Weird or Wonderful? Judging Right Judgment

Judging Right Judgment

• 1 Corinthians 4.1-5 – Judging.
  
• We are never responsible to make final judgment of anyone’s character or conduct.
  
• James 4.11-12 – This is committed exclusively to God.
  
• 1 Corinthians 4.4-5 – We do not have the necessary knowledge to make judgments of this kind.
  
• Romans 2.16 – He sees and knows our secret lives. 
  
• Romans 14.10-12 – Our personal lives before God.
  
• Romans 14.13 – We are never to judge the innermost motives or personality of another believer or their value in their service to God. 
  
• 2 Corinthians 5.9-11 – Ultimately, we all must stand before God.

 HOWEVER...

• John 7.24 – Do judge righteously.
  
• Genesis 18.21– On the basis of proven facts.
  
• Exodus 23.1-2 – Not false reports.
  
• Deuteronomy 13.12-15 – Inquire, probe, and investigate reports thoroughly.
  
• Deuteronomy 19.15; 2 Corinthians 13.1 – At least two witnesses must agree. 

Responsible and Legitimate Judgment

"It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, "You must remove the evil person from among you." —Paul to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 5.12-13.

• 1 Corinthians 2.15 – “The spiritual man makes judgment about all things.”
  
• 1 Thessalonians 5.21 – Test everything. 
  
• Matthew 18.15-16 – When it comes to sin, but note the process and qualifiers.
  
• 1 Timothy 5.19 – Including leadership with a proviso.
  
• Revelation 2.2 –Test them who claim to be something they are not. Sometimes they prove to be false. 
  
• 1 Corinthians 6.5 – Judge disputes between believers.
  
• 1 Corinthians 14.29-33 – Judging prophecy. 
  
• 1 John 4.1 – “Test the spirits to see if they are of God.”
  
• Mark 4.24 – “Consider carefully what you hear.” 
  
• Revelation 2.29 – "He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
  
• John 10.3-5 – “The sheep know His voice.”  

The Wrong Kind of Judging

• Being judgmental.
  
• The tendency to jump to conclusions.
  
• A generally critical attitude begins in self righteousness makes you resentful. You begin to speak derogatorily. Becomes contempt (This is serious and often brings God’s correction.)
  
• Refusing others room to breathe – majoring in minors. Sunday’s, the “rapture," eating, drinking, rock n’ roll – these are marginal. See Romans 14.
• Judging my strength against another’s weakness.
  
• Busybodies and overseers – A policeman in the kingdom – We are going to straighten everything and everyone out.
• Expressing ourselves in areas that are none of our business.
  
• Judgment is like a boomerang: it returns and hits us in the back of the head.
  
• When we judge, we usually judge others by the way we would act in that situation.
  
• Matthew 15 – “It’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him common or unclean. It is what comes out of a man’s mouth that makes him unclean.”

 
The Remedy

• You keep clean by not allowing any root of bitterness to take root, which defiles many others.
  
• Matthew 5 & 18 – If you have an offense against another or they against you, go to the individual. Don’t spread it all over town via innuendo, inference, criticism, gossip, or backbiting. Forgive and move on. 
• The Bottom line: It’s “By their fruits you know them, not their gifts. And it should be “fruit that remains.” Fruit doesn’t grow overnight, it takes time. (Matthew 7.15-23)  

(To be continued...)