IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

1
IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

• Or is it sometimes right?

2
IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

• There are those who seem to think that it is
  always wrong to judge because Jesus said, "Judge
  not, that you be not judged" (Matt. 71).
• We can know with certainty, however, that this
  definitely is not what Jesus meant.
• We know this because He also said, "Do not judge
  according to appearance, but judge with righteous
  judgment" (John 724).
• Therefore we are not only permitted but commanded
  to judge.
• But our judgments must be righteous not
  unrighteous.

3
IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

• According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New
  Testament Words, the word translated "judge," in
  Matthew 71, "primarily denotes to separate,
  select, choose hence, to determine, and so to
  judge, pronounce judgment" and "sometimes denotes
  to condemn."

4
Lets Look at the Passage

• 1 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with
  what judgment you judge, you will be judged and
  with the measure you use, it will be measured
  back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck
  in your brother's eye, but do not consider the
  plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to
  your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your
  eye' and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5
  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own
  eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
  speck from your brother's eye." (Matt. 71-5)

5
IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

• Jesus is not saying that you should not tell your
  brother that he has a "speck" in his eye.
• He is saying that you should first examine your
  own eye to make sure it does not contain a
  "plank."
• If you find a "plank" in your own eye, you ought
  to remove it first then help your brother with
  the "speck" in his eye.

6
IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

• He may not like hearing that he has a "speck" in
  his eye but he will be more receptive if he sees
  that you have removed the "plank" that was in
  your eye.
• Of course, "speck" and "plank" are figurative for
  some moral or spiritual problem that needs to be
  corrected.
• Your problem is a "plank," while your brother's
  is only a "speck" because you are acting as
  though you do not have a problem.
• That is, you have a bigger problem than your
  brother does.

7
IS IT ALWAYS WRONG TO JUDGE?

• Therefore, Jesus is simply saying that you are in
  no position to judge your brother if you have
  things in your life that need correction.
• You should correct those things then help your
  brother.
• This necessarily involves judging but not the
  sort that Jesus condemns.
• It demands "righteous judgment."

8
Righteous Judgment

• 24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but
  judge with righteous judgment." (John 724)

9
JUDGING - A WORD STUDY

• The word krino is translated in a variety of
  ways, as indicated by the following passages.
• "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your
  tunic, let him have your cloak also" (Matt.
  540).
• "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of
  our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom
  you delivered up and denied in the presence of
  Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go"
  (Acts 313).

10
JUDGING - A WORD STUDY

• The word krino is translated in a variety of
  ways, as indicated by the following passages.
• "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not
  them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to
  God" (Acts 1519).
• "And as they went through the cities, they
  delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were
  ordained of the apostles and elders which were at
  Jerusalem" (Acts 164).

11
JUDGING - A WORD STUDY

• The word krino is translated in a variety of
  ways, as indicated by the following passages.
• "As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have
  written and concluded that they observe no such
  thing, save only that they keep themselves from
  things offered to idols, and from blood, and from
  strangled, and from fornication" (Acts 2125).
• But when Paul perceived that the one part were
  Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out
  in the council, Men and brethren, I am a
  Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee of the hope and
  resurrection of the dead I am called in question
  (Acts 236).

12
JUDGING - A WORD STUDY

• The word krino is translated in a variety of
  ways, as indicated by the following passages.
• "Why should it be thought incredible by you that
  God raises the dead?" (Acts 268)
• "One person esteems one day above another
  another esteems every day alike. Let each be
  fully convinced in his own mind." (Rom. 145)

13
JUDGING - A WORD STUDY

• The word krino is translated in a variety of
  ways, as indicated by the following passages.
• The common idea in these passages seems to be
  that of deciding or, in the case of Matt. 540,
  appealing to others for a decision.
• Of course, it is not deciding in general that
  some object to, but deciding the moral or
  spiritual condition of another.
• However, certain passages demand that we make
  such decisions.

14
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• 9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep
  company with sexually immoral people.
• 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with 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.
• 11 But now I have written to you not to keep
  company with anyone named a brother, who is
  sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or
  a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not
  even to eat with such a person.

15
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• 12 For what have I to do with judging those also
  who are outside? Do you not judge those who are
  inside?
• 13 But those who are outside God judges.
  Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil
  person." (1 Cor. 59-13)

16
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• From the first few verses of this chapter, we see
  that the Corinthians were treating a brother who
  was guilty of fornication as though he were not
  guilty of anything.
• Perhaps they were mistakenly thinking that they
  were not to be judging people.
• But they should have judged this individual as
  being, not only in danger, but a danger to them
  as well.
• Because of this twofold danger, they were not to
  socialize with any brother who was guilty of
  overt sin and would not repent.

17
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• This does not mean they should not allow him to
  come to the place of worship, however, because he
  may be coming there for the purpose of
  acknowledging his sin and asking for forgiveness.
  
• We, also, would be in spiritual danger, if we
  were to associate freely with those who are
  intent on living in sin.
• Therefore, we must be conscious of the moral or
  spiritual condition of those with whom we
  regularly worship.
• This necessarily involves judging.
• Of course, withdrawing is not the first thing we
  are to do with regard to brethren who are guilty
  of sin.

18
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• 15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go
  and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
  16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or
  two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three
  witnesses every word may be established.' 17 And
  if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the
  church. But if he refuses even to hear the
  church, let him be to you like a heathen and a
  tax collector." (Matt. 1815-17)

19
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• Here, Jesus gives three steps that must precede
  our withdrawing from those who have sinned
  against us.
• (1) Go to the individual privately,
• (2) Take with you one or two others.
• (3) Tell it to the church.

20
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• At whatever step the person repents, you have
  gained your brother," and the matter need go no
  further.
• If he will not repent, however, you are to "let
  him be to you like a heathen and a tax
  collector."
• Perhaps no one was held in lower esteem, or more
  steadfastly avoided by the self-righteous Jew,
  than "a heathen and a tax collector."
• Thus, we see how the Lord views (and how we
  should view) those who will not repent.

21
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• 1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any
  trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a
  one in a spirit of gentleness, considering
  yourself lest you also be tempted. (Gal. 61)

22
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• Here, we see, again, that those who are concerned
  about spiritual things have a responsibility
  toward those who have been "overtaken in any
  trespass."
• The responsibility is to "restore such a one."
• The manner in which the responsibility is to be
  carried out is "in a spirit of gentleness."
• The attitude with which the responsibility is to
  be carried out is "considering yourself , lest
  you also be tempted."

23
JUDGING - A SCRIPTURE STUDY

• Yes, we are judging when we see the need to
  "restore such a one" who has been "overtaken in
  any trespass."
• But this is not the judging that Jesus condemns
  at Matthew 71 because "a spirit of gentleness"
  will cause us to make sure there is not a plank"
  in our own eye.
• This is the type of judging Jesus commands at
  John 724.