Theological Debate #3
By: Vanessa Kharbudon
Tags: Bible, Theology, Bible Study, Judgement, Hermeneutics

Theological Debate #3

The Misuse of Matthew 7:1

The 'Judge Not' Scriptures

Matthew 7:1 'Do not judge, or you too will be judged.'

This verse is the one that has been abused, twisted and bent out of shape from its original meaning. This is a classic example of misinterpretation of scripture.

Hermeneutics or Bible interpretation teaches us to *correctly divide the Scripture* (see 2 Timothy 2:15 "...who correctly explains the word of truth".

Which means that we can incorrectly explain the Bible!

Matthew 7 has to be seen in its entirety.

The first five verses is basically Jesus telling us not to be hypocrites. Its a case of we're living in sin ourselves (not denying that we are still striving & struggling with our own issues & the messes we made - yes some of us are crazy!) but are self-righteously pointing out other people's sins without helping them out. Example if you're struggling with a lust for money and tend to cheat on your office supplies (stationery✏️, pantry 🍩, nurse's medicine cabinet⚕️, et al), petrol receipts and taxes (oh this one!) but condemn and berate others especially politicians for embezzlement, tax evasion and money laundering 🙊

Get your own life in order. Pull out your own plank or issue first. You'll have a testimony now, won't you, and be better advised on how to help pull out the plank from your neighbor's eye? You get the drift?

Verse 6 is Jesus telling us that its a waste to share revelation and wisdom with those who don't want to receive it. We are not to go here and there telling everyone we meet what is wrong with them. Please don't! Even if its a situation of sounding an alarm. Do it wisely because not everyone wants to receive correction. Sometimes we learn best from our own messes. Very few can handle criticism - these are brave hearts!

Verses 7-8 Pursuit. Persistence. Consistency. Faithfulness. Don't give up. Don't pray only on Sunday! Pray everyday. Extend forgiveness all the time to everyone, not only to your best friends!

Verses 9-11 Trust in the One to whom you are praying to. Our faith, hope and confidence is in Him. He will not betray you nor deal falsely with you.

Verse 12 think of others, don't be selfish.

Verse 13-14 the right way, or the road of truth is not a four lane national highway. Its açtually a single lane, not very #trending.

Verse 15-23 warning about false teachers & prophets including wolves in sheep's clothing. Judge the fruit. How would we be able to do that correctly unless we examine and analyse the teachings through the lens of God's Word? See Acts 17:11 - the Bereans were commended for judging what they heard. He goes on to warn us essentially that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one. He will tell such ones 'I don't know you'. See also Matthew 25:12. He repeats this in this entire chapter.

Verse 24-27 Here we are given two contrasts: that of a weak house which gets carried away by the changing weather 'trends' because its foundations are weak; and a strongly built house that stands the tests of changing weather patterns because its foundation is constructed on a rock. So we built the house of our life on the rock of Jesus' Word. In doing so, we will not be swept away into the lake of fire when that day dawns on us all. I am speaking of Jesus' return.

Verse 28-29 the chapter ends in praise of Jesus' teaching the truth in authority and power without apologies.

That sums up chapter 7 in a nutshell. So, is the chapter only about "judge not"? That verse doesn't even constitute 80% of the entire chapter. See, how we mistakenly take only one verse because it fits our narrative - we use it as a balm over our sinful lifestyles. We seek to use this verse as justification for what doesn't line up with Scripture because we don't want to repent from what we want and change to what God wants. That's a real misunderstanding and misuse of Scripture if any.

We are to judge correctly by God's standards - not our own.

Now, lets wade further into the waters of judgement.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 5 which details how we are to judge.

In 1 Corinthians 5 - a Christian was living in sin. The leaders of that church called him out on that sin. They don't character assassinate him.

They state the sin he was doing. They beseech him to repent so he will not miss out on the Day of Judgment. They loved him with an eternal love - a love that sees into eternity. Then in verses 12-13 we are told not to judge those outside the church, meaning those who are not Christian, they are not part of the same family nor are they members of the Body of Christ.

Verses 12-13 "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? *Are you not to judge those inside*? *God will judge those outside*. Expel the wicked person from among you".

Three things here:

1) We are to keep a concerning (not gossipy) eye on each other as members of the same family of Christ.

2) Only God will judge unbelievers.

3) We are not to entertain sinful behaviour and those Christians who will not repent within ourselves, amongst us, in our family, in our midst.

This saga continues in 2 Corinthians 2: 1-12 this person has repented of his sin. After a time of punishment we see that in verses 7 - 8,

"The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to *forgive and comfort* him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to *reaffirm your love for him*."

We are taught to call out and not to entertain sin. However the "sinner" here is not gossiped about, cancelled nor character assassinated. After he rejected that sinful behaviour, he was to be forgiven and affirmed. He was not to be rejected but assured that their love for him was never in doubt.

1 Corinthians 6 provides insights on the Christian family judging each other on wrong doings.

Why is the Bible telling us to judge so much, you might ask? (With eyerolls). I wondered that too once upon a time.

Its because humanity is messed up - big time! We have fallen so far from the standards of God. An honest scrutiny of our own lives will reveal how woefully pathetic the state we are in is. Hence God provided us with an instruction manual called the Bible so we read the instructions and make course corrections. If we're driving a car using the GPS or Google maps, don't we course correct?

I ask the readers: Is it right in God's sight to cherry pick Scripture? If yes, then that goes against what the whole of Scripture teaches us. Jesus is the Word made flesh...its entirety..not some parts. If cherry picking is what we want, then its our mistake. The Bible calls it that. We are not judging the personhood of somebody - but judging the fruit (as we are taught to) as a mistake, a biblical inaccuracy. If anyone wants to go on a cherry picking cruise on the Bibleship, even God won't stop them. I certainly can't. However they will still stand before God on 'The Judgement Day'

(Revelation 20, Revelation 21:7-8, Matthew 25:1-13) and miss out on eternal rewards.

It is biblical love to think about a person's eternity. It is not love to desire eternal rewards only for ourselves - that's a contradiction of 'love your neighbour as yourself'. This love of God compels us to go beyond the now into a person's eternity. So yes it is very much within Scriptural norms to call out error, wrong teachings, false doctrine, false prophets and bad theology because it leads us astray. God doesn't want us straying away from Him.

Correcting wrong doctrine that cannot be validated and founded upon scripture is not ‘shaming’. Pointing out error is not the same as attacking someone's character. We do not call a human being disgusting, an abomination, or use cruel names and gossip about them (clique gossip, or thrash talk). That is clearly not what Scripture teaches us. Calling out wrong theology doesn’t mean character assassination. If you're doing that especially in God's name, then please repent. Your tongue needs a Holy Ghost overhaul.

We are exhorted in Scripture to correct bad theology especially so with someone who shares the same faith. Because we are the 'One Body of Christ', same family with One Heavenly Father, we are encouraged to watch each other's backs and to not let anything slip under our radar.The other parts of this same Body have the same right to challenge my theology, and identify false teaching to show me from Scripture where I got it wrong and missed it. We are called to strive for the highest standards - God's own!

People can believe their whims and fancies, but if that belief concerns the Bible, a topic of mutual relevance, then we are called to do what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11.

Moreover, Scripture sounds a clarion call on discerning false doctrine and to be on high alert about behaviour and teachings that dishonour Christ. We should have a problem with any kind of theology that leads people away from Jesus and which dishonours God.

1 Timothy 4:6 "If you point these things" (context is wrong teachings, see verses above this one) "out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed".

Let me ask you this:

So I don't judge 'omnis globus'.I do what you ask of me because of your few out of context selected Bible verses. I let false teaching come into my life, listen to false prophets, heed wrong beliefs till my demise. Now in eternity, I stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), what do I answer? When He asks of me accountability vis-à-vis the corruption of my life brought about by wrong theology which I allowed on my watch? Tell me how do I face Him when He sorrowfully shows me: 'to dishonour my Word is to dishonour Me'.

John 1 - Jesus is the Word Himself in the flesh. He and the Word are One. To dishonour the Word means dishonouring Him. No difference.

Can I blame you on that Day? Can I say because XYZLGBTQ+ said I could?

I am judged by His standards - not yours!

Please see 1 Corinthians 3: 12-15, Psalm 66:10, 1 Peter 1:6-7, James 1:12, 1 Peter 4:12-13, Job 23:10, Matthew 13; 21:28-46; Matthew 25.

There is so much Scripture on this truth - that all will stand before the Ancient of Days.

Its not very loving of you is it in the light of eternity that you're willing for me to lose my eternal rewards? Its not loving of you to be callous about my eternal condition when I stand before God. Your love if any, is so frail and carnally based that it is of no use, no good to me from eternity's perspective.

Jesus said this in Mark 8:36-38 "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (You cannot save your soul).

"If anyone is ashamed of *ME and MY WORDS* in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man (that's Jesus) will be ashamed of them (he's not kidding) when he comes (His return) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

We are not living only for this life. Eternity is real and it is forever. Love and judgement are defined and practised in the light of eternity through the lens of God’s Word by His Holy Spirit in us.

~

Scripture references on end time judgment:

Philippians 3:2,

Acts 17:11,

Matthew 24:4, & chap 5

2 Peter 2:1-3,

1 John 4:1,

2 Corinthians 11:13-15,

2 Timothy 4: 3-4, 4:1,

Colossians 2:8,

2 Thessalonians 2,

Jude 1:4,

1 Timothy 6: 3-5, 20-21,

Romans 16:17-18,

Ephesians 4: 14, 5:11,

Galatians 1:6-9,

Acts 20:29-30.

The book of Revelation obviously!