“But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:15-16 verses “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Matthew 7:1.

Did God contradict Himself?  Not hardly.  Has man deceitfully used this scripture out of context?  It seems so.  How are we suppose to examine and reprove without judging?  The difference is the standard in which we judge.  “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24.  We don’t judge according to appearance or motive but we judge according to the Word of God…the justly divided Word of God.

” I (Apostle Paul) wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 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.” 1 Cor. 5:9-13. 

As a Christian, we need to judge everything according to the Word of God otherwise we will be the one following someone into a ditch.  Furthermore,  if we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, when we see them headed for a ditch, they better be tripping over our dead bodies before falling in the ditch.

In Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”, this statement by Jesus refers back to the previous ten verses, Matthew 6:25-34.  We are not to judge poverty or prosperity as Jobs friends did and pronounce trials as judgment and prosperity as blessings.  I realize this may put a wrench in some of the prosperity preacher’s preach but God will allow trials to test and teach His Child.

The only difference in a sinner and a saint is the saint realized they were a sinner and then believed in our Saviour, Jesus Christ for our redemption.  A saint’s sin and a sinner’s sin is still sin.  The Lord has not yet declared judgment on man but He has certainly declared judgment on the sin.  When the Word of God declared a sin as sin, judgment of that sin was rendered and that is eternal death.  That is why Jesus came to save us, from the sin that has already been judged as sin; not by man but by God.  Jesus did not come to save us “in” sin but “from” sin; hence the reason a saint abhors sin, because of the price paid for our redemption by Jesus Christ.

So when the sinner screams we (Christians) can’t judge them, they are correct.  We judge the doctrine of our brothers and sisters according to the Word of God and if they are headed for a ditch, tell them.  However, the sin that the sinner is committing is already judged by God and the sentence is death. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.  By us condoning, sugar coating and compromising with sin by calling it everything but sin we have forsaken God instead of sin.  It is time for Christians to come out of the closet and point to sin and tell the sinner “that is a sin”.  The United States government, nor any other government for that matter, can judge the moral law that God has already declared.

While I’m on my soap box let me also say this to all of the churches who are “standing beside the Biblical view of marriage”….well, you got it half right which means you still failed miserably.  Instead of continuing to sugar coat it, let’s go ahead put the rubber to the road and abhor that which is evil (Romans 12:9); why can’t we stand flat footed and say “we stand beside the Biblical view of marriage and feel the legalization of same sex marriage is an abomination to God.”  That is not condemning or judging anyone, they are already condemned and judged, but that is letting them know what they are doing is a sin. How will a sinner ever realize they are a sinner if no one ever tells them what they are doing is a sin?  I always thought I was a “good” person before I got saved.  I worked hard, played hard and didn’t hurt anyone as far as I was concerned…if only someone would have told me; no what you are doing is a sin instead of patting me on the back and telling me “it’s alright, God still loves you”.  Which brings me to my closing point, God does love the sinner and most sinners have been told that, the problem is they don’t realize they are sinners.  We will all be held accountable.  Did you make the sinner comfortable, did you sugar coat it or did you tell them that’s a sin and God hates sin?  Jesus didn’t only save us from our sin but He saved them from their sin as well.  Shouldn’t we tell them? – Donna Warren