Whenever there is a confrontation about morality, disobedience, or beliefs, whether its with a Christian or non-Christian, the typical response is "How dare you judge me?" Then they proceed to label all Christians as hypocrites or judgmental and reference Matthew 7:1-6 (which they read or heard somewhere). I would like to clarify exactly what Jesus meant in this scripture. First, Jesus didn't mean we were not to judge beliefs and behavior as true or false, because He did it all the time. Nor did He mean for us not to judge a person's character, He had plenty to say about the Pharisees. What Jesus meant was that we were not to judge a person's eternal destiny. He will do that. Jesus has made it clear that He will separate the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:32), so final judgment belongs to the Son. When Jesus came upon the woman at the well, He judged her, but he never condemned her. This woman had been married five times and the man she lived with was not her husband. She was engaging in sexual relations outside of marriage and Jesus knew it, He knew everything she had ever done! In fact Jesus commanded His followers to identify the fruit (actions) (Matthew 7:15-20) in a person's life. What Jesus condemned is hypocrisy and criticism that is focused on tearing down a person. Elsewhere in scripture, Jesus instructs His followers to confront sinful conduct in the life of a Christian brother or sister (Matthew 18:15-20). What Jesus doesn't want His followers to do is use a harsh standard of judgment (legalism, etc..) because that is what will be used to evaluate them when they face judgment. I have personally found it more difficult to have discussions about truth and morality because of the relative nature of society and its impact upon a person's mind. Moral behavior has essentially become a private individual matter; desire, emotion, and personal experience have become the hallmarks of determining right and wrong. This has become a challenging obstacle (initiated by Satan) for discussions. So when a Christian attempts to rebuke or correct a person, especially a person who identifies himself/herself as a believer....they throw out the "your judging me."
So in summary, judging is not wrong if done the way Christ modeled and instructed. James closes his letter with these instructions "My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19, 20). In order to "turn someone back" judging will be necessary through observation and spiritual discretion.
So in summary, judging is not wrong if done the way Christ modeled and instructed. James closes his letter with these instructions "My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins" (James 5:19, 20). In order to "turn someone back" judging will be necessary through observation and spiritual discretion.
It's necessary to confront a person, but eternal condemnation of a person has no place in the life of a Christian. Confront and judge lukewarm believers, cult members, and sinners with the same kind of grace God has shown you. His grace is sufficient and is available to those who turn from their sins
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