Author: David Wilber
It is often said that believers ought not to judge. Indeed, “Judge not that you be not judged” is one of the most memorized Bible verses ever. Even people who have never read a Bible in their life will immediately quote that verse to silence anyone who might dare express disapproval toward them. But is it true that we are not to ever judge anyone?
There are two problems with the idea that it’s wrong to judge. First, it’s self-defeating. If it's wrong to judge, you would never be able to say that it's wrong. You can’t say that someone is wrong for judging because you would be wrong for saying that they’re wrong! Secondly, the Bible explicitly commands us to judge:
And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.” (Deuteronomy 1:16)
The Lord commanded the judges of Israel to hear each case and to judge righteously. This was a very serious job. In some cases, people’s lives were literally on the line. The judges needed to be patient, careful, and fair in delivering their rulings. In the same way, we must be patient, careful, and fair in our own judgments. We must avoid jumping to conclusions about people and situations before we’ve heard all the evidence (Proverbs 18:13). Yeshua taught these same principles:
Do not judge by mere appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)
Yeshua never prohibited judging. When He said, “Judge not that you be not judged” in Matthew 7:1-5, His point was that we shouldn’t be prideful and hypocritical in our judgments. We must recognize that we too will be judged in the future. We must not carelessly judge something or someone based only on appearances.
In addition to hearing all the evidence and avoiding hypocrisy, a righteous judge must be willing to extend mercy. When there is genuine humility and repentance on the part of the sinner, God forgives them. We’ve all sinned and have been shown great mercy by our Father in heaven. Since God is the perfect judge, we should look to His example and thus be willing to forgive others.
As demonstrated above, righteous judgment is most often applied in the context of right and wrong, sin, justice, mercy, etc. But in the epistle of James, there is additional instruction on how we are to judge righteously as believers. James appeals to the Torah's instructions against showing partiality in court and applies them in a more general way.
In James 2:1-7, we're given examples of how people in the first-century congregation were showing favoritism and thus judging unrighteously. They were sucking up to the rich by giving them the best seats in the synagogue while being unloving and disrespectful to the poor by making them sit on the floor. How often do we make similar unrighteous judgments today? How often do we disrespect and exclude people because of their social status, age, race, or personality?
We are not to treat one another unfairly in the congregation. We are neither to put people on a pedestal nor disrespect and exclude people. Again, judging righteously includes being patient, careful, and fair, and thus not showing favoritism. And if someone in our community is in sin, regardless of who they are, we must love them enough to rebuke them so that they might come to repentance.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (James 2:1)
So who are you to judge? Are you patient, careful, and fair? Do you take the time to hear each case? Have you removed the plank from your own eye by walking in honesty, humility, and integrity? Are you willing to extend mercy? Are you impartial towards your brothers and sisters? We all make judgments. Let’s make sure we’re making right judgments.
As Christians around the world are embracing the roots of their faith and returning to what the Bible says about many practical issues, a very relevant question is often asked: Should men shave their beards?
As believers around the world are being drawn back to the roots of their Christian faith and thus embracing the lifestyle and teachings of Yeshua (Jesus) and the apostles, there are often questions about some major parts of the Torah. It’s easy for most people to acknowledge the validity of commandments like the Sabbath and dietary instructions, but what about the priesthood? What about animal sacrifices? Isn’t Yeshua our High Priest? Isn’t He our sacrifice?
Recently I was blessed to participate in an hour-long formal debate on the role of Torah in the lives of Christians. My opponent in the debate was Tony Yu, founder of the popular Facebook page, “Hebrew Roots Heresy.” The debate was hosted and moderated by Josh Tolley of The Josh Tolley Show.
During His famous sermon on the mount, Yeshua (Jesus) made it very clear to His audience what He was doing with regard to the Torah (Law) and Prophets. He told them not to think that He came to abolish them, but to fulfill them. What does that mean?
In Acts 10, God gave Peter a vision of a sheet descending from the heavens. Included in the sheet were some unclean animals. He told Peter, "What God has made clean, do not call common." Was God telling Peter that it’s now okay to eat unclean animals?
If you start reading the Bible from the beginning of Genesis, you can’t even get four words in without being confronted with two profound truth claims. First, there was a beginning. Second, God exists.
The greatest commandment in the Torah/Law of God includes loving the Lord your God with “all your mind” (Matthew 22:36-40). What does that mean?
Rodney Thompson speaks on what it really means to "come out from among them" (2 Corinthians 6:17).
Kelly Neumann gives insights from the book of Job and how to see God's goodness in the midst of suffering.
Jim Lindley speaks on King David's confrontation with the "5 Giants" and how that relates to spiritual warfare.
Paul Tremlin continues his series on the Fruit of the Spirit, this time covering "Goodness."
Mark Jacob teaches on the manifestation of the Gifts of the Spirit in both the Old and New Testament.
David Wilber teaches on the counting of the Omer and how it relates to the Great Commission
Mark Jacob gives an overview of Passover and firstfruits and how it connects to the death and resurrection of Messiah Yeshua
Pastor David Robinson digs up the root of spiritual apathy and unpacks how we can overcome by the Lord's help
Paul Tremlin dives into the Scriptures and science to understand the power of our words.
Pastor David Robinson goes over the plagues sent upon Egypt and how each plague was a direct judgment against the various false gods in Egypt.
Pastor David Wilber speaks on the tithe, what it is according to the Bible, and how it might apply today.
Guest speaker Bill Cloud speaks on rededication and trading our old garments for robes of righteousness.
Pastor David Robinson speaks on the history of Thanksgiving and what it means for Christians today.
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Why on earth does God care about whether or not we rest on the Sabbath or eat unclean animals? Is it that big of a deal? What do these things really have to do with being a Christian?