Don’t JUDGE: A Study on what the Word says on JUDGING/DISCERNMENT (Part 2)

 

 

NAMING NAMES
Is it Biblical?

( http://www.forgottenword.org/naming-names.html)

 

 

 Scoping, Identifying & Taking Aim at Deceivers:
Knowing How and When to Mark
A Must-Read for all who desire more discernment to escape the evil one in this late hour. This is an excerpt from the book entitled Deceivers & False Prophets Among Us .

 

 

“Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Romans 16:17

Identifying and marking “them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine” of the LORD, is to be a regular part of the Christian life. In an hour when the proliferation of false teaching is mutating at an increasingly exponential rate, those who love the LORD must examine and test everything against the final authority of the recorded oracles of God (Acts 17:11). The following warning enlightens us to understand this:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8

Would the all-knowing God have put such a warning in His Word if being spoiled were not possible? People can be spoiled (derailed, made shipwreck of) through false doctrines and philosophies, which, without fail, elevate men and demote Christ (Col. 2:8-9; 18-19).

These derailment elements are designed to steal glory from Christ. If we love Him, we are to “hear God’s words” and “hate every false way.” (Jn. 8:47; Ps. 119:104, 128; Amos 5:14-15)

Let’s break this extremely important Bible text down:

“Mark them” – Beloved, we are mandated to simply and truly hearken to this divinely given instruction, to personally own this truth and walk in it, to be possessed with the protective love of our holy and “Great Shepherd of the sheep.” (Heb. 13:20) One of the ways the “Great Shepherd” protects the sheep of His pasture, is by His other sheep, scoping out and marking the wolves whose venomous lies would devour.

The clear instruction of the Word is to “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine.” All human sediments, reasonings, and excuses must be crucified.

“Mark them” – the Greek word here for “mark” is skopeo, which means “to scope out; to take aim at, consider, watch.”

DON’T JUDGE!!!!: The 411 on what the BIBLE says about JUDGING.

Years ago, the # 1 scripture that everyone used to quote was John 3:16, where they’d say for God so loves the World that he gave His only begotten son….

Nowadays, guess what everyone’s favorite is? “Do Judge lest you be judged…..”

What’s even more odd than the change is sCRIPTURES used is that this paticular scripture is used in instances where there’s often SIN (i.e. homosexuality, lust, murder, bitterness, the list goes on) & convicting/alerting others to what the standards of God are. Many will com plain about the sin & mess they’ll see taking place in society/the church going on, & yet when anyone even tries to adress it, the “judge not lest ye be judged” verse gets busted out…….alongside labels such as “You’re condeming”, “Jesus is LOVE”, “The same can happen to you, so stop calling it out”, etc……….& yet it’s sad that those who’d often quote the scripture are often NOT SAVED…..or have NO UNDERSTANDING AS TO THE ORIGINAL CONTEXT IN WHICH the verse was QUOTED IN.

T hat said, here’s an EXCELLENT TEACHING on the subject regarding what the BIBLE says about JUDGING—What it looks like in CONTEXT, how we’re to practice it, & what to do when it seems it has gotten out of line :

http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue94.htm

Discernment in an Age of Deception
Defining the Believer’s Biblical Call to Judge

by Bob DeWaay

Editor’s note: The following is a Bible study that pastor Bob conducted by request to prepare for a live radio show on the topic. We decided that this material is important and answers questions most Christians have. Therefore we decided to publish it, knowing that its format is more of a topical Bible study than the type of literature CICusually publishes. We hope that you find this Bible study helpful and informative.

Many times, after publishing an article that disputes the claims of someone’s published work, I am asked if I had talked to the person privately. There are those who claim that debating ideas in the public arena should not happen unless there was a prior Matthew 18 process of adjudication. It is my position that Matthew 18 does not apply to the public interaction of theological ideas. In this paper, I shall examine various New Testament passages that explain what we must and must not judge.

It is not surprising that people are confused about the matter of passing judgment because some scriptures tell us we must make judgments and discern, and others warn us not to judge. We will see that Scripture provides straightforward, objective guidelines concerning making judgments and that both the commands to judge and the commands not to judge are understandable – and they are to be obeyed.
 

Do Not Judge – Matthew 7

The following teaching from the Sermon on the Mount warns us not to judge:

Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at 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,” and behold, the log is 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. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Before we interpret those verses we must look at the sermon in Matthew that preceded it. The Sermon on the Mount concerns motives and sin. For example, the hypocrite prays to be “seen of men” (Matthew 6:5). Jesus’ sermon contains warnings against anger (Matthew 5:22), lust (Matthew 5:28), a command to love one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44) and a warning against loving money (Matthew 6:24). Jesus addresses many sin issues in a manner that would show everyone their sinfulness and need for the Gospel.

Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). This statement would have shocked Jesus’ hearers because the scribes and Pharisees were fastidious in keeping the law of external rules. A righteousness greater than theirs could only be the imputed righteousness of Christ that changes the heart. Without Christ’s righteousness we cannot enter the kingdom.

Given this context, what is the meaning of Matthew 7:1-5? The answer is that we are warned against judging how righteous others are in comparison to ourselves. This passage is a warning against self righteousness. As sinners, we tend to minimize or rationalize our own transgressions and magnify what we see wrong in others. Jesus warns about this because self-righteousness like that of the hypocritical Pharisees will keep a person out of the kingdom of God. It is the poor in spirit and the persecuted who will “inherit the kingdom of God” (Matthew 5:3, 10). These humbled people know they need a savior.