Judgment Between Men

(It’s Sarah here.  I just want to apologize for this post being several weeks late.  Mark had it written and ready for me to post a while back, but I just haven’t had the time to get around to it these past few weeks.  Again, my apologies!)

We understand that true justice, and judgment, comes from God.  We are not given authority to judge between saved and unsaved; to give ultimate judgment of a man’s soul.  However, Man is still able to make judgments on people – commanded to, in fact.  In this he is not commanded to judge between eternal condemnation or redemption, but for smaller matters.

“If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well?  Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."   (John 7:24)

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?  God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."   (1 Corinthians 5: 12-13)

Man does not judge wrongdoings by man to God.  However, authority is given to judge between men – specifically, between believers.  This is an important distinction to make, so let me reiterate it:  A Christian should not be judgmental of non-Christians.  Indeed, what could you accuse them of, other than being a sinner?  So are you, and I, and every person alive.  A non-Christian lives their life by a different philosophy than we do, and do not recognize God as an authority.  Besides, it makes us appear aloof, superior, hypocritical and completely full of ourselves.

Instead, our judgment is to be turned inward toward the Christian community in order to strengthen it, settle disputes, and to remove harmful elements.  Paul’s command to ‘Purge the evil person from among you’ is but one example of this:  it is the responsibility of a church to uphold church discipline, up to and including requiring sinful, unrepentant believers to leave the community of the church.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”  (Matthew 18: 15-17)

Even though believers are redeemed by the blood of Christ, that does not mean that we stop being people – people who occasionally struggle with sin, people who can be wrong about certain things.  And it’s important to note that the result of the church’s judgment is not to “excommunicate” the sinful brother, but instead to just remove him from the body of the church which he already refuses to listen to and accept leadership from. 

In addition, it’s extremely important to consider who among believers should be making the judgment.  Note that in the Matthew passage, while the man and one or two others had come to the individual to talk, it was the church who came with authority and pronounced a sentence at the end.  There is a good reason for this.  Let’s examine a few key verses:

"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”  (Matthew 7:1-5)

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.  We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.  Do you suppose, O man--you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself--that you will escape the judgment of God?  (Romans 2: 1-3)

At first glance, both of these verses appear to be telling people not to make judgments on others.  Because this understanding contradicts the verses which clearly command Christians to pass judgment and to be discerning, we know that this is an incorrect interpretation.  It’s important to note that in both passages, the speaker was addressing people who were hypocrites – people who were making judgment on others while being guilty of the same sin.  Second, both scriptures serve as warnings­ – that people who judge will be held to the same measure of judgments that they give.

In a court of law, we select judges who believe in and uphold the law.  Imagine if you were being tried and condemned for having held up a convenience store by a judge who had just earlier robbed a bank.  A man who is guilty of a crime is not suitable for giving a fair judgment of another – not only does he have a skewed perspective, he also incriminates himself.

But then, really, who on earth would be qualified to make judgments?  Aren’t we all sinners?  Such a judge who could make a sound judgment would practically have to be above reproach.

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.  Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.  (1 Timothy 3:2-7)

The qualifications of a pastor or elder is exactly in line with the requirements for one person to be able to judge another:  they are righteous, good people, self-controlled, good with managing people as well as his household.  In addition, he is a good teacher, gentle, and better at solving arguments than starting them.  A person like this can make the hard, necessary decisions and judgments that a church needs, while not being condemned as a sinful man himself.

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?  Or 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?  Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!  So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?  (1 Corinthians 6: 1-4)

The Bible is clear:  the Church itself is more than just a Sunday gathering of like-minded friends; more than just a community group who believes the same thing.  The Church is responsible for governing its own, for leading and teaching its own, settling disputes and righting wrongs, and removing harmful influences and false teachers from itself.  That is the extent to which we have been given the right to judge.

For His glory,

Mark