NM 23: Judging

Judge Not
Christ Judges
Brothers not Fools
Who are Fools
Paul Judged Also
Christians to Judge the World

Christ Judges

nm1013» Christ doesn't say he never judges, for as we will see he did/does judge.

• John 8:26: I have much to say about you and much to judge;

• John 5:30: I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

• John 7:24: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment.

• 2Tim 4:1: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead

Here it says that Christ does judge. But his judgment is righteous for one thing he does not seek his own gain (See "God's Wrath" papers to understand righteous judgment.).

Brothers not Fools

nm1014» Don't be angry with your brother or call him a fool:

• Mat 5:22: But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.

nm1015» But Christ called people fools many times:

• Mat 23:17: "You blind fools!" (See v. 19 & Luke 11:40)

nm1016» Christ judged people and called them hypocrites:

• Luke 12:56: "You hypocrites!" (Mat Luke 15:7, 16:3, 22:18, 23:13)

nm1017» Christ even called a few of his apostles, "O fools" (Luke 24:25).

nm1018» What did the scripture say about calling people fools?

• Mat 5:22: But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.

Don't be angry with your brother, don't call him a fool.

nm1019» Now we know from scripture that Christ's "brothers" and "sisters" are those in the Spirit.

• Mat 12:50: For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

• Mat 7:21: Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.

As we see in the New Mind Papers you can do the will of the Father only when you have the Spirit. When Christ called a few of his apostles fools (Luke 24:25) they had not yet received the Spirit. (They received it later at the first Pentecost after Christ's resurrection.) At the time Christ called them fools, they were not yet Christ's Spiritual brothers. Thus, Christ was not wrong when he called them fools, since anyone without the Spirit, in their behavior is a fool.

Who are Fools?

nm1020» Who are fools, who are the foolish?

• Mat 7:26: And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

Those who do not Spiritually hear his words and thus cannot act on them are fools, are foolish, and anything they do is built on sand instead of the Rock.(¶ nm28)

Ten Virgins and who was Foolish

nm1021» In the parable of the ten virgins, which were foolish?

• Mat 25:1: Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them [all ten] became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.'

nm1022» The foolish had no oil in their lamps, that is, they did not have the Spirit, and thus were "fools." The olive oil they used in the Old Testament to anoint their kings typified the new oil of the Spirit (1John 2:20,27). The lamp is God's word, "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light unto my path" (Pss 119:105). The foolish do not have the Spirit to go with the word of God, and thus at Christ's coming the Lord will say to the foolish without the Spiritual oil, "I know you not" (Mat Pss 25:12).

Paul Judged Also

nm1023» Paul judged obvious wrongs, and asked his physical churches to also judge against them:

• 1Cor 5:9: I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons - 10 not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber. Do not even eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging those outside? Is it not those who are inside that you are to judge? 13 God will judge those outside. "Drive out the wicked person from among you."

Christians to Judge the World

nm1024» Paul also said that since Christians are to judge the world, why cannot they judge wrong among themselves instead of going to the outside:

• 1Cor 6:1: When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels-- to say nothing of ordinary matters? 4 If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another, 6 but a believer goes to court against a believer-- and before unbelievers at that?

nm1025» Paul also cautioned others to be careful how they judged each other:

• Rom 14:10: Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

• Rom 14:13: Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

In context Paul was speaking about so-called clean and unclean food. And so he said, "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean" (Rom 14:14). There are some things that appear evil to some, but according to the law of love are not evil.

nm1026» Paul said we are to judge for ourselves what is right. We must be very careful how we do this:

• 1Cor 10:15: I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

• 1Cor 11:13: Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled?

• Col 2:16: Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.

• Jas 5:9: Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!

nm1027 » Some social customs that have no bearing on the law of love may be considered evil in some parts of the world, avoid appearing evil if you can (1Cor 10:23,27-33). Always walk in love (Rom 13:8,10,13-14; Eph 5:2).

nm1028» Accusation against Spiritual elders should not be accepted except with two or three witnesses:

• 1Tim 5:19: Never accept any accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear.

nm1029» When we think we find fault with a brother, we must bring our complaint first to the brother for clarification. We may have seen something that was not there.

nm1030» We must be careful how we judge, especially against a Spiritual brother. Why? Because if we call a real Spiritual brother a fool, it may be proof that we don't have the Spirit, and thus, we may be in danger of being destroyed in the fire to come (Mat 5:22; 1John 3:15; see "Last Judgment" paper [NM 24]). Those with the Spirit will recognize their brothers; those without the Spirit will not.