“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matthew 7:1-2
“Judge not, that you be not judged.” does not mean relaying what the Word of God has declared sin is judging another. We cannot judge sin. Sin has been judged and the penalty is death. Either we repent of our sin and accept the atoning work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross as our Sin Offering unto God, which is God’s ONLY plan of Salvation, or we don’t. If we don’t, we will die the second death and be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:14-15).
To be clear, accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior requires the lost realizing they are a sinner in need of a Savior. Once the gates of hell close on the lost sinner after death, they are closed for all of eternity. This is the danger of the Roman Catholic’s doctrine of “purgatory”. No where in Scripture is purgatory or any concept of purgatory mentioned. Salvation is this side of death.
“25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:25-34
“Judge not, that you be not judged.” harkens back to the previous verses just prior to Matthew 7:1 and refers to Believers judging others according to their circumstances. This is why it is so important for the Believer to study the Word of God for themselves; the rightly divided, full counsel Word of God…not just a verse taken out of context to fit one’s agenda. Job’s friends judged his circumstances and believed them to be caused by secret sin. Therefore, the Lord told the disciples to judge not other’s righteousness according to their circumstances. Again, for clarity, if we read the prior verses (Matthew 6:25-34), we will understand the context.
For the Child of God, our circumstances are temporal. We lay up our treasures in Heaven and take no thought for tomorrow…sufficient unto the day is tomorrow’s evil but God’s Grace is sufficient unto thee (2 Corinthians 12:9). (It is worthwhile to note that evil is sufficient unto the “day” but God’s Grace is sufficient unto “thee”.)
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24
As a Child of God, we do not judge according to appearance but we do judge. We judge righteous judgment according to the rightly divided Word of God between good and evil. If not, we will be tossed to and fro and carried away by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14).
When a Believer repeats what the Word of God says is sin, they (we) are not judging sin. If one has a problem with what the Bible says is sin…well, that’s between them and God.
“16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Study to show yourself approved; a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
-Donna Clark Warren
Living in The Spirit 