October 29, 2017
taught by Ken McGarvey
First Baptist Church of Tellico Village, Tennessee

Jesus said, “Judge not.” Paul said, “The spiritual person judges all things.” (1 Corinthians 2:15) What gives, and how are these reconciled?

When discussing anything controversial, whether religious, political, scientific, legal or in any other area, it is necessary to have a definition of terms. Some have said, “I’ll agree to anything, as long as I can define my terms.” If the participants in a study don’t have clear definitions, the results will be muddied.

In Matthew 7:1–2, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, 1 Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. The word Jesus used for “judge” is the Greek word “krino.” Krino has many meanings, much like our word “judge,” mostly determined by context. But one of those meanings, apparently intended here, is to make a moral judgment of and condemnation against someone. And the context warns of one of the dangers of such judgment: we are setting up ourselves to be judged just as harshly as we are judging others.

The reference in 1 Corinthians is a related, but different Greek word, “anakrino.” In this context it is not related to condemning people, but discerning one thing from another. Paul begins the chapter talking about the “natural person,” the person who is not saved, has not been entered into by the Holy Spirit. Verses 14–16 together read, 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Paul is saying that the believer in Christ, born of God and having the Holy Spirit living within him, is able to make many kinds of discernment. But the natural person, without the Holy Spirit will never understand the believer, or at least not unless and until he becomes a child of God as well. And that certainly doesn’t mean all Christians know everything — or that any do. But we have a different perspective revealed to us by God through the Holy Spirit.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is setting forth a principle consistent throughout his ministry on earth. God calls his people to be humble, placing others’ value above their own. This is not a new principle — it is taught often in the Old Testament. It’s just that it has been seldom practiced. And Jesus both taught and exemplified it more clearly and creatively than people were used to.

When Jesus says, “Judge not,” he is saying we are not to consider ourselves above others and in a position to pass judgment that puts them beneath us (that’s what judging inevitably does). He adds that when we judge others we are setting the standard by which we also will be judged. We all understand the concept. Many people were upset that a pro-life congressman recently told his girlfriend that she must get an abortion when she thought she was pregnant. He sat in judgment against women who aborted their babies, but then when faced with a possible unwanted pregnancy was suddenly (and quietly) in favor of it.

In the 1970s, many teenagers who were condemned by their parents for using marijuana complained that since their parents used tobacco and alcohol they had no basis on which to stand when judging the teens for using weed. Most teens saw the similarity, while many parents so no parallel at all.

James makes a similar point in chapter 2 when he says the sins don’t have to be similar:

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:8-13)

     Not only does James condemn judging others, he points us in the direction of mercy, rather than judgment. I am amazed at the many Christians I hear not only condemning others for their sins, but sounding like they hope those people will suffer for what they are doing. That is totally contrary to the urging of God through the New Testament writers.

For many, it is human nature to want to be recognized as the best. As Jesus’ followers compared notes, they asked Jesus who would be recognized as the greatest in God’s coming kingdom. Jesus’ answer must have surprised them. Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3–4)

Who do you judge? People at WalMart who look funny? People who disagree with you politically? People of other cultures? People without jobs or money? People whose hygiene habits are different from yours? People whose alcohol usage is different from yours? People who use words you don’t? People who use their money differently from the way you use yours? People who raise their children a different way than you raised yours? Whoever it is, it is likely that making that judgment allows you to feel better about yourself and superior to them.

It’s a tough order not to do so. But we are instructed in the New Testament, 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3–4) I’m not sure how we learn to value others above ourselves, but God is telling us to do it. So when we criticize drug dealers, crooked politicians, abortionists, racists and terrorists, we must learn to see each of them as one created by God in his image, needing our love, respect and fair treatment.

Paul also spoke to us about our judging others in 1 Corinthians 5:9–13. He acknowledged the necessity for the church to make judgments and take action on immorality. But then he said, It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. So for us to spend our time criticizing and complaining about people outside the church whose lives we don’t approve of, we would be better off taking the positive steps of living and speaking in such a way as to influence them toward mercy and grace in Christ.

Now let’s go to what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:15, The spiritual person judges all things. We mentioned that this refers to discernment. Several things are necessary to have such discernment. One is a close walk with the Lord, where we have the mind of Christ and understand how he related to mankind. We therefore have a desire to be Christlike in our attitudes and our understanding. We need to spend time in the Word of God, learning more and more what God is teaching us for our understanding and our living. We need also to listen to people who disagree with us. What? Disagree with us? Yes.

If we only hang around with people who agree with us, how can we learn anything? Unless you already know everything, you need to continue to learn. And when you learn things, it will generally change something that you already believed — with confidence. It’s hard to learn when you live in an “echo chamber.”

When you tell others of your faith journey (your testimony, if you please), is it current? Do you tell how you are learning all the time, and things you have learned that changed your outlook? Do you tell of others who have influenced your thinking or your way of life?

Living effectively for Christ involves our understanding, our words, our relationships and our attitudes. And that is involved in our not judging others while judging (discerning) all things.