Blessings in Christ!!

This is not an official issue of Captive Hearts, but an answer to a question.
Recently one of the readers asked me a question on the topic of judgment.
Rather than answer her alone, I chose to share the Q-and-A with you since judgment is the most misunderstood doctrine in Christianity today with many believing that no judging is allowed ever. This is not the case. Before expounding on this, here is the question given to me by one of my readers....

Over and over and over and over whenever we take a stand for the things of God the same old "accusation" comes to us "Hey Christian I thought the Bible says DO NOT JUDGE LEST YOU BE JUDGE" AND "JESUS HUNG OUT WITH SINNERS!"
Over and Over and Over the "crucified context" of these verses used by people grieves me. It's not only being used by non-believers BUT the make-believers as well, yes those who say "I am a Christian" and "God loves everyone and accepts them", and "you people judge and tell others they are wrong that's not very Christian like, that's why so many leave the Church."

Firstly, let's answer the simpler of the two points you brought up- "Jesus hung out with sinners." THAT IS A LIE!!!! Jesus DID NOT "hang out" with sinners. He moved in their midst, there is a world of difference. "Hanging out" denotes that Jesus was buddy-buddy with sinners and participated in their activities...isn't that what we do when we "hang out" with friends?
Jesus did nothing of the kind. He moved in the midst of sinners, showed compassion to them, and called them to repentance and to leave their life of sin! The favorite passage of folks who advocate Jesus "hanging out" with sinners is the adulteress about to be slain by the mob and they quote Jesus saying, "Neither do I condemn you." They forget the verse that follows where Jesus says, "Now go, and SIN NO MORE." In other words, "CLEAN UP YOUR ACT, QUIT BEING AN ADULTERESS!" Jesus had compassion on sinners, NEVER on their sin! In fact the Bibles teaches that Jesus was-

"harmless, undefiled, and SEPARATE FROM SINNERS" Hebrews 7:26. So much for "well...Jesus hung out with sinners."

Secondly the issue of judgment...I could write a book on the amount of times I have heard this verse abused...

"Judge not, that ye be not judged"

This is the perennial favorite of Christians and non-Christians who wish to justify their disobedience to God. In the last issue of Captive Hearts I spoke from Romans 14 which says "who art thou that judgest another man's servant?"
This was speaking to passing your own personal judgment on another and this is forbidden. We are NEVER to use OUR own standards to judge another. We are however, not only allowed but COMMANDED to use God's standard (His Holy Word) to judge right and wrong.

"Judge not according to appearance but JUDGE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT" John 7:24

Righteous judgment is using God's word to rule what is good or evil. This is commanded among the body of believers. We are to instruct from God's word what is and is not acceptable to God (just be very careful not to add to His word or impose your own views onto the text. This is a heresy known as eisegesis which means "to read into the text what is not there."). Let's look at God's command-

"For what have I to do to judge them also that are without (the church)? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth.
Therefore put away from among yourselves that WICKED PERSON" I Corinthians 5:12-13

Why does it say that those without the church body will be judged by God while we are to judge (according to God's word) those within? Simple, those who are not saved are already under the judgment and condemnation of God....

"He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is condemnation that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

Those within the body are to be kept in line by one another because we are indeed our brother's keeper. It is our responsibility out of love, to make a fellow believer aware when he or she is violating God's word. If he or she is truly saved, though the correction may sting, he or she will appreciate what was done. But what of Matthew 7:1, "judge not, that ye be not judged" ? Well, let's look at the rest of the passage.....

"...for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Why beholdest thou the mote (speck of dust) that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye...thou hypocrite FIRST cast out the beam out of thine own eye; AND THEN SHALT THOU SEE CLEARLY TO CAST OUT THE MOTE OF THY BROTHER'S EYE." Matthew 7:2-3 & 5.

This passage is not a blanket prohibition against judgment!! It is an exhortation to get right (repent of sin and place trust in Jesus for salvation) with God, and when you do, He will let you see clearly to help your brother/sister get their life right with God.

The judgment is to be God's word, not your own opinion or view and it is to be done in a spirit of loving correction, not spiteful condemnation. Suppose one of you saw me ready to step on a high voltage wire, would you warn me of my folly, or would you let me get electrocuted? This is and should be the spirit behind correcting a brother in sin. It is done out of love and concern; if he/she wants to be foolish and touch the high voltage wire, it is their prerogative. God has urged us to give the warning but He'll allow folks to be as foolish as they want to be. As I said in a previous letter, everyone who ends up in hell got there by his or her own choice. Hell is the reward of rebellion toward God. If you are an unbeliever who uses Matthew 7:1 to justify your perverted behavior, be warned, the only one fooled is you and you are already under the judgment and condemnation of God (John 3:19) If you use Matthew 7:1 to do as you please, you'd better read that passage again because you are greatly mistaken. If you choose to walk in disobedience, God will deal with you accordingly...

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Galatians 6:7

Some other Scriptures to meditate on:

John 8:14-17
14Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.

John 5:30
I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

2Corinthians 2
10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy[4] Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?"[5] But we have the mind of Christ.