Biblical Christ Research Institute: The Value of Context -Matt. 7:1-6: This passage is one of the oft misquoted passages of the Scripture. First, it is God in Christ who will render final judgment and through Christ He will judge the secrets of men (Rom. 2:16). However, in this passage Jesus tells His disciples that they must not judge. He does not tell them that they must not judge because it is pleasant and nice to allow people to remain in sin. In fact, Jesus is explaining to his disciples, not that they are to abstain from judgment, but how they must judge. The Christian must judge and this verse explains how he must judge. In fact, Paul says in Corinthians (1:6:3) that Christians will judge angels . So is it beyond the responsibility for Christians to judge? Verse 6 unlocks the context with which Jesus speaks. Jesus is condemning the judgment which pronounces a final verdict upon the souls of men. He condemns the judgment which pronounces sinners beyond the reach of His saving mercies. He also condemns the judgement which attempts to correct one in sin without removing the log of sin from ones eye. Once this log of sin is removed, in other words, once the Christian is free from the sin he aims to rebuke, he is free to render righteous judgment (John 7:24). Since Jesus does not contradict himself, we are commanded to Judge, however our judgment must be according to infallible Scripture with the purpose of seeing the redemption of unbelievers. Do not judge, therefore, is not a command to refrain from judgment of sinners, excuse sin, or a call to passivity. Rather, it is a call to rightly assess rebellion by Scripture without being a partaker of the same sins. Freedom to judge is granted to all Christians when they are not partakers of said sin. In fact, if the pearls of our truth are rejected, then we are to take up such pearls and not rend them before swine. This is a form of permissible judgment (Matt 7:6). The Christian who lives fully unto Christ is the only one who is judged by no one but is the judge of all things. (1 Cor 2:15) Thus the biblical Christian, abstaining from sin, is the only one with divine prerogative to ask false converts and the sinful world, Who are you to judge?
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 16:05:15 +0000
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