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For the lesson this morning, if you’d open up to Romans 14, Romans Chapter 14.
I just want to stay there very briefly for the lesson. Last Sunday evening, in
case you were not here with us, we looked at Romans Chapter 14 in particular and
focused on this particular chapter. And it is very important to realize that
this is a much abused and misunderstood chapter. We must understand, when we
study Chapter 14, that Paul is dealing with items, matters of indifference. And
in these particular areas he says, yes, there are differences in opinions, there
are differences in preferences. And in matters of indifference, that is just
fine, and we should allow some liberty for others’ opinions and preferences.
And in this particular case, that we are to have unity among diversity in these
matters of indifference.
However, again, it is very important to realize, in Romans Chapter
14, that Paul is not dealing with the subject matter of items or matters of
faith, matters of doctrine. But we noticed in Romans Chapter 14 and as we read
through — and notice in verse 4, this verse begins with a question — “Who art
thou that judgest another man’s servant?”
If we go on down to verse 10, “But why dost thou judge thy brother?
or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ.” If we drop down to verse 13, “Let us not therefore
judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling
block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” And we addressed this
particular aspect of the chapter briefly in the lesson last week.
The point that Paul is making here is, in these matters of
indifference, areas in which there is a liberty for differences of opinion and
preference, that we should not make issues of those items. We should not judge
one another and try to say that our opinion or our preference is better than
another opinion or preference, but we should work for peace and the edification
of one another and not make issues out of these matters of indifference. But
with these particular verses, addressing the topic of judging, I thought it
might be good timing to do a lesson on judging.
Now, I’m not going to focus on judging in the areas of matters of
indifference. For the purpose of the lesson this morning, I’m going to be
talking about judging in general. It is a much-debated issue, has a variety of
opinions. It always has, and I imagine that it probably always will. But I do
think that judging is certainly a topic that there has been a lot of
misunderstanding in regards to. And so this morning, if we will look at these
scriptures — and by all means, as always, we will not cover all the passages
that cover this topic. But we will cover some of the passages in which we can
get a proper understanding. And that is the goal this morning, and I think we
can do that, to have a proper understanding of judging one another from the
lesson this morning.
While teaching a bible class when I was preaching over in Granby — I
don’t remember exactly what the lesson was about or the comment that I made, but
after I made a comment, one of the ladies in the congregation raised her hand.
And so of course, I called on her. And she said, “Now, that’s judging, and
we’re not supposed to judge.” And she made reference to Matthew Chapter 7 verse
1, so if you’ll turn over there, please, Matthew Chapter 7 verse 1.
Because in Matthew Chapter 7 verse 1, part of the teachings in the
sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Judge not.” And that was the point that this
person was making, and she did it in a very kind manner. I don’t mean anything
bad along those lines. But a lot of time, when folks refer to Matthew Chapter 7
verse 1, it seems they focus on those first two words of Jesus, ‘Judge not,” and
forget that that’s not all that was in that verse nor in the message that Jesus
gave. In order to have a proper understanding, we need to read several verses,
and let’s begin in verse 1.
It says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.
“(2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
“(3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
“(4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote
out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
“(5) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
I think we see, or we will see as we look at this particular
passage, that Jesus is not condemning the idea of judging. But instead, what it
is that Jesus condemns is the hypocritical judgment. Notice he says, “How can
you go and try to help your brother with the mote that is in his eye, when you
have a beam in your own?”
Now, that word ‘mote’ comes from a Greek word which means ‘a small,
dry stalk, a twig, a bit of dried stick, a tiny straw, a bit of wool. In other
words, it’s something along the lines, perhaps, of something that could blow
into your eye, and it is given here with the meaning of, perhaps, what we might
classify — now, we have to be careful when we classify one thing above another,
because we must remember that sin is sin, and we have a category of classifying
sin. But all sin is a violation against God. Oftentimes, this is used to
indicate what we might classify as a minor fault. But the word ‘beam’ that is
used here actually means a beam which supports a building, and so we see that it
is a large piece of wood.
Now, with that in mind, notice what Jesus says. He says that we
shouldn’t be focused on others and examining others to the point that we are
looking for the littlest thing that we can hold against them, when we ourselves
have some significant issues that we need to resolve first and foremost. And
that is the message that Jesus gives: first of all, we need to examine ourselves
and focus on ourselves, and we need to strive to correct the necessary things in
our lives before we try to help them to correct things in their lives. But
notice, in this passage, that Jesus never condemns the idea of going to another
and trying to help them with a situation, even with a mote.
‘Cause notice, in verse 5, when he does refer to this process as
hypocritical, he then says, “...first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
See, the idea of helping the brother is not condemned, but it needs to be done
in a proper manner and it should not be a hypocritical style of judgment.
We see that Paul makes a similar point, if you turn over to Romans
Chapter 2. Romans Chapter 2, we’re going to find something that is similar,
having to do with the idea of a hypocritical judgment. Again, we have no right
to go to somebody and say that they need to correct some things if we need to
correct that very same thing in our own lives. We need to take care of it in
our own lives first.
Romans 2:1, “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou
art that judgest....” Now, see, some would stop the verse there and say
Judging, overall, is not right, we are not allowed to do it and should not do
it. But once again, we must continue to read the message that is given here.
“(1)Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that
judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou
that judgest” — notice this — “doest the same things.
“(2) But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth
against them which commit such things.
“(3) And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such
things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?”
Again, the idea of judging is not condemned here. What is condemned
is judging somebody of something that you are guilty of yourself. First of all,
we must, again, strive to correct these things in our lives before we can try to
help — and that should be the purpose, to help — before we try to help somebody
with that particular issue.
When we think about it, in our own lives, we are constantly and
continually making judgments. To understand this, let’s look at the Greek word
that is translated ‘judge’ here. It is the same word in Matthew Chapter 7 that
we looked at and here in Romans Chapter 2. The word ‘judge’ means, literally,
‘to distinguish,’ so it’s idea of distinguishing one thing from another. It’s
used to mean ‘to decide.’ And then, through the use of the word, it can also
mean ‘to try, to punish or condemn.’ In the King James version, this word is
translated a different way, ‘concluding, to conclude, to determine, to judge,
and to think.’ So yes, we make judgments constantly, or at least we should,
because we are making determinations. We’re making decisions, and certainly, we
should be thinking.
Matter of fact, this last Wednesday evening in Bobby’s lesson on
spirituality, he talked about the importance of the manner of our thinking. And
as we grow in knowledge of God’s word, as we should, then we will be better able
to make better judgments, better decisions, better determinations. And we
should model, or pattern, our thinking after the pattern of scriptures.
If you go back to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews Chapter 5, I want to
begin reading in verse 12. Again, with the idea that if we grow in the
knowledge of God’s word, we’ll be better prepared to make proper decisions,
proper judgments.
“(12) For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need
that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of
God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”
Now, that word ‘ought,’ we’re going to see that in a couple of
passages this morning. This passage here tells us that we ought to grow in
knowledge of God’s word, that we progress from the milk of God’s word, the basic
principles of God’s word, and that we progress to the meat of God’s word, the
more in-depth knowledge of the word. And it says that we ought to be teachers.
There should come a time in which we can help to teach those around us.
It says, in verse 13, “For every one that useth milk is unskillful
in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
“(14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised” — notice this — “to
discern both good and evil.”
Is not ‘discerning’ distinguishing? And we said that the word
‘judge’ meant to distinguish one thing from another. When we discern, we are
discerning things, whether they be good or evil, so that we can tell the
difference. This word ‘discern’ comes from a Greek word, which literally means
‘judicial estimation.’ It comes from another word that is translated in some
places as ‘to judge.’ And so we have a better way of judging whether something
is good or evil as we grow in knowledge of God’s word.
And so hopefully, we are continually and constantly making judgments
in our own lives. But some would say, “Well, of course, we make determinations
and decisions; we think about things in our own lives.” Absolutely. They say,
“But where we cross the line and where we get ourselves into trouble is when we
make judgments, not regarding our own lives but regarding others.”
Let’s consider that for a moment. If you turn to I John Chapter 4,
I want to begin reading in verse 7. I John 4:7, it says, “Beloved, let us love
one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and
knoweth God.
“(8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
“(9) In this was manifest the love of God toward us, because that
God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
“(10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us,
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
“(11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought” — there’s our word
again — “we ought to love one another.”
And of course, there are many passages we could turn to in which we
are instructed to love one another. But what does it mean, to love one
another? Well, the idea here is the idea of the Greek word ‘agape.’ That is
the type of love being spoken of. We are to have agape love, one for another.
That was a specific Greek word that designated the particular type of love. And
so we see it is the supreme love, the overall love, which I’ve heard described —
and I think properly so — as a genuine concern, one for another. So we should
genuinely be concerned for each other.
We have the ultimate example here, that God was concerned for us,
our spiritual wellbeing, to the extent that He was willing to send Jesus to die
upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, so we would no longer be in that
situation of hopelessness. But instead, we could escape the condemnation of our
sin, thanks to His forgiveness, His grace and His mercy, and have hope, hope of
an everlasting home in heaven for all of eternity.
That is the example that we are given. That is the example we
should follow, in the example of concern, one for another. So if we have
genuine concern, one for another, should we not be, first and foremost,
concerned with the spiritual wellbeing of one another?
In Luke 19:10, Jesus said that He came to seek and to save that
which is lost, again serving as the perfect example for us. Should we not also
try to seek and save those who are lost? But in order to do so, don't we first
have to make a judgment as to whether or not they are lost? How can you seek
and save the lost, and go to the lost and talk to the lost and be concerned
about the lost, if you first don't make a determination that the person is lost?
But it's not only those who have never responded to God's word that
we are to be concerned for, that we are try to help and to instruct and
encourage. But it's one another, brothers and sisters in Christ, Christians,
that we are to encourage, because we are to be built up and we are to be
strengthened, because there is the danger and there is the possibility of
falling away. And so we are to be concerned, one for another.
If you'd please turn to James Chapter 5 — James Chapter 5, verse 19,
it says,
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one covert him;
"(20) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the
error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins."
Notice that. "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth."
That word
'err' is an interesting word, which means 'to roam,' carrying with it the idea
'to roam from safety,' 'to roam from the truth' or 'to roam from virtue' or
goodness. The King James version: 'to go astray' or 'to wander,' or 'to be out
of the way.' We see it translated here. 'to err from the truth.' But how do we
know if we are doing that or if another is doing that? Don't we, first, have to
make the determination? Don't we have to discern whether or not the things that
we are doing, or the things that they are doing, whether they are in accordance
with the truth? Or astray from the truth. But notice, it says in verse 20, to
the one that converts a person from that situation,
"(20) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the
error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins."
Isn't that what it's all about, saving souls from death, spiritual
death? But how do we do that if we say that we cannot make a judgment
concerning one another? If we cannot, first, judge that our brother is in
error, how then can we help that brother to correct that error? But if we say
that we cannot make judgments or judge one another, then how could we ever help
one another?
But should we stand back and allow someone to drift farther away and
farther away... eventually, to the death of their own soul, because we said,
"I'm afraid I can't judge what that person's doing? Again, we are to help one
another, have concern for one another. In so doing, we do have to make some
judgments.
Let's look at some scriptural examples. Let's go to I Timothy
Chapter 1. Let's notice some writings of Paul. Again, Paul, on of the
apostles, inspired man of God. It says, in I Timothy Chapter 1, in verse 18,
his instructions to Timothy,
"(18) This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the
prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good
warfare;
"(19) Holding faith" —he was to hold onto his faith, not to be like
the situation in James 5, erring from the faith; he was to hold onto that
faith — "and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have
made shipwreck."
Paul says there were some that were shipwrecked faithfully. They're
shipwrecked in their faith. Well, that is a judgment that Paul made, and
notice, he gets specific in verse 20.
"(20) Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto
Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."
Paul had made some judgments regarding Hymenaeus and Alexander. Was
he wrong in making those judgments? Did he cross the line? Did he go too far?
Again, we're talking about an inspired writer, an apostle.
In II Timothy Chapter 2 verse 15,
"(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Here, again, is the role of judgments and discernments,
determinations, to "...Rightly divide the word of truth." We must discern if it
is right or wrong.
"(16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase
unto more ungodliness.
"(17) And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus
and Philetus."
So again, Paul was specific. Was he wrong in doing so? In
II Timothy Chapter 4 verse 9, Paul is urging Timothy to come to him. He says,
"(9) Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
"(10) For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present
world...."
And of course, we know, in I John Chapter 2 verse 15, that we're not
to love the world, neither the things that are in the world, but Paul says that
Demas loved the present world and he forsook Paul. See, Paul was making some
judgments.
Notice, in Galatians Chapter 6 — Galatians Chapter 6 verse 1 — we
find, again, the idea of helping another.
"(1) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual" — and again, we must keep in mind the studies on Wednesday evening,
just what it means to be 'spiritual' — "restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
The idea is, be careful that you don't get led away by the other
person. You're going to help that person; don't allow that to work in reverse.
But notice here, when a person goes to somebody, they need to do it in the
proper spirit, with the proper attitude, with meekness, with gentleness, with
kindness. That reminds me of the verse just preceding, the passage just
preceding, in Galatians Chapter 5 verse 22.
"(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
"(23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
"(24) And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts."
The fruit of the Spirit, that should characterize us, and that
should describe our approach to one another, even in difficult situations, even
when we are going to somebody, expressing our concern for something in their
life, it should be done with love, with peace, with longsuffering, with
gentleness, with kindness, with meekness.
Where we're gotten ourselves into trouble with the topic of judging
is by doing it with the wrong attitude and the wrong purpose. We should never
ever judge one another to put that person down, to make us appear better than
them, to rank ourselves above them, to make that person feel unworthy. But
instead, we should do so in a manner to show that we are truly and genuinely
concerned, that we have love for that person; we want them to make their good
decisions to help save their soul.
A person can say all the right things in all the wrong ways and do
much damage. Again, a person can say all the right things in all the wrong ways
and do much damage. And sometimes, when people have been judgmental, one toward
another, they have done it in that manner, almost giving the idea of a
holier-than-thou type of an attitude, when we should never ever do that.
In II Timothy Chapter 2, it's interesting, in the very writings that
we looked at earlier in which Paul makes some judgments regarding others.
Notice what he says in II Timothy Chapter 2 verse 24.
"(24) And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle
unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
"(25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
"(26) And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
This is how this process should work. We should not strive, one
with another, but be gentle, one to another. We should help to teach one
another, be patient with one another, use meekness in instructing one another.
Now, the world, oftentimes, associates 'meekness' with 'weakness,' and that is
incorrect. Meekness shows great strength. The meek person is a strong person.
And so, in meekness, we should instruct those who are in need of help, and in so
doing, hopefully, that will lead them to repentance; they will make the
necessary changes, and in so doing, they will be recovered out of the snare of
the devil. Again, saving a soul from death and hiding a multitude of sins.
But one thing that stands in the way — that stands in the way of
many things, including proper concern in working toward helping to correct the
situation — is pride. If a person goes to another full of pride, they are not
going to be effective. If a person receives another person full of pride, the
process is not going to be effective. If you turn to Proverbs Chapter 16
verse 18, (Proverbs 16:18) it says,
"(18) Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a
fall."
Pride leads us to destruction. It can lead to our destruction and
the destruction of others. We must be careful of that. And we see 'an haughty
spirit' described here. In Strong's Concordance, it says that that word
'haughty' means 'arrogance.' An arrogant spirit is not a good spirit, and an
arrogant spirit leads to a fall. It can lead to the individual's fall, and
unfortunately, also the fall of those around him or her.
So again, I'm not trying to say that we go out in our lives and we
constantly make judgments upon others, that's what we seek and that's what we're
looking for, that's what we try to do. That's not the purpose. But the idea
is, if we see something that concerns us regarding another, we do have the right
to make judgments as to whether or not the things they are doing are correct or
proper. And we should have concern for that person. We should be interested in
the well-being of their soul, first and foremost. And in so doing, that should
motivate us to try to help them, and that should be the purpose of the judging,
in order to help.
But in order to be effective, it must be done with the proper
attitude, with the proper approach. And if we approach them properly, they will
realize that we are doing it out of true concern. And when someone realizes
that you are concerned for them, it certainly helps tremendously. But we
shouldn't have to tell them that we are concerned; we should show them that we
are concerned.
Now if you'll turn to Philippians Chapter 1 — this was the scripture
reading this morning, Philippians Chapter 1, and with these things being said,
let's revisit that particular passage, Philippians 1:9. It says,
"(9) And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in
knowledge and in all judgment."
Now, the King James version uses the word 'judgment.' As Steve read
this morning, his translation uses 'discernment,' and we've talked about how
they are the same. If we discern something, we are judging something. If we
discern between good and evil, we're judging whether that is good or evil.
"(9) And this I pray, that your love may around yet more and more in
knowledge and in all judgment."
"(10) That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be
sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
"(11) Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by
Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
So yes, we need to let our love abound, one for another. We should
be genuinely concerned for the well-being of one another. We should approve
those things which are excellent. To 'approve,' we must make that judgment. We
must do this in knowledge and judgment and discernment. Not doing things in a
way that causes offense, one with another, but instead, being filled with the
fruits of righteousness, and in all things, giving praise and glory to God.
So the question is, this morning, though, have you judged yourself?
Again, first and foremost, we saw, in Matthew Chapter 7, that we are to judge
ourselves, as to whether or not the things we are doing are right, whether or
not we're following God's instructions. And if we're not, hopefully then, we
will be motivated to correct that, change that. Remember, by responding in
obedience to God through the manner which He has given to us, we can save a soul
from death. That soul can be our own; it needs to be our own. And we need to
help others to do the same also.
We must believe in Jesus as the Son of God. (John 3:16) We must
have the willingness to confess that. (Matthew 10:32) We must be willing to
repent of our sins, as Jesus taught in Matthew 4:17; Luke 13:3. We must repent
of our sins and be baptized for the remissions of sins, as Peter said in Acts
Chapter 2:38. This is the manner in which God has given to us in His
instructions as to how we can have our sins washed away through the blood of
Christ, be spiritually cleansed and look forward to a home in heaven. It is
extremely important that we judge, within our own lives, whether we have done
that or not. And if you have not, hopefully, you will consider — we encourage
you and urge you — to change that this morning.
But perhaps you have done that, and perhaps the judgments that you
have made since have not always been in accordance to God's word, and perhaps
because of that, through a sequence of events of whatever the situation may be,
perhaps you have allowed sin back into your life. Please, do not be in error of
the way of truth. But realize, if you are straying from the truth, that you
need to be converted once again, praying to God, asking for His forgiveness,
confessing your sins. God will forgive you of those sins. (I John Chapter 1:7
through 9)
We must all remember that we not only have the option, but we have
the responsibility, as Christians, to help one another along the way. And
remember, if you help to convert a sinner from the error of his way, you will
save a soul from death and hide a multitude of sins. But first, consider your
own soul. And if you need to make changes, we encourage you to do so at this
moment, as we stand and sing.
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