Spiritual Growth #2A – To Judge Inside the Church

(courtesy Smith, 2013)

In Part or Full?

Christians are to judge those “inside the church” (1 Cor. 5:12 NIV). God judges those outside of it (1 Cor. 5:13 NIV). The reasons for judging inside the church are given in 1 Cor. 5. Basically, when we judge, it is to stop sin from producing offspring among us (James 1:15 NIV).

However, since most Christians go by the popular definition that to “judge” is to criticize or censure, we stopped doing so because we wanted to show the world our Christian love. This decision cost the church her moral credibility before the world; and earned her the distrust of the disillusioned, disappointed, and damaged former church members whom she failed to protect.

Errors like this come from a combination of our “in part” understanding and desire to express philĕō-love. Philĕō-love means we are a friend to (fond of), or have an affection for someone (Greek #5368*). Because our philĕō-love is biased—favorably inclined—then we’ll never “judge” anybody’s actions, will we? Philĕō-love also carries with it an insidious blackmail component. All said, our philĕō-love is like the ebb and flow of the tide.

A “full” understanding is based on agapē-love, which W.E. Vine described as God exercising “the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause”**. Thus, there’s nothing we can do to earn God’s love because agapē can not be influenced. That said, our agapē-love must also originate from the deliberate choice of our will—not our feelings—and be immune to human influences. Above all, agapē-love remains constant under favorable or unfavorable conditions!

Moreover, the onus to rightly judge—to distinguish, decide (mentally or judicially)*—rests upon every member of the body of Christ. Therefore:

1. If you’ve judged truthfully, then speak the truth in love (See: 1 Cor. 13:4-7). If you don’t, then what part of darkness are you when your love doesn’t free your brother or sister in Christ?
2. If you’re lucky enough to be on the receiving end of truth, then respond in love and “think no evil” about the messenger! They probably spent a lot of time in prayer just to get up enough courage to speak with you. 

Things will get difficult, but hang in there; everyone experiences growing pains. Besides, the result is worth it if we grow up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!

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*Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Greek definition); **Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1981); Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved; Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved

Spiritual Growth #2 – Judged by Roosters and Donkeys

Rainy Hilo (courtesy Smith)

In Part or Full?

Most churched Christians are taught not to judge (to criticize or censure*). So, based on that narrow “in part” interpretation, Christians go to extremes and stay away from making any judgments, even moral ones. Come on! Judgment is not a dirty word—unless, of course, we have something to hide. Being the Christian hypocrites that we are, we’re going to insist that others refrain from making judgments about us because we’re trying to protect our “religious masks”, aren’t we?

What ever! We can fool ourselves for as long as we like—and we do it often enough—yet, God isn’t fooled. He patiently gives us enough time to choose to get out of our deceptions. Isn’t that what deception is? Believing that God and no one else “sees” our works of darkness because we haven’t been struck by lightning yet; and so, we keep on playing in our sin?

That’s why, at a time when we feel the most “safe”, everything hidden in darkness comes into the light—and gets judged anyway (Luke 12:2, 3; John 3:19-21 NIV). For example, we haven’t forgotten the Christian televangelists and child molesters who got caught, have we? They deceived their hearts (James 1:26; 1 Cor. 3:18) and allowed deception to continue—believing God would do nothing—until the “world”, who (thankfully!) sees our sins clearer than we can, comes knocking on our door. Thus, the world’s laws will judge us—since the church will not judge her self—and save us from being doomed to live pitiful, incongruous Christian lives!

When we fail to judge ourselves, God uses others to do it for us. How about a rooster’s crowing to convict the apostle of his denial (Matt. 26.34, 35, 69-75 - Peter)? Or, using a donkey’s stubbornness to judge a prophet’s perverse ways (rashness-acting without forethought or due caution; too hasty*) (Num. 22:12, 19-22, 23-32 - Balaam)?

Like it or not, believe it or not, Christians are judged not later, but right now—so long as God continues to speak through roosters and donkeys! LOL.

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*The American Heritage Dictionary, Dell Publishing, New York, N.Y. July, 1989.

Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved