TEACHING NOTES ‌ Introduction Today we’re going to study a word that is highly misunderstood and misused. In recent years our culture has rejected any form of judgment with the cliché “don’t judge me” or “only God can judge me.” We would expect the unbelieving world to think this way. But now we’re seeing the Church at large adopting an unbiblical view of judgment. As a result, the Church has given up accountability, discipline, holiness, and discipleship. Christians are pushing the Bible aside in an effort to be accepting and avoid being called judgmental. ‌ The Root of the Problem Most Christians are biblically illiterate. As a result, the Church has been adopting the ideas of unbelievers. In the West, Christianity has almost no accountability and the Church looks no different from other wordly groups. ‌ The Modern Definition of Judgment To judge is to disagree, criticize, or correct a person and should not be done, even if the person is wrong. In other words, it’s wrong to tell anyone they are wrong. ‌ Many churches have adopted this definition. In many churches, no one is allowed to question anyone and anything for fear of being judgmental and divisive. ‌ Logical Problem: If it’s wrong to tell someone they are wrong, then you can’t tell someone they are wrong for telling someone they are wrong, because that would be wrong. ‌ If someone says, “you can’t judge me” or “you’re being judgmental” you should respond, “Is that your judgment?” or “Are you judging me for judging?” ‌ Judge = OT Heb. יִשְׁפֹּ֥ט (yispat) - to execute judgment, final decision. NT Grk. κρίνω (krinō) - decide, come to a conclusion, judge one as better or worse than another. ‌ God Practices Judgment ‌ Genesis 15:13–14 ESV 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ‌ Your offspring will be servants = God is telling Abraham ahead of time that Israel will be enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. ‌ I will bring judgment = Obviously, this does not mean that God will criticize or correct Egypt, but that He is going to stop them from enslaving Israel and bring serious consequences on them. God’s judgment is His decision to end the problem. At the end of time, God will bring judgment on the entire world and the problem of evil and sin will be stopped once and for all. ‌ God practices judgment and calls His people to use judgment in order to distinguish between right and wrong. ‌ Later in the Old Testament, we find that Moses is a judge for Israel (Ex. 18:13) and choses men to be judges over each group of Israelites (Ex. 18:25-26). The high priest of Israel was a judge (Ex. 28). There’s even an entire book about Judges. ‌ The Book of Judges ‌- Problem: Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. ‌- Result: Terrifying immorality and violence. ‌- Solution: God raised up judges. ‌ The Old Testament Prophets Most of the writings of the prophets are about God bringing judgment on His own people for their unfaithfulness. God even uses the pagan nations of Assyria and Babylon to carry out the consequences of this judgment. This tells us that even God’s people are not except from judgment. God brings judgment to get us back on track. ‌ Judgment is a major theme in the Old Testament. But what about the New Testament? Let’s start with a commonly misunderstood but popular teaching of Jesus about judgment from Matthew 7. ‌ Judgment in the New Testament ‌ Matthew 7:1–2 ESV 1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ‌ Judge not, that you be not judged = Don’t come to a final conclusion about someone or the same will happen to you. Don’t condemn people or you will be condemned. If judgment is a final decision, Jesus is teaching us to be patient with people before labeling them as condemned. As long as someone is alive, there is time for repentance. ‌ Judgment = Grk. κρίμα (krima) - legal action, condemnation ‌Pronounce = Grk. κρίνω (krinō) - final decision ‌Judged = Grk. κριθήσεσθε (krithesesthe) - This is in the future tense and passive voice, which means that it will eventually happen to you without your control. ‌ Translation: “For with the condemnation you decide you will be condemned.” ‌ The measure you use it = The Greek word for “measure” here is metron, which refers to a standard or unit of length or volume. Jesus is saying, “The standard you apply to others will be applied to you.” This connects to Matt. 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” The standard you use to condemn others will be the same standard used to condemn you. ‌ Matthew 7:3–4 ESV 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ‌ Why do you see the speck? = This is a question of personal evaluation. Why is it that you are looking so close that you notice the speck? Why am I so concerned with what that person is doing? Why am I bothered by another’s actions? ‌ Jesus is saying, “How can you even see the sawdust in your brother’s eye?” ‌ Jesus said something similar to the Pharisees in Matt. 23:24 “You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” They were obsessed with a tiny gnat but swallowing an entire unclean animal. ‌ But do not notice the log in your eye = The Greek word for “log” here is dokos, which is a beam or timber. The picture here is of a person with a tree sticking out of their face while pointing out sawdust in your eye. ‌ How can you say, “Let me remove the speck”? = If you have a tree coming out of your face, how can you help someone remove sawdust from their eye? You can’t even see clearly and you’re going to injure them with your tree. ‌ Matthew 7:5 ESV 5 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. ‌ Hypocrite = Grk. ὑποκριτά (hypokrita) - pretender, actor, wearing a mask. ‌ This issue is not judgment, but hypocritical judgment. ‌ Then you will see clearly to take out the speck = Here we see that we are supposed to help people get out of their sin. Once we stop being a hypocrite and have the right heart, we help others with their sins. ‌ Like Israel, God also judges His Church. Hypocritical Christians are judged for being fake versions of believers. Peter tells us that judgment begins with God’s people. ‌ 1 Peter 4:17 ESV 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ‌ Judgment Within the Church Jesus taught in Matt. 7:1-5 that we should judge with the right standard and not to practice hypocritical judgment. Jesus also taught in Matt. 18:15-17 that a person in the church who is living in sin should be confronted. If they refuse to repent, they should be considered an unbeliever. Therefore, the early church followed Jesus’ teaching and practiced judgment and discipline within the church. We see a clear example of this in 1 Cor. 5:1-13. ‌ 1 Corinthians 5:1–2 ESV 1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. ‌ The Problem: There is sexual immorality in the church. For Paul, and the other apostles, “sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Eph. 5:3). Paul also wrote, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3). Also see Acts 21:25; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-10, 18; 2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:8-11; Heb. 13:4. The Bible is clear on this issue. ‌ A man has his father’s wife = Most likely, this means that a man is sleeping with his stepmother, who may or may not have still been married. It was against both Jewish and Roman law for a man to be in a romantic relationship with his mother or stepmother. This was a shameful practice even in pagan culture. ‌ You are proud! = Paul is shocked that the Corinthian church is not only allowing this in the church, but that they are also proud of their acceptance. ‌ Let him be removed = Although many English translations use past tense “let him who has done this” the Greek verb is present tense. Therefore, the accurate translation is, “Let him who is doing this be removed from among you.” The reason this man must be removed is that he is still practicing this sinful lifestyle. If he had repented, there would be forgiveness and no need to remove him from the church. ‌ Note: Church discipline is not Paul’s idea, but comes from the teachings of Jesus in Matt. 18:17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” ‌ 1 Corinthians 5:3–5 ESV 3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. ‌ Pronounced judgment = Sound familiar? (see Matt. 7:2) ‌ Deliver this man to Satan = Why? “For the destruction of the flesh.” The purpose of removing the unrepentant sinner is to lead him to repentance and freedom from his sinful flesh. The goal is repentance and restoration (see Gal. 6:1). ‌ 1 Corinthians 5:9–10 ESV 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ‌ Not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world = Paul is not saying that we should disassociate from immoral unbelievers. We would have to leave this world in order to avoid unbelievers. Obviously, that would be impossible. ‌ 1 Corinthians 5:11 ESV 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ‌ Anyone who bears the name of brother = Paul is clear that he speaking about separating from a person who claims to be a Christian, yet proudly continues living in sin. Notice also that Paul includes greed, idolatry, abuse, drunkeness, and swindling with sexual immorality. Paul is not elevating sexual immorality above other vices. ‌ 1 Corinthians 5:12–13 ESV 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” ‌ What have I to do with judging outsiders? = Christians have no business correcting unbelievers who do not claim to follow Jesus. Why? Because “God judges those outside.” ‌ Those inside the church you are to judge = Paul is clear that believers are called to judge one another, not to condemn trivial mistakes, but to stop unrepentant sin. As believers, we are called to correct one another in love. ‌ James 5:19–20 ESV 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. ‌ If anyone among you wanders = Notice James agrees with Paul’s teaching in Corinthians that believers should watch out for one another. “Among you” refers to people within the church. ‌ Save his soul from death = Sin always leads to death (James 1:14-15). ‌ Cover a multitude of sins = When we bring someone to repentance and restoration, their previous sins are forgiven and further sins they would have committed are avoided. ‌ Biblical judgment/accountability is loving because it saves us from self-destruction. ‌ Conclusion ‌If anyone here today is living in any kind of sin, you are being called to repent. God’s love is leading you out of destruction behavior. Our love for you is calling you out of sin and destruction and into forgiveness and life. If you repent, you will be forgiven by God and forgiven by your church family.