Judge Righteously

One of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible is Matthew 7:1.
Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

One of the greatest myths within our modern day Christianity is that the Bible prohibits judging. This teaching “That we ought not to judge” is easily exposed by reading the rest of verses 2-5 of chapter 7. When we read the context and compare scripture with scripture we will soon find out that Mathew 7:1 has been greatly abused. 

Verse 5 reveals that God is not condemning all judging, but He condemns hypocritical judgment. 

Note: Hypocritical Judgment is when we point out something in another person’s life but we have no heart to keep to it ourselves.

We may tell our children to love, honour and obey us, but at the same time we do not have a true heart to love, honour and obey God.

We may tell our children to keep our rules, but forget about the commands in God’s Word.

Also, there is a great folly in misjudging others.
We are more easily prone to jump to negative conclusions about people than to assume the best about them. When we do this, we attribute to them bad intentions and evil motives that may not be true. Proverbs 6:16 call this “wicked imaginations”. At the same time, we also reveal something about ourselves, for the faults we may see in others could be actually a reflection of our own lives.
 
However, The Bible is full of passages that prompt us to judge or make a judgement. For example, in Matthew 7:15 Jesus uses the word “Beware”. To “beware” means to watch out, be attentive, and to be cautious. A person has to be cautious by judging. In Matthew 7:16 Jesus explains the way in which person can make a judgment. “Ye shall know them by their fruits…” 

Jesus states that if we look at the fruit that hangs on the tree, we will be able to detect what kind of tree it is. We are to beware of false teachers by judging the doctrine they practice by God’s Word.
It is by God’s Word that we will make a righteous judgement.

Here are several things from Scripture that we are commanded to Judge righteously.

1. We are to Judge sin in the Church – 1 Corinthians 5:3, 12

1 Corinthians 5:12 “For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?”

     2. We are to Judge sin in our own life – 1 Corinthians 11:311 Corinthians 11:31 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”

     3. We are to Judge issues between the Brethren – 1 Corinthians 6:5

1 Corinthians 6:5 “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?”

     4. We are to Judge false preachers – 2 Corinthians 11:1-4

Romans 16:17-18 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. Vs 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

     5. We are to Judge evil works – Ephesians 5:10-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 

Ephesians 5:10-11 "Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. vs 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

    6. We are to Judge spirits – 1 John 4:1 

1 John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

We are to Judge all things – 1 Corinthians 2:15-16

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. vs 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."