Judgment
By Mike Rule

(This week I’m simply sharing some thoughts I’ve had in my recent ponderings about judgment.)

Scripture is often used as a standard for the purpose of judging another’s spirituality rather than examining self. I admit that I see a lot amongst Christians that I do not deem edifying. However, I do not have the right to judge others just because I disagree with what they teach or believe. God calls us to welcome all the Lord’s followers, even those whose faith is weak. We are not to criticize others for having beliefs that are different from our own. (see Romans 14:1) After all, who are we to judge another’s servant? Each one is responsible to his or her own master and God will deal with His own. (see Romans 14:4).

It would be easy to turn to judging and condemning those who judge and condemn. I could even use Matthew 7 as an excuse to back up my words, but I would wind up becoming the very thing I judge and twice fit for hell. In judging someone else, we simply condemn ourselves because making a judgment reveals the motives of the one doing the judging. (see Matthew 7) Therefore, I must turn this topic inward and examine myself.

Here are a few questions: Is it true that the word of God will teach us all things and will guide us into truth? Can we rely and depend upon the word? Do the scriptures lead us into all truth? Does our security come from knowing and relying upon the scriptures?

The answer to all four questions is an emphatic NO! I am not refuting the infallibility of God’s word; I am acknowledging my infallibility with the word of God. Apart from the Holy Spirit, I will ALWAYS make wrong assessments and come to wrong conclusions with God’s word. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things. (John 14:26) The Holy Spirit is given to us to bear witness to the truth, to testify of Jesus. (John 15:26) The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. (John 16:12-15) It is the Lord who gives security, and as His children, we learn to rely upon Him. (Job 24:23)

I would never want my own freedom to cause someone else to stumble, but since I personally live to Christ alone, (John 1:1-5) the scriptures are the standard with which I measure myself and no one else. It is essential that I continually see just how short I fall of God’s standard. (Romans 3:23) Therefore, the word of God is put in charge to lead me to Christ. (Galatians 3:24)

God calls me to do the very impossible: He calls me to love rather than judge. In that simple command I discover how impossible the Christian life really is, while at the same time I learn that apart from Him I can do nothing. (See John 13:34 and 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9, 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 5.)