Believer’s Responsibility to Be Judgmental

Transcript

GR 1654
10/14/2012
Believer's Responsibility to Be Judgmental
James 4:11-12
Gil Rugh

We're going to be in the book of James together this evening, James 4. You know we have a great treasure from God in His Word. When you think that the eternal God who has created all things, who is sovereign over all has chosen to speak to mankind in a manner and a way that He intends to be understood so that we can know more of God, more of His purposes and plans. We can know what He says about us. There is no greater treasure than the truth that God has given.

It is tremendously important when we come and study the Word of God that we study it properly. We talk about this often. One of the things we have to do is take the Word of God in its context. I was reading in one of the morning papers, they were interviewing a pastor. Not the local paper, in another city, Omaha. And this pastor referred to the fact that God is a God of love and then went on to use that to talk about conduct that is totally contrary to the Scripture. Now it is true that God is a God of love, God is love, it's part of His very nature, His very character. But that doesn't mean you can just take that and use it however you want. It has to be put into context. If I said, he is a winner, you'd say, who is a winner? And a winner of what? If I end up being a winner and I say, I'm a winner. And I go into the powerball and say I'm here for my $300 million and they look at the coupon I have and say, that's good for a free soft drink with your Big Mac. I say, I'm a winner, I'm here for my money. You say, you have to put that in the context to what you've won. But somehow we come to the Scripture and people throw out a verse or a portion of a verse and that just proves what they are saying.

Now we're talking about this because we come to James 4 and we come to the subject of judging. And we're often told by people, judge not, that you be not judged. And the Scripture says that. But usually it has nothing to do with what the people who are quoting it are trying to use it for. They want to disagree about something and so if you're saying something they don't like, they say, judge not, that you be not judged, as though that silences everyone. I can do what I want and you can't tell me it's wrong, you can't tell me it's sin because you're not to judge. And if you don't put that into context we just go around throwing around Scripture. Paul wrote to Timothy and said to be diligent to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who handles accurately the Word of truth. That becomes crucial, to handle accurately God's Word. It is His Word, He expects us to handle it accurately. You remember James gave a warning to teachers as James 3 began, let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment, a greater accountability and responsibility before God in the handling of His Word.

We come to the book of James. At the end of James 3, James talked about worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom, picking up with verse 13. And the wisdom of this world which is demonic wisdom is characterized in verse 14 as characterized with bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, arrogance and lying against the truth. Verse 16, jealousy, selfish ambition and all kinds of disorder and every evil thing. In contrast is the wisdom from heaven which is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable and so on. Then he came into James 4 to talk about quarrels and conflicts because that laid the foundation. Are you dealing out of worldly wisdom or heavenly wisdom? Well, you have quarrels and conflicts among you. Where does that come from? The pleasures that wage war in your members—selfish ambition, arrogance, envy, jealousy. And so the conflict rages. Strong words, verse 4, you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? We cannot make friends with the world, conform ourselves to the world's thinking and the world's actions and not be an enemy of God. Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Then we came and looked at James 4:7-10 and in these verses there are ten sharp, strong commands given—submit, resist, draw near, cleanse, purify, be miserable, mourn, weep, be turned, humble. Those were the commands, the verbs there. Submit to God; resist the devil; draw near to God; purify your hearts; be miserable, mourn, weep. And noted some of the background for this in the instruction of Christ like in the Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Our attitude toward sin ought never to be comfortable, but it causes us sorrow, grief. And when we sin our attitude is to turn to God from our sin. Humble ourselves before Him and seek the grace that He brings to a life.

That's the context as we come into James 4:11-12. He's going to say, do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But who are you who judges a neighbor? Now James is going to rebuke them for speaking evil, slandering fellow believers and sitting in judgment over them. We say, well it sounds then like judgment can only be exercised by God, so we don't judge. We have church discipline cases, I've sometimes had people say, judge not, that you be not judged. Probably in letters I've gotten over the years there have been as many on this subject as any. People have written to remind me that I shouldn't be judging or our church shouldn't be judging and it's not biblical. They usually wed it with God is love and He is a loving God and we are not to judge.

What is James talking about and what is the Scripture talking about? Well, we'll pick up with where James picks up. Now remember the context we just went through coming up to this point. Verse 11, do not speak against one another, brethren, and he who speaks against a brother . . . He's primarily concerned what's going on among believers. Now manifesting godly character is to characterize us in all that we do. Some of what he says here could be applied beyond that. But James' concern is that among believers, ungodly and unbiblical conduct is taking place. James 4 opened up, the source of quarrels and conflicts among you, and the rebuke to them in verse 4, as adulteresses, those who claim to belong to the living God and have a relationship with Him. And yet you are living like you are a friend of the world.

So in this context, do not speak against one another, brethren. Speak against is a very literal translation. It's a compound word, to speak and against. But used often, very often in its context it's talking about slandering someone. You are speaking evil of them, you are speaking against them in an unfair, untrue way. We would call it slander. So it is translated slander often in Scripture. That's its use rather regularly.

In doing this a person is passing judgment by attacking the character of that person. You are slandering them, saying things about them. And they are probably not true. They are done to tear the person down, to undermine them, to destroy the confidence that someone may have in them. James may have prepared us for this. We don't pick it up quite in our English translation. Up in verse 7, submit therefore to God; resist the devil. And the word devil there is the translation of the Greek word diabolos. And diabolos is a slanderer, it's a name of the devil. He is the slanderer, he attacks believers, he is constantly trying to destroy them, to say things about them that are not true so that they will be discredited. Now when believers do this, they are manifesting the wisdom, back in James 3:15. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. The demons are those who follow the devil. And so here James is continuing his concern about the conduct among professing believers that manifests more the conduct of the devil and those associated with him.

Turn over to 1 Peter 2:12, keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, remember Peter is also writing to Jewish believers, so that in the thing in which they slander you. That word slander is the word we have translated speak evil against in James, to speak against. Here it is translated slander. The thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds as they observe them glorify God in the day of visitation. When it comes time for God's judgment, they will have to acknowledge, you have been of good character. We lied against you, we spoke lies about you. The unbeliever tries to slander the believer so that he loses credibility, he is viewed as evil when he is really being good. So it's expected among the unbeliever that that is what they will do to the believer. The problem is when the believer starts to do it with a believer.

Come over to 1 Peter 3:16, keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, there is our word, speaking against you, slandering you. The idea is what they are saying is not true, they are looking to discredit you, dishonor you. In which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. We continue to do what is right, what is pleasing to God. But we find the unbeliever, the world is going to lie about us. This fits the pattern of the devil.

Come over to Revelation 12, doesn't use the same word but expresses the same truth. Talks about the time in the middle of the coming seven-year tribulation when there is war in heaven between Michael and his angels and the devil and his angels. Verse 9 tells us, the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, his angels were thrown down with him. They lose their access to heaven. We are nearing the end and the return of Christ to establish His kingdom.

Verse 10, then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren, see how Satan is referred to, the one bringing accusations against believers has been thrown down. He accuses them before our God day and night. We saw this in the book of Job, the opening chapters there where Satan accuses Job before God. God says he is a righteous man. What does Satan say? The only reason he is righteous is because you have blessed him and given him a lot of nice things. He is rich, he is healthy, he is respected, but that's the reason he serves you. You see he is accusing him, accusing him of bad motives, attacking his character. You see the audacity of Satan, in the very presence of God to bring an accusation. And that's not enough. When Job is still faithful, Satan comes back and says, you let him have his health. Sure, everybody gives what they have for their life. So he has lost his wealth, he has lost family, but he is still healthy thinking, I'll build again. So still the only reason he is faithful to you, the only reason he continues to practice righteousness is because you have left him with his health.

That's what the devil is doing. You see they are accusations, they are not true. They are attacking the character, trying to destroy the person. The followers of the devil do that to believers. The devil is involved in slandering believers, his followers as we have seen.

Come back to James 4. Now James' concern is not that the world does this to believers, that the devil and the demons do, but he has to tell them as believers don't be doing this to one another. Do not slander one another, brethren. That word speak against is the word that we have seen translated slander in these other passages. That is its significance here. Do not slander one another, brethren. Do you have to tell believers not to slander one another? I mean, try to destroy one another? Undermine their character? Tell lies about them?

He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. We're crossing a line here now, we're in the area of judging because when you slander one another you have set yourself up as a judge like Satan did of Job. I'm judging his motives, I'm telling you what his character really is. Even though he is conducting himself to all appearance properly, I'm telling you he is motivated by evil things, not good things. Now we're in a realm that only God can judge. And that's where James is taking us.

This is not new, come back to Leviticus. This principle that James is establishing goes all the way back to Leviticus, and we'll pick up there in several passages but we'll go to Leviticus 19. Just pull out right now verse 16, the first statement. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people. You shall not act against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord. It is saying slander is connected here with an attempt to destroy the neighbor in Israel, your fellow Israelite. James carrying it here among believers. So the principle established there.

Come over to Psalm 50:16, so you see something of the context here. But to the wicked God says, what right have you to tell of My statutes and to take My covenant in your mouth? Talks about the inconsistency of those who don't belong to God trying to tell people about His Word. You don't belong to Me. What right have you to tell of My statutes, to take My covenant in your mouth? You hate discipline, you cast My words behind you. When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, you associate with adulterers. You let your mouth loosen evil, your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother, you slander your own mother's sons. These things you have done and I kept silent, you thought that I was just like you. Ought to have that underlined, a mistake people think. They think God is like they are so they project what they think. And this is what God is like. Did you ever think, how do they know that? God is a God of love, He wouldn't do that. How do you know? Well, everybody knows God is a God of love and kindness and He only does good things. And of course He would never send anyone to hell. And on it goes. How do you know that? Well, I think God is just like I am and that's the way I think. That is a terrible mistake the wicked make. You think that I was just like you. No. He is holy, holy, holy.

You'll note in the context in verse 20, you sit and speak against your brother, your slander your own mother's son. In Israel the family relationship of the nation that was to belong to God and manifest God's character was conducting themselves like the unbelieving world around them. That's slandering and destroying the character.

Come over to Psalm 101. You see the context here, very similar to what James talked about. We see the context of arrogance and pride that he speaks. We'll pick up with verse 5, whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy. No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will endure. You see the context here. Verse 4 talked about a perverse heart shall depart from me, will know no evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor, who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart. What was the characteristic of worldly wisdom? That arrogance, that self-centeredness, selfish ambition, trying to destroy him so that I can benefit. So this background for this in the Old Testament as James brings it up. These Jewish believers are well familiar with this, the rebuke. You continue to do what God forbade, what God said He hated in your Scriptures and now you do it.

Come over to Romans 1. You know James talked extensively about the tongue in James 3 and that's what we're talking about again—the tongue, the slander, the things that are said behind a person's back with the intention of destroying them. These are the characteristics of the unbelievers who are coming under the judgment of God. The New Testament picks this up, Romans 1. In verse 28 in this series of those who have rejected God, God has turned over to their sin. In verse 28, they didn't see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind. You see they have rejected the knowledge of God, they will not acknowledge Him. That's where we are today, you can't bring God into the conversation. If you want to believe in God, that's fine, keep it to yourself. They refused to acknowledge Him.

God gave them over to a depraved mind to do the things which are not proper. Then he lists some of the characteristics. They are filled with unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice. They are gossips. Then we start verse 30 with our word, slanderers. Characteristic of the unbeliever. Who do you believe? I mean, tell a lie often enough and it becomes truth in people's thinking. And just destroy someone's character by telling a lie about them enough, by getting the word around them so you in effect are destroying them. This is the characteristic of those who the next statement is, are the haters of God, those who have refused to acknowledge God and God has given them over to their depraved mind. One of their characteristics is that they are slanderers. We take these things lightly, we say, these things are not major, everybody does it. It's put in the context. The previous word was gossips—doesn't everybody do that? Well, believers are not to and we are to be attacking one another and destroying one another.

Come over to 2 Corinthians 12:20. Paul has had a lot of trouble with the church at Corinth. It's something like the believers that James is writing to. And Paul talks about his writing to them. Verse 20, he's going to come and visit them again and he says, I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you not to be what you wish, that perhaps there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, and here is our word, slanderers. Connected with the word gossip as we saw in Romans 1. Arrogance, disturbance. You see the kind of framework in which slandering operates. It's arrogance, it's the exalting of self. And that's why James is going to go to talk about you have set yourself up as the judge, as though you could perceive and determine the motives, as though you could see into the heart. This goes beyond dealing with clear conduct. We'll talk about that in a little bit. But it is an act of arrogance, characteristic of unbelievers. 1 Peter 2:1 talks about the same kind of context.


Come back to James. He says, do not speak against one another, brethren, James 4:11. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you are a judge of the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. What happens here is a person has taken the place of God and set himself up. James has already talked about the royal law, back in James 2:;8, if, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality and so on—the incongruity of their conduct. So here God gave His law, He is the lawgiver and the judge. But when you are slandering another person, you are determining you know their motives, you know the real condition of their heart and you are slandering them, you have set yourself up as the judge of their heart. I you are obeying the Scripture, you will love our neighbor as yourself.


Come back to Leviticus 19, I want you to look at the context. In the context here you start out Leviticus 19, then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, you shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. That's God's requirement for His people. It's repeated for us in the New Testament, Peter repeats it in his letter—you shall be holy for I am holy. He comes down through here and tells them what they should do and what they should not do, functioning consistently with His will for them. You come down to verse 15, you shall do no injustice in judgment, you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great. You are to judge your neighbor fairly. Now note in the context here he said something, you shall judge. There is a right judgment—you shall judge your neighbor fairly. Well didn't James just say we are not to be judging? Well, we have to put that into context. Keep going. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people. Verse 17, you shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart. You may surely reprove your neighbor, but you shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people. But you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

So when James refers to the law, he carries it back to the very context for these Jews that he has been talking about. You are not to be a slanderer of your neighbor, of your brother. You are sitting in judgment. You are to love your neighbor as yourself rather than wanting to destroy him and ruin. You are to love him.

Come over to Romans 13 in the New Testament. Paul picks up this theme. Verse 8, owe nothing to anyone except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, you shall not commit adultery, not murder, not steal, not covet. If there is any other commandment, it is summed in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Because if you are truly loving your neighbor and doing what is best for him and sacrificing yourself for him, you won't commit adultery with his wife or her husband. You won't murder him, you won't steal from him. Those would be contrary to love. You are not doing what is best for him, you are functioning selfishly. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law, it summarizes the law. That's why it is summarized for us in love God and love your neighbor. So when you love your neighbor, you do what is best for them. Would you slander the person you love? Do you slander your children? No, you stretch the truth to have everybody think wonderful things about them. I mean, they are wonderful kids. And grandparents stretch it further. I have the most ideal, wonderful, perfect grandchildren you would ever know. I don't slander them. I want you to think well of them. I love them, I want them to do well. I overlook faults they might have that they inherited from their grandmother. No, I see the best. That's love, isn't it, that's what we do when we love someone. We see them and we want the best for them. When you slander someone, you don't love them. You are jealous of them, you are envious of them, you think you are better than they are and you resent the fact that they are more well off than you are, they are more respected than you are. And that grates on us. That's not love. I'm glad they got promoted. I would have loved the promotion, but I'm glad they got it instead of me. Well, if I love them, I am glad for them. So love fulfills the law, that's the context James is talking about.

On your way back to James, stop at Galatians 5:13. The context of James, it's about conflict and disagreement. Paul says, for you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh. But through love serve one another. The whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bit and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed. I mean, that's what sin does—it creates conflict. That's what James has been talking about. Here he is writing about believers who are at one another and you destroy one another. How many churches have been destroyed by conflicts among the congregation of believers. They fight, bicker, say this about this group, and this about these people, and this about that. And pretty soon we tear ourselves apart. It's going on even as Paul and James have had to write to the believers of the day.

Come back to James 4. And James told us in James 3 that the tongue is such a small member in the body but it can set such a huge blaze burning. His analogy there. And it is true how we can destroy one another by the things we say.

Come to verse 12. Serious thing to set yourself up not as one concerned to be obedient to God's Word, but to sit in judgment over God's Word. And that's happens when you speak against God's Word, the law of God as God has given it, as James is writing to these believers. And what he says about loving your neighbor. Then you slander your neighbor, you've set yourself above God's Word. You've decided God's Word doesn't apply to you here. Serious business.

There is only one lawgiver and judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judge your neighbor. One lawgiver, one judge. Any of us as believers, we would acknowledge, of course that is true. These believers that James is writing to would acknowledge its truth verbally. The problem is they are not putting it into practice. Something is wrong. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. This carries us outside our realm. Now you note, God can save and destroy, He is the judge who can deal in ultimate reality, bringing salvation and bringing destruction. You know it's interesting, the people that want to talk about that God is love and judge not that you be not judged rarely quote this part of the verse. You are right and we are not the ultimate judges. There is only one ultimate judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge your neighbor?

Come to Matthew 10:28, we want to tie these things into the balance. Jesus addresses this, we noted that James the half-brother of Christ often draws not just from the Old Testament, but from the teachings of Christ. And in Matthew 10, verse 26 for the context, therefore do not fear them for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. And they are to proclaim the truth broadly, on the housetops. And they are to do it without fear. Now note this, do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Awesome verse. Don't fear men, but you better fear God because He is able to destroy both your soul and your body in an eternal hell. Not a verse often quoted on the editorial page where people want to bring out Bible verses about God is love. He is, but the problem is it is not put into context. God is a God to be feared. He can cast a person into an eternal hell from which there will never in a hundred billion years be a deliverance. Now that's a frightening concept. There are people in hell, Hades which is preparation for hell, who have been there for years and there is no future for them but the same thing. No relief day and night into the ages of the ages, the Scripture says, speaking of eternity. Now there is a God to be feared, He is the judge. In Revelation 1:18 Jesus declares that He has the keys of life and death. He is the One sovereign, the living God, the One who can judge all.

Come over to 1 Corinthians 4. Verse 1 starts out, let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God, entrusted with the truths that God has revealed. It is required of stewards that one be found faithful. Then note this, but to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you or by any human court. In fact I do not even examine myself. I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted. He is acknowledging, I am not the ultimate judge even of myself. The One who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts. Then each man's praise will come to him from God. Interesting in the context here because he says that about not judging and it doesn't matter to me whether you want to examine me or not. That's nothing. The only One who can judge me is God.

Then you come into 1 Corinthians 5 and you know what he tells them? He rebukes them. Do you know why? They haven't judged a man who is guilty of sin in their midst. We say, I thought he said we are not to judge. So we have to keep a perspective of understanding these things in the context in which they are given.

So let's bring a little more into the picture here now. James is focusing on slandering, unjust and unfair attacks on people and their motives, fellow believers. He is not talking about dealing with sin. He has talked about sin and how wrong it is, believers are to recognize it, believers are not to accept it. James has been clear on that.

Their command is not to judge, found in a variety of places. Come to Matthew 7, we'll look at maybe two passages. There are others but we'll look at these two, they are rather familiar ones. Matthew 7:1 is the one people often quote. Do not judge so that you will be judged. Then we go on, for in the way you judge you will be judged, and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye and behold the log is in your own eye. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. The command not to judge here is in the context of being hypocritical. I am pointing out your sin and overlooking mine. And often we are doing that when we are attacking someone else. Why? We are taking the attention off us and putting it on them.

But then he says in verse 6, do not give what is holy to dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine. Our hogs and dogs passage that we think of. Well wait a minute, that's a judgment, isn't it? I will have to determine these people are called by God dogs and swine, they are unclean. So you be careful, you be discerning in giving the truth. Well, he just told me not to judge, now I have to make a real judgment here regarding people. You see we have to look at the context. So the next time someone says, do not judge so you will not be judged, say, I agree with that. You know Jesus followed that up, I have to determine whether you are a hog or a dog, or if you are. Oh, Jesus wouldn't say that. I'll bet 99% of the people who quote, do not judge so you will not be judged don't even know that Jesus said, do not give what is holy to the dogs and do not throw your pearls before swine. But that's a judgment, isn't it? You have to determine is it a dog or a swine so you don't throw what is holy to them.

Come over to Romans 2. Similar kind of context. After what was said about sin in Romans 1, Paul turns his attention to the Jews who prided themselves in not being dirty sinners like the Gentiles. Remember even Peter had a hard time after his conversion with eating with Gentiles because Gentiles are dirty, they are sinners. It's defiling to even sit down and eat with them. Now he doesn't address them as Jews until you get down to verse 17, but if you bear the name Jew. But you understand that's what he is talking about as you open the chapter.

Verse 1, therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. People say, I wouldn't commit homosexual sins, I wouldn't commit immorality, I wouldn't do murder. But they are gossips, they are slanderers at the end of Romans 1. Wait a minute, you are practicing the same thing, you are manifesting the same kind of character. Do you suppose, oh man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? You understand, God views sin as sin. We put gossip in the same kind of context as immorality, slander in the same kind of context as these other things. God is looking and saying, your manifestation of rejection of Me, rebellion against Me is sin. But the Jews were proud, they were sitting in judgment, sitting in judgment. They were so arrogant, they sat in judgment of the Son of God.

Do you think lightly, verse 4, of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds. Verse 11, there is no partiality with God. And then down to verse 16, on the day when according to my gospel God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

Over in Romans 14:4, who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. He will stand for the Lord is able to make him stand. Again, he's talking about judgment among believers. So he talks about the incongruity of unbelievers passing judgment on others. Then he talks about the wrongness of believers judging believers and now the context of Romans 14 becomes important. What is he talking about? Matters of conscience—what foods you eat or don't eat. You don't sit in judgment on that. So the Jews shouldn't decide Gentiles shouldn't eat this food, and the Gentiles shouldn't try to say the Jews should feel free to eat other foods. Basically, Paul says, it's none of your business. You don't sit in judgment.

Now you see there we are talking about things that God hasn't addressed. So as we wrap this up we want to talk about what kind of judgment we are to exercise. We want to be careful that we are biblical. One, we are to judge sin among believers. There is no doubt about that. Come back to Matthew 18, Jesus addressed this subject. A passage we use as foundational for what we call church discipline. Verse 15, if your brother sins, so we're talking among believers here. If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private. So our concern is not to destroy him, not to undermine him even with the truth. He is guilty of sin here. So this is not slander in the sense of spreading untruths or trying to delve into the motives. There is clear sin here. And if a brother sins and you become aware of it, you go to talk to him about it. You share with him your burden for him and this is sin, it's wrong for you as a believer. If he listens, you have won your brother. And you don't have to give a testimony of how so-and-so was in sin but I went and talked to him . . . No, it's settled, that's it. If he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you as witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; if he refuses to listen to the church, then you have nothing to do with him. It's like a Gentile and a tax gatherer. So there is judgment there, but it's sin. Not judging the motives of the heart, saying I know you are doing this and it looks good but I know in your heart you are doing it for the wrong reason. I don't know you are doing it in your heart for the wrong reason. God knows. You say, I know you are preaching this sermon but you're doing it out of pride. I can tell. I have to be like Paul, too. I can't even say, I know I'm not, I'm too humble to be preaching a sermon out of pride. I don't know my own heart that well. But all we can deal with is, is the truth being presented. If you are doing it with the wrong motive God in His grace may use the Word in spite of your wrong motive because the Word you were presented is truth, but He'll deal with the condition of your heart. That's what Paul says, God will judge the motives of my heart. I have to be careful thinking that I am okay because I think I am okay. So we have to judge sin.

Come to 1 Corinthians 5, I referred to this when we were in 1 Corinthians 4. And remember we read 1 Corinthians 4:5, do not go on passing judgment before the time. We wait until the Lord comes who exercises final judgment. That doesn't excuse believers from the responsibility of dealing with sin. Look at 1 Corinthians 5:3, and he says in verse 2 that not to do what God says in dealing with sin among believers is arrogance. You have become arrogant and have not mourned. Remember what James said? Weep and mourn. That's what sin is to do to us as believers. And the one who has done this deed should be removed from your midst. It was immorality.

Verse 3, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, I have already judged him who has committed this sin. Is he going to explain to Paul, judge not that you be not judged? No, it's sin not to judge, it's arrogance to disobey God's Word and not do what He says we are responsible to do. Down in verse 12, what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? We are responsible to judge, but we judge actions, we don't judge motives. I can't judge your motive, you can't judge my motive. But if someone is stealing, we can deal with that; someone being immoral, we can deal with that; someone telling a lie, we can deal with that. We are responsible to deal with sin. It was sin for the church at Corinth not to be doing anything about this, not to be exercising proper biblical judgment.

Come over to 2 Thessalonians, one more example of this. 2 Thessalonians 3:14, if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person. Do not associate with him so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy but admonish him as a brother. Same thing Jesus said. You don't associate with him, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax gatherer. For the Jews that meant they didn't have any contact with them, except to admonish him to turn from his behavior. You are not our enemy, you are a fellow believer who is in rebellion against God. We want to encourage you to repent of your sin, turn from your sin, acknowledge it before God and cease.

So there is a judgment that occurs. We are to judge sin, we are to exercise judgment regarding false doctrine and unbelievers. Come back to Matthew 7. Now Matthew 7 started out, judge not that you be not judged. Before Matthew 7 goes very far, the instruction is to exercise judgment. So you see to quote the verse we have to know what He is talking about when He talks about judging and not judging. You are not judging motives among believers, you are not judging arrogantly by overlooking your own sin to pass judgment on someone else's.

But you come to Matthew 7:15, beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You'll know them by their motives. No, you'll know them by their fruits. So again what are we judging? We are judging their action. A good tree bears good fruit, a bad tree bears bad fruit. So the idea, we don't judge, well if you don't you are in rebellion against God because we are responsible to exercise judgment and watch for the false prophets. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you'll know them by their fruits. Not everyone who say to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

So there is judgment to be exercised here. You have to be discerning, exercise judgment. Well, I'm trying to discern, is he really coming from a heart . . . Well, I can't determine that. People often ask me, do you think this person is a believer? This teacher that you hear on the radio? I tell them, I can't address that, some you can because their works indicate they are a bad tree. That's where we go. I say, well, in light of what they are saying, what they are teaching, it's contrary to the Word of God. Earlier this morning some of us were talking about the teacher who claims to be an evangelical, has been involved in multiple immoralities and says it is nobody's business. He reveals his character. Good trees don't produce bad fruit. That's a judgment, but it's a judgment based on the facts and not on my supposed ability to know what's in his heart. What he is doing is a revelation.

Come over to Galatians. So we're judging between believers and unbelievers, we're judging on the basis of conduct. Galatians 1. Some people were preaching a gospel contrary to Paul's. So what did he say in Galatians 1:8? But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is accursed, condemned to hell. We said before, I say to you again, if any man is preaching a gospel contrary to what you have received, he is to be accursed. So someone is preaching you can be saved by believing in Christ and being baptized and partaking of the sacraments. I say, that's a man cursed to hell. You say, judge not that you be not judged. Paul says, you have to judge that, that's proper judgment.

1 John 4:1, do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world. How do you test them? In light of their conduct, in light of the doctrine they are teaching. That's a responsibility that we have in judgment. In 2 John 10, if anyone comes to you and does not believe and bring this teaching, don't receive him into your house. Don't give him a greeting. If you give him a greeting, you participate in his evil deeds. You don't do anything to encourage him. I have to exercise a judgment. Well, I wouldn't want to sit in judgment on him. Well if he's teaching contrary to the truth that has been revealed, we do exercise judgment. I don't want anything to do with you, you are not welcome in our home. I'm not going to give you a word of encouragement.

So we judge sin among believers, we judge between believer and unbeliever. There are other passages. 1 John, by this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Sometimes we can't know the difference. I'm not saying we can discern in every case, but we are responsible where it can be determined in light of the Word of God.


God alone will judge the motives. We want to be careful we don't get into that. We want to be careful about the areas God doesn't address. I may think it's better to eat this way or do this or not do that, but what does the Scripture . . . Well the Scripture doesn't address it, but I think it's better. Well, you're welcome to think it is better, you're welcome to live in light of your personal convictions. You are not free to impose those on someone else or judge them for not doing it the way you would. That was in Romans 14. We want to be careful that we don't get carried away here either way, not exercising the judgment that God says we are responsible for him to do, that's an act of disobedience to His Word; or exercising judgment improperly, trying to discern the motive of a person. We are passing judgment on their conduct that really is not any of our business. It is not sin, it's not wrong doctrine, it's a matter of personal preference.

Jeremiah 17:9-10, the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. Who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, try the motives. Only God can do that. So putting in perspective what God has said about judgment, the judgment we are not to exercise, the judgment we must exercise.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word. Thank you for the presence of your Spirit that gives discernment to believers. Lord, it is important that we function properly in the area of judging, that we not set ourselves up improperly and think of ourselves more highly than we ought. But Lord, it is also important that we be obedient to your Word and exercise proper judgment. Thank you for the presence of your Spirit, the treasure of your Word. May we be faithful personally and as a church to the truth you have entrusted to us. We pray in Christ's name, amen.