Over the years, as you can imagine, I have been judged appropriately and inappropriately as a follower of Christ, and specifically as I attempted to carry out my responsibilities of being a pastor.
A few preliminary thoughts about judging
The word “judge” is one of the most misunderstood concepts expressed by non-Christians as well as professing Christians.
For clarification, there are three types of judgment.
The first is a condemnatory judgment. This is what Matthew 7:1 reiterates when Christ says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” No person has the right or the knowledge to be able to condemn a person, let alone condemn a person to Hell. That is reserved only for Almighty (El Shaddai) God!
The second is a hypocritical judgment, opinion, or assessment.
Christ clearly defined this type of judgment.
[Matthew 7:3-5 ESV] 3 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? 4 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? 5 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.
Many times we evaluate people not only with misinformation or in a derogatory manner, looking to find out what is not good, but we do it without any positive biblical introspection. And the truth is, it ought not to be that hard to assess ourselves while, or before, we render such a judgmental opinion.
A most enlightening verse is found in John 7:24: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” In other words, we not only are to make the right judgment calls, but Christ also identifies that there is a certain type of judgment—called a righteous judgment. The Greek understanding of the word “righteous” means to be upright, virtuous, but primarily according to God’s laws! To me this is wonderfully profound! The clear implication is that we ought to assess other people, their doctrines, even movements or ideologies, according to the things that are in line with the Bible.
The third is simply to render an opinion. Every person should, and does, render opinions every day of their lives! This is what I call “applied discernment,” and from my perspective it is one of the most unrecognized yet used judgments mentioned in the Scripture. It is foolish to think that we don’t have any right to judge (render an opinion). In fact, Christ expects us to do just that, as you read in Matthew 7:15, where He says, “Watch out for false teachers,” and verse 16, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” Christ expects us to render a biblical opinion about who is teaching Truth or error. He is expecting us to inspect and render an opinion about the type of fruit (both moral behavior and doctrinal instruction) teachers are displaying and teaching.
We’ve done significant damage to modern Christianity by justifying Scriptural errors and ideologically held philosophies contrary to Scripture, all the while accepting the inheritors of such biblical error as professing Christians. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why the Word of God instructs us to be diligent to know, understand, and embrace both the Book of the Covenants (OT) and the Renewed Covenant (NT). Look to 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
The Holy Word in the Corinthian passage below provides additional clarification regarding judging.
[1 Corinthians 4:1-5 NLT] 1 So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. 2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. 5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time–before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.
Below are a few insights I have gleaned and applied from this passage.
The passage in 1 Corinthians 4 is not talking about “condemnatory judgment,” Below are a few of my comments regarding this powerful passage of Scripture. Of course, I welcome your “opinions” 😀 about my comments. I am listing three of my insights from this passage.
1 Cor. 4:3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority.
People will render their opinion no matter what! Some in a derogatory way, perhaps vindictive, perhaps condemnatory, or perhaps simply uninformed and even with a disregard for any righteous attempt on our part to do the right or biblical action. To live with this reality can be difficult, especially when we know that we will never change their mind or get a different assessment. We all need to learn to release these people and their opinions by taking the good from the critique and rejecting the rest. It is usually a process, but clearly doable.
It is rather shocking to me that Paul is saying people’s assessment of us means very little in the grand scheme of God’s economy.
To live for Christ, we need to have a tough exterior and a tender interior.
Pretty sobering to practice this.
1 Cor. 4:1 So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries. 2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.
One of the solutions that helps me keep my spiritual equilibrium is to be ferociously immersed in the Word of God, especially, in recent years, the Torah. I have been Holy Spirit energized to “explain God’s mysteries,” as the above verse indicates. I have done this even more since I have left the pastorate. Kind of funny that I have spent far more time in the Word of God than when I was a pastor-teacher. The reason? Far too many consensus meetings that went on for hours. Pretty ironic, wouldn’t you say?
The Holy Spirit has used His glorious Scripture to motivate me, convince me, and embolden me to be an overcomer, and therefore to come to the conclusion that many times I am on the biblical track in my thinking. At the same time, I see many of my faults and flaws. Seeing my own faults has been used by the Holy Spirit to give me a more balanced perspective about myself and others.
Today, when my motives are wrong, the Holy Spirit convicts me and convinces me through the Word of God, circumstances, and others to make godly efforts to correct the fault with biblical obedience. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep laboring!
[2 Corinthians 11:23 NIV] 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
It is intriguing to me that the Apostle Paul would make such a comparative statement (“I have worked much harder”). I do not think Paul was arrogant; he was simply stating the reality of his own experience, his own work ethic compared to others, and the things that he learned by interfacing with others and what he observed in the efforts of others. We humans are funny people who render misinformed opinions without having to make the effort or the intentional study that others have done to a much greater degree.
I am not boasting, but clearly, most of the time, I have studied, discussed, and observed the Sacred Scripture much more than the people who have criticized me. The biblical Truth is so liberating that it surpasses their misinformed judgments of me. This has not caused an inappropriate arrogance; it has caused a God-given empowerment and confidence.
A huge outlet for me has been the fact that I write biblically based teaching articles replete with Scripture. I have a mild case of dyslexia, and I have always had a challenge with spelling and grammar. The Internet, with the use of Siri, has been a monumental help for me in my writing. In fact, Linda has been surprised that I have become a prolific writer of biblical Truth that I put out on my blog. I realize I have a small audience, but the audience I do have consists of biblically literate cultural change agents! I never saw myself as a writer, but it has become powerfully redemptive for me as well as for the people who read them.
1 Cor. 4:3-4 “…I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.”
Verses 3b and 4 have been extremely healing for me! Even though my conscience might be clear or not clear, I realize that at times I cannot even trust my own judgments about myself. 🤪 I get confused, so I simply state my motive out loud to the Lord and to myself or others, and keep moving down the path that the Lord has allotted for me.
I feel like I’m on God’s highway (the Bible calls this “His Ways,” Deut. 30:16), and at times I bump the guardrails. So many Christians are too careful. They lack aggression, strength, bravery, and tenacity, and can be too sensitive, while living with a myopic view of their faith. In many cases they live this way because it allows them to be secure and safe without taking risks, and they can develop a lethargic spirit. I find that God many times tips me from vessel to vessel to overcome my false sense of security.
[Jeremiah 48:10-11 NASB95] 10 “Cursed be the one who does the LORD’S work negligently, and cursed be the one who restrains his sword from blood. 11 “Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has also been undisturbed, [like wine] on its dregs, and he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile. Therefore, he retains his flavor, and his aroma has not changed.
In Jeremiah 48:10-11, God was going to turn over Moab, like aging wine that is not tipped, so the sediment accumulates on the bottom of the jar, putrefying the whole batch of wine. Moab had become stagnant, indifferent, preoccupied with its security and safety. I’m empowered by the reality that I refuse to be stagnant. I don’t want to smell like old wine. 🙃
I want to give off, as you do, the fragrance of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[2 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV] 16 To the one [we are] the aroma of death [leading] to death, and to the other the aroma of life [leading] to life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?
Like I’ve said over the years,
Living in God’s will is dangerous; living for God makes you dangerous.
We have far too many domesticated, sensitive, nice Christians. Read the above verse closely and notice the two categories of people that smell the aroma of Christ radiating from us.
I met briefly with the new pastor of the church we established. It was a too-brief conversation for me, but it was still good to meet this fine young man.
Every time I told a fellow Christian that I met with him, or that they knew I met with him, they asked me only one question: “Is he nice?” Wow, is that ever revealing. Being nice has very little to do with how a person leads a church. I wish they would have asked me a few of the following questions, like: • Is he brave? • Is his approach to the Scripture based on the literal and historical interpretation of Scripture? • Will he address the false ideologies that have dominated the culture of the NW? Will he address Wokeism, the Marxist ideologies of the Social Justice movement? • Will he allow women pastors, or will he intentionally focus on building strong men, both young and seasoned? • How does he view the Book of the Covenants (OT) compared to the Renewed Covenant (NT)? • Describe how he understands the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. • What part does the Nation of Israel play in the Prophetic Scriptures? In the too-short time I spent with him, I asked two of the above questions.
No such questions came from the believers I talked to. That is an indication of our tenderized version of the evangelical Church.
Really, friends, this should not be so far-fetched to expect from the body of Christ that is immersed in the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer—to ask more penetrating questions, especially about one’s future leader and/or pastor!
[1 Peter 2:5, 9 ESV] 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. … 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
A friend of mine, who is simply a worker in men’s ministry in his local church, asked his potential new pastor many of the questions that I expected to hear from my fellow believers.
Responsible Actions to Take
I urge you to purchase Dennis Prager’s commentary on the book of Exodus or Deuteronomy, or both. He is not a Christian, but his insight as a devout, God-fearing Jew is simply beyond anything I have read on the Torah. I may have already recommended it to you. If so, did you purchase it?
Of course, I steadily study the Henry Morris Study Bible, the MacArthur Study Bible, the ESV Study Bible, and The Life Application Study Bible. All of these are superior!
Additional Actions
Practice saying out loud the three types of judgments: • A condemnatory judgment • A hypocritical judgment • To render an opinion
This is really a big deal, because the misunderstanding is massive in our Christian and non-Christian culture. We must be able to articulate the difference while in line at Costco 😀
Ruminate over the 1 Corinthians 4 passage. Bring out your own thoughts and understanding of these verses.
List ways that you personally need to grow regarding rendering biblical opinions and receiving them.
Can you identify times when the Lord has tipped you out of your complacency? List them and assess your progress after the tipping experience. Share them with someone else.
What questions are you asking your pastor, or the leadership team, or the elders of your church?
Express ways that you are functioning with the biblical concept of the priesthood of the believer.
What praise will the Lord God say to you when you stand before Him at the Bema Seat?
Please take what is profitable from this teaching and reject the rest.
In Christ,
Dale