DO NOT JUDGE? By Rolan Monje, for MMCC April 2003 We have heard it time and again that we should not judge. But what does it really mean? The point is that the line Do not judge is one of the most abused religious lines ever. Lets look at the famous line from Jesus Sermon on the Mount. MT 7:1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. The point of the Sermon When we look at the Sermon in its entirety, we begin to understand what Do not judge is supposed to mean. It does not forbid all judging of any kind. In fact, the Sermon challenges us to think critically and make good decisions for ourselves. One case of this is in line with the warning against false prophets (vv. 15-20). The call is for his followers not to be judgmental (cf Ro 14:10-13). Those who judge like this will in turn be judged, not by other people (which would not really matter much anyway), but by God. Anyone who engages in such judgment is close to acting God. We thus see that people often oversimplify things, either deliberately or inadvertently. In any case, a good analysis of Biblical text is missed. What we often get is a bad shortcut. Judging (Gk. krino is the root word here ) by itself is simply making a conclusion. In line with Matt 7 it is a hypocritical kind of judging . But this word can also be used in the solemn judicial manner of judging (Jn 18:31;Ac 24:6) or the judgment of God (Ac 17:31, Ro 3:6). Krino is also used of Christs action in 2 Ti 4:1. In contrast, katakrino means to condemn and is used in Mt 12:41-42 and Luke 11:31-32. Different kinds of judging When we look at the rest of the Bible, we actually see different kinds of judging. The Bad Kinds, discouraged in the Bible -Hypocritical judging (Matt 7:1-5, Rom 2:1) -Superficial judging (John 7:24) -Judging someone wrongly in disputable matters (Rom 14:1) -Doubting someones motives (1 Cor 4:3-5) -Thinking of another person/group as inferior (Jam 1:3-4) The Good Kinds, encouraged in the Bible -Discerning when someone is receptive (Matt 7:6) -Coming to a correct conclusion (Luke 12:57) -Spiritual judgment (1 Cor 2:15) -Disciplining someone (1 Cor 5:12-13) The Divine Kinds, left to God alone -Judgment by vindication (Heb 10:30) -Completely Unbiased judgment (Gal 2:6) -Final judgment (Jn 12:48, 1 Pet 4:5, Heb 12:23) Let us all mature in our understanding of judging.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 00:28:28 +0000
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