"Here Comes the Judge"

I believe it was D.A. Carson who said that in our generation the most well-known Bible verse is no longer John 3:16, but the beloved passage has been replaced by Matthew 7:1 - "Judge not." Even people who do not claim to be Christians know and quote this one. 

But let's take a deeper look at the verse, shall we? 

It is embedded within Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. 

First, let's understand what this judging is not because the word gets thrown around a bit in our current "church" culture among the false prophets of our day. If you skip down to verse 15, Jesus warns his listeners to beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. In verse 22, he says that many claiming to have prophesied in his name will be told to depart from him, that he never knew them. Sobering and scary words. 

I'm not trying to get off topic here, but when my parents left our progressive traditional church back in the mid 1970s to join the ecumenical charismatic renewal movement, I distinctly and vividly remember that speaking in tongues was all the rage. It was done everywhere in that movement, and at least in the circles we twirled in, done all at once in a worship service. It was taught, also contrary to Scripture, that everyone could possess that gift. Not so much today. I mean tongues is still practiced, but in my observation, in prominence, tongues seems to have been replaced by prophecy. "Prophecy." 

There are literally thousands and thousands of "prophetic voices" with YouTube channels claiming to have words given to them weekly, if not daily, by the Lord himself. None foretold the assassination of Charlie Kirk, or the Covid pandemic or many other world events for that matter, but those are just my musings. 

Anyway, in the last days, we are warned that there will be 'many' false prophets, not a few. The Farmer cracks me up because he calls them "profits." Not many false tongue speakers will be deceiving people, but many false prophets. And everyday it's just like we are seeing the "prophetic Word" of Scripture "more fully confirmed" as Peter taught us ( 2 Peter 1:19 )  because false prophets are literally everywhere. 

Friends, more than ever we must apply John 4:1: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for MANY false prophets have gone out into the world." ( My capitalization. ) 

Do not be deceived. Do not be gullible. Do not be tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine. Be mature in our thinking. ( 1 Corinthians 14:20, Ephesians 4:13, Hebrews 1:1, 6:1, Colossians 1:8 ) Don't let these false prophets make merchandise of you with their books and materials and false teachings and prophecies. We are warned. ( Jeremiah 14:14, 23:16, Matthew 7:15, 24:11, 2 Peter 2:1-3 ) 

Everything we need to know is in the Scripture. ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17  ) God has not left his children in the dark. He is a good Father. Why would we believe a false prophet over our Father? That very sin got Israel in all kinds of trouble in the Old Testament. ( Ezekiel 13 ) 

Said all that to say, when you heart a person claiming to be a "prophet of God" "executing judgement" on a virus or hurricane or whatever the case may be, they do not have the power to do this. Only God - the just Judge of all he has made - can execute that kind of judgement. Now, they will tell you that they are in fact a "little god," but that's a blog for another day. Again, only God can execute this kind of judgement. Please for the love of all that is good in this world stay away from these charlatans. 

However, we are told by Jesus that we can and should judge here in this passage of Scripture, but it isn't the same kind of judgement that God alone is in fact executing now according to Romans 1 and later on Judgement Day over all sin and evil on earth. 

Let's read the judging verse in context:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it it will be measured to you. Why do you see 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, when there is the log 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." 

The first thing we should notice is that Jesus is using the word "brother" meaning a believer in Christ. We should not judge the world - nonbelievers. We are to judge ourselves and the church. Paul clarifies this in 1 Corinthians 5:12. 

So, we are to help each other. To judge a brother or sister in Christ is the most loving thing we can do, but before we do, Jesus says that we must first examine ourselves. If my sister in Christ is spreading gossip, I am a hypocrite if I try to correct her while engaging in the same sin. 

First we must judge our own hearts, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us because we can't always see our sin. He convicts our hearts. Maybe a brother or sister will come help us. I've definitely had that happen, and I received it even though it was painful because I knew it was done in love with kindness and concern for my benefit, because my brother and sister truly love me. 

Using a cotton ball to remove a speck is always more effective than using a jackhammer. 

Jesus says in John 7:24, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." This is in the context of Jesus accusing the Jews of not keeping the Mosaic Law, but instead wanting to kill him. 

So we are to judge each other in the church, but with right judgement - not in hypocrisy. This is how God has set up his church. Even though this is not technically, full-scale church discipline, I want to mention that Matthew 18:15-35 teaches us how church discipline is to be properly handled within the Body of Christ. 

Awhile back I wrote a few blogs ( One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church ) on what it means according to the Scriptures, and affirmed by our church fathers and biblical theologians throughout church history, to be a "true church." These marks are the true preaching of God's Word, the proper administration of the sacraments, and church discipline. 

Possibly looking out for each other in proper judgement in the church could be a guardrail to keep us from going over the edge in need of Matthew 18 church discipline. When it says to go first to your brother and "tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens, you have gained your brother" I believe we can see how God intends us to speak the truth in love to one another. 

This is a pattern for the church,"but if he doesn't listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." ( verses 16-19 ) 

So let's judge each other as Jesus commanded us to judge - with righteous judgement. 

"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." ( 2 Corinthians 13:5 ) Paul says to go so far as to see if we are truly in Christ! This is sobering. 

After we check our own hearts, ( 1 John 3:21, John 7:5 ) let's have the genuine love for our brothers and sisters that Paul talks of in Romans 12:9 enough to snatch them out of the fire when necessary. ( Jude 23 ) 

I think the last words of James's epistle, 5:19-20, fit perfectly here at my conclusion:

"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sin." 

💜