The Call

Everything on The Consider Podcast and website has to do with the call for all men and women to repent. Such is an offer of mercy for those willing to follow Jesus by hating their life and picking up their cross. After all, even the demons believe in God, but they are terrified. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. James 2:19

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Judgment and Judging

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Text Judgment and Judging

One of the greatest sins and weaknesses in the church today is judging. We are far too quick to declare, “Oh, they have a good heart in the Lord,” or more often, we pronounce a judgment like, “They are wicked and full of sin.” To make any judgment, whether good or bad, is a sin if we have not heard from God to declare that judgment. Jesus could judge without being judgmental because He did not judge, but spoke judgements only as He heard God speak them. Jesus was not the judge, only the messenger.

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)

We, too, must learn to shut up and only speak a word of judgement as we “hear” from God. If we do not hear anything about anyone or about a situation, we should not utter or think anything about it. We have hinted through this book that only a fool delights in airing his opinion; let us now look directly at the Scripture.

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2)

When we feel good about stating our judgments, whether the judgment is good or bad, we play the fool. God sees us as a fool. Indeed, the angels and the saints who have died no doubt shake their heads in dismay. They have beheld the holiness of God and cannot believe we so quickly voice our opinions as judgments. Indeed, we should know that even the archangel Michael did not say more than God commanded him to declare. But how quickly we speak without first listening to God.

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9)

God is the only one pure enough to make any judgment and when we speak on our own, we tell God we are wiser than He. Often, when by the Spirit we point out the sin in a situation, someone will respond by saying, “Oh, I know they love the Lord, they have a good heart.” Such statements are full of pride unless we hear God tell us that the person has a good heart. In the following passage, John could declare the truth about a fellow believer because the Holy Spirit, which is the spirit of truth, testified that his good evaluation of another was confirmed by God. John only repeated what he heard from the Holy Spirit.

Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. (3 John 1:12)

John was mature, full of the Holy Spirit and had enough of the cross in his life to put to death his opinions about others. Therefore, he could say, “and you know that our testimony is true.”

We must speak judgments only as the Holy Spirit directs and in order to hear those directions, we must be crucified to our thoughts. For this reason, Peter could judge the heart of a couple in the first church. Yes, only God knows the heart of each person, but clearly, God reveals those hearts to those who can hear Him speak. Peter could say to Ananias, “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart?” because God spoke to Peter and revealed the man’s heart.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? (Acts 5:3)

As Jesus pointed out in the following passage, we “judge by human standards” and with our sinful eyes and ears. We measure things by outward appearance and so always make wrong judgments. We must “stop” judging and learn how to make a “right judgment.”

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment. (John 7:24)

Therefore, any judgment we make, good or bad, correct or incorrect, is at best stained deeply with sin. We judge others as good or not so bad if we like them or if they are similar to us in nature. We judge others as evil if we don’t personally like their actions.

You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right because I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me. (John 8:15–16)

When we judge, we stand alone. Jesus, however, never stood alone because He only repeated what the Father told Him, and therefore could say “I stand with the Father.” We should be like Jesus, who passes judgment on no one and wait for the Father to give us His insight and judgments on every issue. Likewise, Paul taught that the spiritual man makes judgments about all things.2 For the spiritual man listens to the Holy Spirit before ever making a judgment on anything or anyone. When we are dead enough to self to say “I stand with the Father” then we can make judgments. In reality, we do not make the judgment, rather, we hear from God about His judgments and merely rely upon His verdict. Jesus walked with this spirit of humility, as should we.

“I have much to say in judgment of you, but he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world” (John 8:26)

Whatever Jesus “heard from” God, He told the world. Jesus never have offered His opinion or thoughts on any matter, but only repeated what God spoke to Him. And if we do not hear God’s clear voice in a judgment, we should walk with great humility and fear. Many things are simply not our business and we should judge nothing before the appointed time by God.

“Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,” spoke some powerful judgmental words. Most Christian circles today would condemn Paul as unloving, but he judged without being judgmental, as Jesus commanded.5 Paul could do this because he was not the one doing the judging. God judged through Paul and he understood the judgment because he could hear the Father’s voice. Paul could judge Elymas and call him “a child of the devil” because, like Jesus, Paul heard the voice of God.

But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time, you will be unable to see the light of the sun.” Immediately, mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. (Acts 13:8–12)

Our Christianity remains so powerless today and so full of unloving, self-righteous judgments because we are not dead enough to our opinions to hear from God the truth. Again, the vast majority of the time, most things are none of our business, but when God makes them our business, we dare not open our mouths to voice a judgment unless we have heard from the Father “what” to say and “how” to say it.

For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” (John 12:49–50, emphasis added)

This is the nature of eternal life; to only say “what the Father has told” us to say. When we speak on our own, we slander even if we are correct, for we play God and have sought to remove Him from His throne. How sad to contemplate the many lives ruined because we don’t have ears to hear God’s voice before declaring judgment.

Chapter 16: Judgment and Judging

• What causes someone to act like a fool?
• Why is it dangerous to make judgments—good or bad?
• List some “human standards” by which we tend to make judgments. How would this change if we made judgments by the Spirit?

The Consider Podcast
Examining Today’s Wisdom, Folly and Madness
www.archive.consider.info

Former Salt Shaker Bookstore

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The Salt Shaker Christian bookstore, because of persecution by Washington State Authorities, was destroyed and ran out of the town of Enumclaw. Just part of the proof that Sound Doctrine Church was walking the narrow road with Jesus.

For you, brothers became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15

It was a beautiful store. A result of the hard work of Sound Doctrine Church. In the store was a free rack because, as Jesus said, “Freely you received, freely give.” The following track is a small reproduction of the love that burned in our hearts to give freely.

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