How To Judge Rightly (Matthew 7:1-6, Judges 24:14-18)
Rev. William L. Barron, December 31, 2023Part of the Morning Worship at North Greenville Church series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
This is a widely misquoted passage and one that is taken completely out of context. This brings up the question, "How do we interpret the meaning of scripture?" We use clear teachings in scripture to interpret less clear passages. In this case, we enter into the realm of church discipline. It is fair to ask, then, "What is the purpose of church discipline?" Scripture is clear that the purpose of judging a person's fruit of the Spirit is to bring a lost or wandering brother back to the fold. The purpose of judging is not to condemn but to bring salvation. It is useful to draw a distinction between morals and ethics. Morals is a product of society, and if morals devolve to the desires of the individual, chaos is the result. Ethics is concerned with what people ought to do under unchanging standards, which only come from God. Ethics bring stability because they don't change, being anchored in God's holiness and immutability. Matthew 7 means that how we judge determines how we will be judged by the holy God. In making judgments, we must ask ourselves three questions: when, how and why. When regards judging based on value. We must appreciate what is holy. How relates to the state of the offender. Here we are reminded of Jesus' exhortation not to cast pearls before swine. There must be a lot of groundwork laid in the mind of the offender before he can comprehend spiritual truth. Why relates to what we said earlier, that the purpose of making a judgment is to restore the offender and to remember that the standard of judgment we use applies to us as well. If we see a speck in someone else's eye, we had better make sure that we do not have a log in our own eye, or we are liable to the same judgment that we make upon others, Jesus says. Judging, holiness, forgiveness are connected together in true love. RC Sproul exhorts us to look at others in the best possible light. If we see repentance in them, we must be quick to forgive and accept them as brothers.
| Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
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| « Born Of The Virgin Mary | None | Review And Renew » |
Matthew 7:1–6 (Listen)
7:1 “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. 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? 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.
6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
(ESV)
Judges 21:14–18 (Listen)
14 And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them. 15 And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?” 17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. 18 Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”
(ESV)