will separate them at the harvest. If we go uprooting the tares we are likely to loosen the roots of some of the wheat as we do it. This is what the instruction implies. Kick someone out of the church for making a fuss and two or three of his friends will leave in indignation.
These new Christians are heaven bound and should not be discriminated against for bad habits like smoking at this stage. As time goes by and they grow in faith and knowledge as they are nourished by the other members and private study, the Holy Spirit will deal with them concerning faults and habits. At some stage they would be able to be judged (that word again) as worthy to lead and nourish others. This is not discriminative judgement concerning saved status, but human judgement of knowledge and ability, something every supervisor has to do as part of everyday duties in any field of employment. In this way they could progress from new Christians to church leaders. Backsliding could see them demoted perhaps but not excluded. Churches need to be hospitals for sinners.
This ministry is presently operating with volunteers that come from diverse religious backgrounds and cultures. There are issues and doctrines that many of us are opposed on. But there is one thing upon which we all agree and that is that salvation is available to all who want it.
Romans 10:9-AV That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
John 3:16-AV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
This Gospel of salvation is the message that this ministry is dedicated to. We support the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and by no other means. We believe that there is nothing any of us can do that will in any way influence God to save us. We are totally dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ who has purchased a ‘ticket’ for every one of us with His perfect blood. Because Jesus is perfect, and His sacrifice is perfect, He is able to save us by accepting responsibility for our sinful condition. Not just the sins we commit daily but by being born into the human race as a descendent of Adam, who sold the whole race into slavery to Satan.
If churches were to make this Gospel their standard, and not doctrinal belief, judging each other would fade away, well, perhaps a few diehards would persist, it is a human failing after all. In any event, we are fast approaching the time when a great separation is going to occur. If you have followed Lyn’s mini sermons on ‘Come out of her, my people’, you will understand what is happening here. If not, please ask Lyn or myself. After this separation, the various denominations will still exist but will be fallen churches. Those who ‘come out’ will be of one mind. They will face persecution by the ‘official’ churches who by that time will control the civil authority, and they will carry the Gospel message of salvation to the whole world.
Dear reader, if you do not posses the assurance that if you die, you will be resurrected to eternity in paradise, answer ‘The Savior’s Call’ in this newsletter.
Lance Wearmouth
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We judge one another because we are weak and human sinners. People judge in order to fit in with certain crowds. They get with gossip mongers and judge others to be one of the crowd. We judge others without ever thinking of our own downfalls and faults. We need to pray for one another and not judge. We need to take the plank out of our own eye before trying to take the speck out of our brothers. Matthew 7:1-2 says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. MAY ALL BE BLESSED!
Love DeeDee
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This is a sad, sad subject to discuss. Y’shua said in Matthew 7:1,2 “judge not, that you be not judged. “for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do Christians judge one another & the world too? Well, the answer is simple, the separation of all the churches & the “cultish” way of selfish-hearts, by saying “we’re the right one & all the others are wrong!” this is a very dangerous saying to say to a congregation ! Because, i don’t see anywhere in the holy living word of our god where it says to have separate “demon-onations” I see 1 cor. 13: love–>relationship, fellowship w/ one another as the true body of messiah Y’shua! & that we can have disagreeances, but not judgments nor arguments between one another, so that thee truth may be made known by the lord’s teaching alone ! We sadly all have turned the “lost-world” away from us, and now they’re in a spiritual vacuum, not knowing what to believe.
Now, they’re in a perfect place for Satan to really deceive them w/ his anti-Christ soon (revelation 13:16-18) the one whom he’ll possess & we’ll all see him rise to power & enter the rebuilt temple. (Matthew 24:15) while we were arguing & complaining among one another, we have broken our lord’s precious heart & now many fall away just because of all the “demonic-doctrines” in the churches ; ( 2 Tim. 4:) thatYy’shua prophesied would happen & Paul expounded upon them!~ isn’t it high time, we stop judging one another’s churches, & saying all the others are all wrong.. We will find out in the very end who was right & who was wrong ! The judgment seat of Y’shua homeshea ! For all of our works will be judged! Who does he judge first? Us ! either we need to stick together, or they’ll hang us separately, is a lil’ late now ! Now, they’re going to hang us all separately !
Soon & very soon in this tribulation time period we are now faced with ! Daniel 12:1,2; Matthew 10:17-22 ; 24:1,37 ; Mark 13: ; Luke 21:16 ; 1 Thess. 5:1-5 ; 2 Thess. 2:1-5 ; 2 peter 3:4 . . . .
The bible can’t lie, nor can our lord ! He’s not a santa-clause ! Or a master card, stop using him as such! Stop judging, judgment is finality ! Get true discernment how to see what’s what ! (Phil. 1:9 ; 1 john 4:1 ; may god help us all ! I’m burdened for his people
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Because they are just playing Christian, and do not do what the Lord tells them to, they are still influenced by Satan and do not have Christ in them. They are the ones that the Lord will tell go away from me, You knew me not.
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Christians who judge other people, despite what Jesus said, I believe is because they are very egotistical. They think they are sinless and beyond judgment themselves. They usually are the ones who have sin in their life, and cover it up by pointing the finger and judging others I have find. When a person becomes very close to the Lord, reads his word daily, really trusts the Lord with all his heart and completely relies on the Lord, you will see that that person is easy to be around because they are confident of who they are in Christ Jesus and they don’t need to judge, but love unconditionally.
Baby Christians, who become born-again begin right away judging and bopping people over the head with the bible which is very very dangerous. It scares people away and makes them feel very uncomfortable. My husband was constantly being judged and asked if he was going to church yet., etc. etc. Because of this, it took years for me to undoe the hurt and pain Christians had put him through. Today, Thank God, he is a mature Christian who does not judge, but accepts and loves unconditionally. People love to talk and be around him. Like most mature Christians who have walked with the Lord many years, you will find them to be patient, sympathetic, compassionate to the hilt and that’s the way it ought to be. Christianity should attract not attack. Amen and Amen. Love in Him,
Lainey
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As Christians we judge other Christians because we are to know them by their fruits there has to be evidence in one’s life that one is saved We should also be growing in the spirit we all sin and fall short the glory of God but our goal should be to keep on striving until we reach our Maker Iron sharpens Iron and we learn from one another. If we know our scripture the Bible says put no trust in man but in God alone therefore, we should be checking things out in the Bible and not just what is preached we need to know the Word of God and live it.
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Why do Christians judge one another when Jesus said not to? I would have to say that they are not true Christian as true Christians follow the word of Jesus. Some people profess to be Christians and look good to the world as they help out with church functions, give donations to church causes, and profess that they pray for others. Looking good to the community, always being available for church causes and living a respectable life does not make a person a Christian.
One who follows the word of Jesus. Prays from the heart and gives from the heart is a true Christian. This person would never judge another as he/she knows that we were all born with original sin. Jesus gave His life to free us from this sin and gave us the opportunity to gain heaven. He also gave us free will in deciding which path in live to take in obtaining heaven. He set guidelines for us to follow. When we slip, He still hold us up. We have no right to judge another as none of us are free from sin. Jesus has the right to judge the living and the dead. Not the one His Father created.
Barb
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Judgment is easy, lovingly admonishing is a more difficult thing. We are to let a brother know when they are in error. this is what the bible tells us. perhaps by responding to these questions, I will remember the place where the word is. if you see a brother in a fault, it is your responsibility to let them know, if the Holy Spirit leads you. then you will do it correctly. People judge when they are not happy with themselves. they feel I am better than they are because….whatever. they also do not see people with the love and eyes of God. it is easier to put someone else in the spotlight of negativity then you will not have to examine and judge yourself. a result of sin put under the carpet. The Lord tells us to examine ourselves daily. no mater how much you wash, if you wash again, you will find dirt. a woman said it so wisely, take a daily bloodbath.
Elaine Moore
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I feel that Christians judge other Christians due to the fact that they are unaware they are doing it or they may consider it a very small sin.
Dave
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We judge men because we are human and; therefore, fallible. For me, I know that I have times when I am SO certain I know the right course of action for someone else that I make judgments. I know when I am feeling particularly bad about some sin in my life, judging another takes the edge off for me. If you have read closely, you will discern that even as I write this, I am judging myself, and I come up guilty as charged. The only relief I have is that He paid the price for my judgments. I never want to be misunderstood here, what I am about to say is not a license to sin or to continue in sin but my state of being human assures that I will always have a need for a Savior because I will miss the mark.
B. Thorbjörnsson
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I don’t think we all judge .. Jesus also said ye shall know them by the fruit they bear so some of us are fruit inspectors.
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They let the flesh come in their minds.
GOD BLESS, DOTTIE
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Michelle -a forgiving prayer warrior from Australia who has endured brutal treatment from a best friend for a year, a friend who I love dearly and will do all I can to save. Please pray for Jill to be saved. I will always be there for and never abandon her in the face of anger, rejection and unbelief in our precious saver and in impending court case over whether I should be allowed to be in contact, or be her friend.
Michell Morgan
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I believe it is because they do not have the faith of the Lord and are not lead by the Holy Spirit. They are still lead by their human nature.
Karen
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They forget about God and his words about judging and they let the flesh come in.I have seen too many Christians today that judge others. It is really sad to me.
Belle
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I think people judge others because they are actually not a Christian and god said to bring any and all burdens to him in prayers, if a person really and truly has Christ in there heart then they don’t judge others they pray for them not judge them and if they are making judgmental decision towards any one then they need to ask God forgiveness and do the same for others for give them.
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I strongly suspect that religious Christians are judgmental because of a pride issue … whether they realize they are doing this or not, many people whose relationship with the Lord is in their minds only put themselves in the position of God, and they set out to exercise his right to sit in judgment over us all. on the other hand, those who truly do have Jesus living in their hearts and controlling their lives have no problem responding to those who have sinned with the same compassion that the Lord showed them. in fact, i have found that the display of a judgmental, legalistic attitude is a highly effective means of detecting which folks calling themselves Christian really know the Lord personally and which are just banging their jaws together.
Nanci H. Flynn Steward, Illinois