Every now and then, a fad or trend will sweep through society, usually accompanied by catchy sayings brilliantly phrased for maximum impact. This happens in the church as well as out of the church, with both people in the church and out of the church telling the church what it should do.
All of us who have been around for a few years know the whole "Do not judge" mentality flying around America right now. I googled "Do Not Judge" and an assortment of cool-looking memes popped up, all with really profound-sounding statements about judging people, not judging people, judging people who judge people because they aren't supposed to judge people, and therefore are worthy of judgment, and so on and so forth.
The trendiest saying is, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you do." Have you heard that one?
What if that sounded great, but was completely wrong?
What if the Bible actually told us to judge a certain group of people?
In the church at Corinth, they had some problems. Major problems. Apparently one guy in the church thought it would be okay to have sex with his father's wife, and I guess the church didn't really see a problem with it. I guess they were into that whole "Do Not Judge" stuff. Anyway, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13-
"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you."
Interesting.
God says that the group of people we are to judge are people who call themselves Christians. Why would that group of people be fair game for judgements?
Answer: because people who claim Christ as Lord and Savior have submitted to His will, His way and have voluntarily moved their lives under the authority of Scripture. Therefore, when a Christian is doing something completely contrary to the Word of God, we are to call that behavior "bad." NO! Are you serious? Call someone's behavior "bad?" Isn't that the cardinal sin in America?
Yes, it is, and that's why America is going to hell in a handbasket. God's church has bought into the "do not judge" mantra of this day and age and has allowed immorality and godlessness to run rampant in the church.
Some examples:
1) Christian couples are very likely co-habitiating before marriage; no different than their non-Christian peers. And don't even ask if Christians wait until marriage to have sexual relations. Are we any different than the non-Christian next door? Yet, does anyone "judge" that behavior and call the Christian couple to a higher standard? Not likely.
2) Profanity and swearing, as well as using the Lord's name in vain, are rampant among Christians. Does anyone "judge" that behavior? Not likely.
3) Sunday worship is viewed as an option instead of essential. Does anyone "judge" that behavior and call church members to a higher standard?
4) Basic issues of integrity are lacking in all areas of society- is there anyone who can keep a secret? Not gossip? Deal honestly with finances? All of these need to be "judged" in the church so that Christian people, who have claimed Christ as Lord and Savior, will live to a higher standard.
5) Do Christians visit hospitals, prisons, and truly sacrifice to care for the orphan and the widow? Do they truly care about the poor? Yet, is there anyone calling the average church person to that standard?
As a coach and as a parent, I have learned one true and universal thing: people will rise to the level you expect of them. If you expect a student to get "C's," he will get C's. If you expect a half-hearted effort, you will get a half-hearted effort. If you expect excellence, you will get excellence. This isn't rocket science. It is also true in the church.
The whole "do not judge" thing probably started out with good intentions, but what has happened is that any kind of Godly standard or accountability (and we all need accountability) has been erased from the church under the guise of "not judging." We literally have pastors who are afraid to confront the sin of their church members because the church members will get angry and leave, feeling "judged" as if that were a terrible thing in the church.
Well, pastor, if the only way a person will stay in your church is that he is allowed to continue in his sin, he probably doesn't understand what it means to be part of a church.
Notice also what Paul says in the last part- we should look at believers and unbelievers differently. "What business is it of mine," says Paul, "to judge those outside the church?" The Bible tells us not to judge unbelievers, because they have not voluntarily claimed Christ as Lord and Savior and therefore aren't living by Biblical authority. Leave them alone, Paul says. God will handle them.
We, however, in the church, are called to judge each other. Yes, that's what it says. We are to examine actions and lovingly call people to Biblical accountability. We are also supposed to ACCEPT Biblical accountability. Don't be the kind of person who can dish it out but can't take it.
How many times have we heard someone say, "I left that church- they are so judgmental!" Every time I hear that, I wonder where the problem was- was the church too judgmental, or was the person living a life of sin that got called what it was, and the person didn't want to hear it?
I understand that churches can take this too far. There can be churches that are so concerned with accountability and "rightness" that it lapses into legalism, and the end result of that is a Pharisee. We definitely don't want that. However, I think the pendulum has swung too far to the "do not judge" side that we won't even call evil evil anymore.
When a church will no longer make judgements on good and evil, based on God's word, that church is ripe for destruction. When a Christian will no longer make judgements on good and evil, that Christian is ripe for destruction. We are not called to remain passive and weak on issues of good and evil. Many passive and weak Christians use the "do not judge" as the trump card for having to confront evil, confront sin, and make hard changes in their own lives.
I call for a balance- make judgments on good and evil, and do it lovingly. It is not loving to allow a Christian brother or sister to remain in sin. It is not loving to allow a Christian brother or sister to enjoy the things that sent Jesus to the cross. It is loving to care enough for them, and enough for God, to call evil evil and good good.
Love, therefore, is at the heart of Christian judgement. Love, not anger, or self-righteousness, or anything else, must be the motivation for judgement in the church. If it is not, the church will lapse into legalism. Let your attitude as the one judging and the one being judged be the right one- always seeking to live a holier life, a better life, a life more in step with God and His Word.
All of us who have been around for a few years know the whole "Do not judge" mentality flying around America right now. I googled "Do Not Judge" and an assortment of cool-looking memes popped up, all with really profound-sounding statements about judging people, not judging people, judging people who judge people because they aren't supposed to judge people, and therefore are worthy of judgment, and so on and so forth.
The trendiest saying is, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you do." Have you heard that one?
What if that sounded great, but was completely wrong?
What if the Bible actually told us to judge a certain group of people?
In the church at Corinth, they had some problems. Major problems. Apparently one guy in the church thought it would be okay to have sex with his father's wife, and I guess the church didn't really see a problem with it. I guess they were into that whole "Do Not Judge" stuff. Anyway, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13-
"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you."
Interesting.
God says that the group of people we are to judge are people who call themselves Christians. Why would that group of people be fair game for judgements?
Answer: because people who claim Christ as Lord and Savior have submitted to His will, His way and have voluntarily moved their lives under the authority of Scripture. Therefore, when a Christian is doing something completely contrary to the Word of God, we are to call that behavior "bad." NO! Are you serious? Call someone's behavior "bad?" Isn't that the cardinal sin in America?
Yes, it is, and that's why America is going to hell in a handbasket. God's church has bought into the "do not judge" mantra of this day and age and has allowed immorality and godlessness to run rampant in the church.
Some examples:
1) Christian couples are very likely co-habitiating before marriage; no different than their non-Christian peers. And don't even ask if Christians wait until marriage to have sexual relations. Are we any different than the non-Christian next door? Yet, does anyone "judge" that behavior and call the Christian couple to a higher standard? Not likely.
2) Profanity and swearing, as well as using the Lord's name in vain, are rampant among Christians. Does anyone "judge" that behavior? Not likely.
3) Sunday worship is viewed as an option instead of essential. Does anyone "judge" that behavior and call church members to a higher standard?
4) Basic issues of integrity are lacking in all areas of society- is there anyone who can keep a secret? Not gossip? Deal honestly with finances? All of these need to be "judged" in the church so that Christian people, who have claimed Christ as Lord and Savior, will live to a higher standard.
5) Do Christians visit hospitals, prisons, and truly sacrifice to care for the orphan and the widow? Do they truly care about the poor? Yet, is there anyone calling the average church person to that standard?
As a coach and as a parent, I have learned one true and universal thing: people will rise to the level you expect of them. If you expect a student to get "C's," he will get C's. If you expect a half-hearted effort, you will get a half-hearted effort. If you expect excellence, you will get excellence. This isn't rocket science. It is also true in the church.
The whole "do not judge" thing probably started out with good intentions, but what has happened is that any kind of Godly standard or accountability (and we all need accountability) has been erased from the church under the guise of "not judging." We literally have pastors who are afraid to confront the sin of their church members because the church members will get angry and leave, feeling "judged" as if that were a terrible thing in the church.
Well, pastor, if the only way a person will stay in your church is that he is allowed to continue in his sin, he probably doesn't understand what it means to be part of a church.
Notice also what Paul says in the last part- we should look at believers and unbelievers differently. "What business is it of mine," says Paul, "to judge those outside the church?" The Bible tells us not to judge unbelievers, because they have not voluntarily claimed Christ as Lord and Savior and therefore aren't living by Biblical authority. Leave them alone, Paul says. God will handle them.
We, however, in the church, are called to judge each other. Yes, that's what it says. We are to examine actions and lovingly call people to Biblical accountability. We are also supposed to ACCEPT Biblical accountability. Don't be the kind of person who can dish it out but can't take it.
How many times have we heard someone say, "I left that church- they are so judgmental!" Every time I hear that, I wonder where the problem was- was the church too judgmental, or was the person living a life of sin that got called what it was, and the person didn't want to hear it?
I understand that churches can take this too far. There can be churches that are so concerned with accountability and "rightness" that it lapses into legalism, and the end result of that is a Pharisee. We definitely don't want that. However, I think the pendulum has swung too far to the "do not judge" side that we won't even call evil evil anymore.
When a church will no longer make judgements on good and evil, based on God's word, that church is ripe for destruction. When a Christian will no longer make judgements on good and evil, that Christian is ripe for destruction. We are not called to remain passive and weak on issues of good and evil. Many passive and weak Christians use the "do not judge" as the trump card for having to confront evil, confront sin, and make hard changes in their own lives.
I call for a balance- make judgments on good and evil, and do it lovingly. It is not loving to allow a Christian brother or sister to remain in sin. It is not loving to allow a Christian brother or sister to enjoy the things that sent Jesus to the cross. It is loving to care enough for them, and enough for God, to call evil evil and good good.
Love, therefore, is at the heart of Christian judgement. Love, not anger, or self-righteousness, or anything else, must be the motivation for judgement in the church. If it is not, the church will lapse into legalism. Let your attitude as the one judging and the one being judged be the right one- always seeking to live a holier life, a better life, a life more in step with God and His Word.
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