Although it's a long post and although I don't agree with him a whole lot, John W got my pick today for showing the difference between Christ's judgment and the judgment that Christians are supposed to make (And, he even said it in small enough words that most, if not all, people can understand it.):
" pit the words of Paul against the words of Christ, "-Christ's Made Up Word
What a mess. Paul's word are the Lord Jesus Christ's words in this dispensation. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke the Father's words, not His own. You'd know that, had you studied and surveyed the book, instead of emotional talk shows. Poor you.
All of us Christians are strange in some sense. But with reference to this subject of judgment, many think Christianity is something that is so "sweet", that there is no room for bad language/judgment(and I am not referring to curse words/profanity/ dirty jokes). They subcribe to the unsciptural notion that words can be "unChristian". They think what you say declares your spirituality to another, and if you say, words which they "opinionate" you should not say, you are not being "Christ-like". However, when one examines the Holy Bible, and searches the speech of the messengers of God, we find that the "sweet spirit of Christ" is sometimes manifested and displayed in bitter, and yes, judgmental terms(Luke 24:25 KJV -and see my previous scriptural citations).
Would we consider the Lord Jesus Christ "judgmental", "unloving", or "harsh" when He booted out the moneychangers in Mt. 21:12-13 KJV? He harshly and routinely chastised unbelief, hypocrites, false doctrine, and yes, sin. John 7:24 KJV charges us to make righteous judgment. Mt. 7:1 KJV, in the context of the entire passage(verses 2-5) is instructing us that if you do not want to be judged or crtiticized, do not judge or criticize others, otherwise others will judge or criticize you by the same standards you use in judging them. The same measure you give will be the same measure you get, i.e., before finding fault with others, assure yourself you don't have the same or even greater fault within yourself. Thus, this is referring to hypocritical judgment. If we were to read the entire chapter, including verse 15, we would understand that we can only know "false prophets" if we judge them by the word of God. Throughout the Holy Bible, we are commanded to make righteous judgment, according to the word of God, and this includes identifying, naming, and exposing sin, and also those who partake in such. Indeed, John 7:24's intent is that if judgment is made on any other basis than the word of God, it is in violation of Mt. 7:1 KJV, and that believers must discern or judge on the basis of God's inspired law as contained in the Holy Bible.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul, said it is spiritual for believers to judge all things:
"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." 1 Cor. 2:15 KJV
Examples of scriptural judging? As pertaining to brother/sisters in Christ, we are to judge each other, including the company we keep. The judgment of the unsaved is the LORD God's responsibility("...them also that are without....")-per Romans 1, it is not necessary:
"But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."
Thus, we see in 1 Cor. 5:1-13 that Paul "judged"(verse 3) the man guilty of fornication, even though he was not present, and he directed the church at Corinth(the most "carnal" group of believers!) that they were to "judge"(verse 12) "...them that are within..."-believers. Paul did not violate Mt. 7-he was faithful to the biblical principal of righteous judgment, and this judgment was based on the word of God.
Those who are commanded, and who are able, to discern between good and evil, between "...darkness and light..."(Is. 5:20 KJV), have at least one of the signs of true spiritual maturity, or "...full age...":
"...are of full age...have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil". Hebrews 5:14 KJV
Those who are unwilling, or not capable, of discerning between darkness and light, are in this manner either displaying their disobedience, their ignorance(biblically, ignorant does not mean 'stupid', but 'lack of knowledge'), or their immaturity.
The Holy Bible charges/admonishes us to expose false doctrine, sin, and those who promote such:
Try them: 1 Jn. 4:1 KJV
Mark them and avoid them: Roman 16:17 KJV
Rebuke them: Titus 1:9, 13 KJV
Have no fellowship with them and reprove them: Eph. 5:11 KJV
Withdraw from them: 2 Thes. 3:6, 14,15 KJV; 1 Tim. 6:3-5 KJV
Turn away from them" 2 Tim. 3:5-7 , 4:2 KJV
Do not receive them: 2 John 9-11 KJV
Reject them: Titus 3:10 KJV
Separate ourselves from them(the meaning of sanctification is separation for God's use): 2 Cor. 6:17 KJV
Paul placed under a curse anyone who would "...pervert the gospel of Christ...."(Galatians 1:6-9 KJV). Perhaps Paul was too "judgmental"?!
How about this for a "no spin" answer as to why we are to judge false doctrine as sin: Because the LORD God says it is His word. Not too complicated, is it?
How about speaking the truth as David did regarding sin?:
"...I have sinned against the LORD...." 2 Samuel 12:13 KJV
"... I have sinned against thee." Psalms 41:4 KJV
"Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight...." Psalms 51:4 KJV
Telling people the truth as revealed in the Holy Bible is love, and this should be our motivation, regardless of the cost, whether that cost take the form of loss of friendships(and this includes friendships with fellow believers-Amos 3:3), or enduring being labeled as "intolerant', "judgmental",and the like. Granted, this must be done by "...speaking the truth in love...(Eph. 4:15 KJV), and in meekness:
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness(emphasis mine); considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Galatians 6:1 KJV
However, if you love someone, you tell them the truth as scripture reveals it, whether they want to hear it or not. Truth must not be sacrificed(compromised) at the altar of today's so-called enlightened, non-judgmental, "tolerant" culture. The apostle Paul perhaps best summed it up when he asked the poignant question:
"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" Galatians 4:16 KJV
How right Isaiah was when he lamented: "...my people doth not consider"(Isaiah 1:3), and the shout of pharoah resounds:
"...Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice....?"(Exodus 5:2). KJV
We are predominantly Christians on this site. And with this identity we are admonished not to make the error of confusing tolerance for people, who they are, from tolerating ideas. The biblical definition of tolerance makes a distinction between people and their religious beliefs. This means that people should have the legal freedom to practice the "religion" of their choice, and that we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, should lovingly respect and love them, even if we conclude, from the divine perspective, the Holy Bible, that their beliefs are false. But this does not imply that we should tolerate their ideas if it is an affront to the truth of the word of God, including the sin issue. We must not, and cannot, confuse the issue of tolerance for people in matters of cultural ("diversity" in dress, food, music, language.....), with matters of truth(religious belief and morality). We must not confuse preference("I prefer vanilla ice creme"), with principal("Some mushrooms are not good and will kill you"=sin).
This is all consistent with the popular mind set of this world, which many/most(?) have either consciously or unconsciously accepted- the "philosophical relativism", new definition of "diversity"/"tolerance" that dominates "...this present evil world....Galatians 1:4 KJV), i.e., "There is no such thing as absolute truth, specifically in regards to what is right or wrong(sin); that we must accept everyone's standard; different people can define truth in conflicting ways and still be correct. We must not say 'Some mushrooms will kill-that is intolerant." By this warm, fuzzy, "Can't we all get along"(Rodney King) buzzword of "tolerance,(and forget about the sin issue), most are promoting the notion that all ideas, including behavior, is acceptable, which is an affront to a Holy LORD God, and an affront and contradiction to everything the Holy Bible instructs about sin from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 KJV. Today's "tolerance" is the virtue of those who have no standards, or manipulate a standard to satisfy their "lusts of the flesh". This mirrors what President Bill Clinton said, when speaking to a secular group on a sexual issue: "We must broaden our imagination"(Judges 21:45). And never mind that the Holy Bible testifies that "the imagination of man's heart is evil", and warns repeatedly against broadening the "narrow way"(Matthew 7:14 KJV). No, truth can never be allowed to be broadened. The authority of narrow truth is the Holy Bible, and not ourselves and our "opinion", our own thinking, "...the wisdom of the world...", since our minds are deceitful, and our wisdom is "...foolishness with God...."(1 Cor. 3:19 KJV).
We are to be tolerant where the LORD God is tolerant, and not be tolerant where the LORD God is not tolerant. "Tolerance", from the divine viewpoint, does not replace love, righteousness, forgiveness, justification ,or redemption. The word of God is clear that His will is that sin be exposed, acknowledged, repented of(repent means "to change one's mind"), forgiven, or judged-but not for the sake of peace and unity, i.e., "diversity". The tolerance most embrace is not the tolerance described in the Holy Bible, and is certainly not a basis of "the gospel of Christ".
The cross of our great Saviour, the only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ means many different things to many different people, to many different "so-called" Christian groups("Substitutionary Atonement", "Moral Influence", "Ransom"....), but what it is not, if the Holy Bible is to be believed, is a lesson in tolerance. If our "...holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty....(Revelation 4:8) were tolerant of sin, He would never have allowed his only begotten Son to have suffered such a humiliating and horrendous death by blood on our behalf, in our place, for fallen,degraded, guilty, filthy, rag-covered, lost, wretched, and rotten sinners such as you and me once were. Not only is the cross of Christ the public demonstration of divine love, and the end of religion, the final posting of the "closed" sign on the "sweatshop" of the human races' never ending struggle to think well of itself(pride). it is also a vivid, public demonstration of a Holy LORD God's absolute, uncompromising INTOLERANCE FOR SIN.
And we are commanded to judge false doctrine very time.
You have the floor, Sparky.
