![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1207\/2019\/05\/Courtroom.jpg\")
Have you ever tried to have a conversation about sin only to have someone say, \u201cHey, Jesus told us not to judge!\u201d For this person, any attempt to classify an act as sinful is a judgment that Jesus expressly prohibited. This is based on Jesus\u2019 words in Matt 7:1<\/a>, \u201cDo not judge, so that you will not be judged.\u201d Is Jesus\u2019 statement really a sweeping prohibition against making judgments? If you answered \u201cno,\u201d you are correct. Instead, Jesus is actually explaining the best practices for making good judgments. In today\u2019s blog, we\u2019ll unpack this entire section of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 7:1-6<\/a>). By doing so, we\u2019ll learn how to be the kind of judges Jesus taught us to be.<\/p>\n In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, it\u2019s plain to see that God\u2019s people were, in fact, supposed to make judgments. In the Old Testament, God gave his people instructions by which they were to live, i.e. Torah. Once they were settled in the Promised Land, members of the local communities were required to make judgments when people didn\u2019t follow these instructions. Torah even included instructions about the penalties the people were to impose on the disobedient.<\/p>\n This is continued in the New Testament. In Matt 18:15-20<\/a>, Jesus provided instructions for how the community of believers should handle the problem of a sinning brother (or sister). Likewise, in 1 Cor 5<\/a>, Paul also provides instructions for the community regarding a brother who is living in sin. Later in NT, Jesus tells the church in Thyatira that their failure to deal with a false prophetess in their midst is something he holds against them (Rev 2:20<\/a>). Thus, it is clear that God wants his people to make judgments and even impose consequences.<\/p>\n It should be noted that these judgments are about participation in the community of believers. For God\u2019s people, there are behaviors that disqualify someone from full participation in the community. God has charged his people with making these judgments and acting upon them. Judging disobedience has two functions. First, it is meant to train people in righteousness. In order for people to grow, we have to help them see the areas in which they need to grow. We can\u2019t do this without judging. Second, it is to protect the body. Those who refuse to live obediently to Christ represent a threat to the health and strength of the body.<\/p>\n By contrast, the one judgment that God\u2019s people don\u2019t make is what we might call final judgment or condemnation. This judgment is God\u2019s alone. When God\u2019s people make a judgment, it is not condemnation. Restoration and reintegration into the community is always a possibility (see 2 Cor 2:5-11<\/a>). By contrast, scripture states that there will be a final judgment that, for the disobedient, will result in condemnation. That judgment is for a later time and Jesus will be the judge (Acts 17:31<\/a>).<\/p>\n God didn\u2019t just instruct us to judge and then leave us to figure it out by ourselves. That would be a recipe for disaster. Through Jesus, God has given us instructions for making righteous judgments.<\/p>\n First, we need to make sure we\u2019re not guilty of the sins we\u2019re calling out in others (Matt 7:1<\/a>). If we declare that someone else is guilty when we are doing the same thing, we are declaring our own guilt. The apostle Paul echoes this in Rom 2:1-3<\/a>. If we don\u2019t want to experience the same judgment, we need to take care of our own business first.<\/p>\n Second, we should use the standard of judgment we would want used with ourselves (Matt 7:2<\/a>). Personally, I want my brothers and sisters in Christ to show me grace and patience. Transformation and growth into maturity take time. I hope that those around me will note my transformation and growth. Even though I haven\u2019t arrived at full maturity, I hope they will see that I am more mature than I was earlier in my Christian life. If this is the judgment I wish to receive, I must practice it with others.<\/p>\n Third, if we want to make righteous judgments, we need to get in some practice. No one would go to a doctor who hadn\u2019t done a period of residency. In the same way, we need to develop our judging ability before putting it into practice. The best way to do this is to first practice on ourselves. This is what Jesus meant when he said to remove the board from your own eye before trying to help someone else get the speck out of his (Matt 7:3-5<\/a>). If we can\u2019t make good judgments on ourselves, how can we help someone else? We\u2019re more likely to do harm than good. Once we\u2019ve demonstrated our competency to make good judgments in our own lives, then we can move on to help others.<\/p>\n This sub-title is a little joke. The Greek word for pearl is margarita<\/em>. The thought of a pig sipping a margarita on a beach makes me smile.<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019 final instruction is \u201cdon\u2019t give what is holy to dogs and don\u2019t throw your pearls before swine,\u201d (Matt 7:6<\/a>). I think this is a fitting addition to the issue of making right judgments. The saying itself is somewhat cryptic. Nor is its connection to judging obvious. However, there are some clues that may help us decipher its meaning.<\/p>\n In the New Testament, the word \u201cdog\u201d is often used for those outside of the community of God\u2019s people. They are people who aren\u2019t obedient to God\u2019s instructions. For example, in Phil 3:2<\/a> Paul writes, \u201cBeware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh.\u201d Similarly, we read in Rev 22:15<\/a>, \u201cOutside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.\u201d Like dogs, pigs also symbolize the disobedient. Since pigs were unclean animals for the Jews, they also represent those outside of the community of God\u2019s people.<\/p>\nThere\u2019s Judging and There\u2019s Judging<\/h2>\n
Judging Rightly<\/h2>\n
Don\u2019t Give Pigs Margaritas<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1207\/2019\/05\/Ron-Pedestal--182x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"