First Take the Log Out

[Christsfreeservant]

“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 ESV)​

Now a lot of people read verse one, stop there, and decide that all judging is wrong. But not all judging is wrong. In fact, 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says:

“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.’”​

So all judging is not wrong. We are to judge unrepentant blatant sexual immorality within the church. We are to judge those inside the church according to the Scriptures, and with regard to sin and to lies and to false teachings and to false teachers and hypocrisy, etc. All throughout the New Testament we are taught to make judgements about all sorts of things and people and doctrines and forms of religion, etc. And we are given many instructions in what we are to do with regard to those situations, too.

And in the last devotion titled, “Restore in a Spirit of Gentleness,” we are encouraged to make a judgment about someone who is caught in a sin and in order to restore that person back to proper working condition, spiritually speaking (Galatians 6:1-5). And in another passage we are encouraged that, if anyone among us (the church) wanders from the faith and someone brings him back (into proper relationship with the Lord), whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death (James 5:19-20).

And then we read in John 7:24: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” And we read this in Jude 1:22-23: “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” And in order to have mercy and to save people and to snatch them out of the fire it involves us making judgments with regard to their spiritual condition. Otherwise, what are we saving and snatching them from?

And then we read this in Romans 2:3: “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?” And we read this in 2 Corinthians 10:12: “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” So, what issues are being dealt with here?

What I see here is that the Bible teaches us not to judge falsely, to not judge hypocritically, and to not judge others by ourselves, presuming that they are like us and therefore their motivations for doing what they do are the same as ours. And we are not to judge by appearances, for we may have the wrong impression by appearances alone, either in favor of a person or in disfavor of them. So we are to be fair in all our judgments. And we should not judge people without even hearing their side of the story.

Also we should not judge others by human standards and by cultural or religious or family traditions and practices, i.e. we should not judge them by what we do and by what we have been taught to do or not to do if it is something of the flesh and of culture and religion that is man-made religion. We should also not judge by hate and prejudice nor by upbringing. But all judging must be biblical, and it needs to be done in love, always with the goal to love other humans as Jesus loved us and died to set us free from sin.

Galatians 6:1-5; James 5:19-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Matthew 7:1-5; John 7:24,51; John 8:15-16; Romans 2:3; 2 Corinthians 10:12; Jude 1:22-23

So, it isn’t that we are not to make judgments at all, but that we are to make just and kind and loving and honest judgments for the good of other people. And so we have this example in today’s passage which scolds the person who makes judgments against someone who has a minor fault, and perhaps only one offense ever, but while he (or she) has a humongous offense against God going on within his own heart, mind, and actions, which is deliberate and habitual and premeditated and harmful to others.

So this, in particular, is addressing the issue of hypocritical judging, which was also addressed in Romans 2:1-5. So, all judging is not wrong. What is wrong is hypocritical, false, unfair, unjust, prejudicial, hateful, spiteful, and lying judgments which are based on the flesh of humans and on their own thinking and reasoning and practices and culture and traditions, and on their own character and way of doing things, and not on the word of God, and not out of a heart of love and genuine heartfelt concern for them.

So, when you must judge, make certain that your judgment is fair, honest, loving, kind, merciful, compassionate, helpful, and biblically founded, even if you must exercise tough love and speak the truth in love to others who may not want to hear it or accept it. And judge rightly, not from the flesh. First take the log out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s (or sister’s) eye, i.e. first make certain you are not engaged in sinful behaviors before you try to correct others’ mistakes.

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

[Riot42]

Have you ever been without a log in your eye (sin)? I sure haven't.. How can I righteously judge someone if I am not righteous?

Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one.

1 John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

James 4:12 “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

Instead of judging someone I pray to the holy spirit for him to convict both myself and the person I am considering convicting of sin. Do you think you can convict someone better than the holy spirit? I know I sure cant...

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

Have you ever been without a log in your eye (sin)? I sure haven't.. How can I righteously judge someone if I am not righteous?

Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one.

1 John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

James 4:12 “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

Instead of judging someone I pray to the holy spirit for him to convict both myself and the person I am considering convicting of sin. Do you think you can convict someone better than the holy spirit? I know I sure cant...

It's more along the lines of the same sin. Romans 2:1-3
"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"

Then in verse 21 & 22 Paul writes this: "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?"

So if I was committing fornication, should I be telling anyone else they shouldn't be having sex outside of marriage? I mean, I can, but whose going to listen? I'd be a hypocrite! If I'm a drunkard, should I preach against alcohol and judge other drunkards? (I did but I shoulda been crying out to God and crucifying my own flesh - thank Yahweh the LORD for His mercy and forgiveness!)

Anyways, I think the OP is spot on. Heard a preacher back in 2018 do a message on Matthew 7:1. The title was "The Devils favorite Scripture"

 

[Riot42]

It's more along the lines of the same sin. Romans 2:1-3
"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"

Then in verse 21 & 22 Paul writes this: "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?"

So if I was committing fornication, should I be telling anyone else they shouldn't be having sex outside of marriage? I mean, I can, but whose going to listen? I'd be a hypocrite! If I'm a drunkard, should I preach against alcohol and judge other drunkards? (I did but I shoulda been crying out to God and crucifying my own flesh - thank Yahweh the LORD for His mercy and forgiveness!)

Anyways, I think the OP is spot on. Heard a preacher back in 2018 do a message on Matthew 7:1. The title was "The Devils favorite Scripture"

Well through my life I have committed just about every sin except murder, so instead of convicting someone of a sin I have committed in my lifetime I will pray for them, you do you brother.

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

Well through my life I have committed just about every sin except murder, so instead of convicting someone of a sin I have committed in my lifetime I will pray for them, you do you brother.

He's talking about present sin. Not sin before you were saved, or sin you committed while backslidden. As long as it's been repented of and you are free of it now, then with discernment and wisdom you can take on such matters as is described in the OP.
Oh, and I did not put down my wine and the very next day start judging people for drinking. People need to see fruits grow on the branches and we are Christs branches. After awhile you get your testimony back by walking the walk.
That's why when a leader in the church sins and falls, they usually have to step down or be excommunicated, and that can be for 6 months, or a year. For pastors, they usually get put out of the pastorate.
As for murder, there are other ways to commit murder without directly killing a person. Jesus talked about it, and John talks about hating your brother being murder.

I read D.L. Moodys "Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments" last year and it slammed me hard! I can say honestly I broke every single commandment...

"OTHER KINDS OF MURDER.
But I want to speak of other classes of murderers that are very numerous in this country, although they are not classified as murderers. The man who is the cause of the death of another through criminal carelessness is guilty. The man who sells diseased meat; the saloon-keeper whose drink has maddened the brain of a criminal; those who adulterate food; the employer who jeopardizes the lives of employees and others by unsafe surroundings and conditions in harmful occupations,—they are all guilty of blood where life is lost as a consequence.
When I was in England in 1892, I met a gentleman who claimed that they were ahead of us in the respect they had for the law. “We hang our murderers,” he said, “but there isn’t one out of twenty in your country that is hung.” I said, “You are greatly mistaken, for they walk about these two countries unhung.” “What do you mean?” “I will tell you what I mean,” I said; “the man that comes into my house and runs a dagger into my heart for my money, is a prince compared with a son that takes five years to kill me and the wife of my bosom. A young man who comes home night after night drunk, and when his mother remonstrates, curses her grey hairs and kills her by inches, is the blackest kind of a murderer.”
That kind of thing is going on constantly all around us. One young man at college, an only son, whose mother wrote to him remonstrating against his gambling and drinking habits, took the letters out of the post-office, and when he found that they were from her, he tore them up without reading them. She said,
“I thought I would die when I found I had lost my hold on that son.”
If a boy kills his mother by his conduct, you can’t call it anything else than murder, and he is as truly guilty of breaking this sixth commandment as if he drove a dagger to her heart. If all young men in this country who are killing their parents and their wives by inches, should be hung this next week, there would be a great many funerals.
How are you treating your parents? Come, are you killing them? This sixth commandment follows very naturally after the fifth,—“Honor thy father and thy mother.” Don’t put any thorns in their pillows and make their last days miserable. Bear in mind that the commandment refers not only to shooting a man down in cold blood; but he is the worst murderer who goes on, month after month, year after year, until he has crowded the life out of a sainted mother and put a godly father under the sod.
THE WORDS OF CHRIST.
"Let us look once again at the Sermon on the Mount, that men think so much of, and see what Christ had to say: “Ye have heard that it has been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, (an expression of contempt), shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, (an expression of condemnation), shall be in danger of hell fire.” “Three degrees of murderous guilt,” as has been said, “all of which can be manifested without a blow being struck; secret anger—the spiteful jeer—the open, unrestrained outburst of violent abusive speech.”
Again, what does John say? “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
Did you ever in your heart wish a man dead? That was murder. Did you ever get so angry that you wished any one harm? Then you are guilty. I may be addressing some one who is cultivating an unforgiving spirit. That is the spirit of the murderer, and needs to be rooted out of your heart.
We can only read man’s acts—what they have done. God looks down into the heart. That is the birthplace and home of the evil desires and intentions that lead to the transgression of all God’s laws.
Listen once more to the words of Jesus: "From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts—adulteries—fornications—murders—thefts—covetousness—wickedness—deceit—lasciviousness—an evil eye—blasphemy—pride—foolishness. . . .”
May God purge our hearts of these evil things, if we are harboring them! Ah, if many of us were weighed now, we should find Belshazzar’s doom written against us—“Tekel—wanting!”

 

[Riot42]

He's talking about present sin. Not sin before you were saved, or sin you committed while backslidden. As long as it's been repented of and you are free of it now, then with discernment and wisdom you can take on such matters as is described in the OP.
Oh, and I did not put down my wine and the very next day start judging people for drinking. People need to see fruits grow on the branches and we are Christs branches. After awhile you get your testimony back by walking the walk.
That's why when a leader in the church sins and falls, they usually have to step down or be excommunicated, and that can be for 6 months, or a year. For pastors, they usually get put out of the pastorate.
As for murder, there are other ways to commit murder without directly killing a person. Jesus talked about it, and John talks about hating your brother being murder.

I read D.L. Moodys "Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments" last year and it slammed me hard! I can say honestly I broke every single commandment...

"OTHER KINDS OF MURDER.
But I want to speak of other classes of murderers that are very numerous in this country, although they are not classified as murderers. The man who is the cause of the death of another through criminal carelessness is guilty. The man who sells diseased meat; the saloon-keeper whose drink has maddened the brain of a criminal; those who adulterate food; the employer who jeopardizes the lives of employees and others by unsafe surroundings and conditions in harmful occupations,—they are all guilty of blood where life is lost as a consequence.
When I was in England in 1892, I met a gentleman who claimed that they were ahead of us in the respect they had for the law. “We hang our murderers,” he said, “but there isn’t one out of twenty in your country that is hung.” I said, “You are greatly mistaken, for they walk about these two countries unhung.” “What do you mean?” “I will tell you what I mean,” I said; “the man that comes into my house and runs a dagger into my heart for my money, is a prince compared with a son that takes five years to kill me and the wife of my bosom. A young man who comes home night after night drunk, and when his mother remonstrates, curses her grey hairs and kills her by inches, is the blackest kind of a murderer.”
That kind of thing is going on constantly all around us. One young man at college, an only son, whose mother wrote to him remonstrating against his gambling and drinking habits, took the letters out of the post-office, and when he found that they were from her, he tore them up without reading them. She said,
“I thought I would die when I found I had lost my hold on that son.”
If a boy kills his mother by his conduct, you can’t call it anything else than murder, and he is as truly guilty of breaking this sixth commandment as if he drove a dagger to her heart. If all young men in this country who are killing their parents and their wives by inches, should be hung this next week, there would be a great many funerals.
How are you treating your parents? Come, are you killing them? This sixth commandment follows very naturally after the fifth,—“Honor thy father and thy mother.” Don’t put any thorns in their pillows and make their last days miserable. Bear in mind that the commandment refers not only to shooting a man down in cold blood; but he is the worst murderer who goes on, month after month, year after year, until he has crowded the life out of a sainted mother and put a godly father under the sod.
THE WORDS OF CHRIST.
"Let us look once again at the Sermon on the Mount, that men think so much of, and see what Christ had to say: “Ye have heard that it has been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, (an expression of contempt), shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, (an expression of condemnation), shall be in danger of hell fire.” “Three degrees of murderous guilt,” as has been said, “all of which can be manifested without a blow being struck; secret anger—the spiteful jeer—the open, unrestrained outburst of violent abusive speech.”
Again, what does John say? “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
Did you ever in your heart wish a man dead? That was murder. Did you ever get so angry that you wished any one harm? Then you are guilty. I may be addressing some one who is cultivating an unforgiving spirit. That is the spirit of the murderer, and needs to be rooted out of your heart.
We can only read man’s acts—what they have done. God looks down into the heart. That is the birthplace and home of the evil desires and intentions that lead to the transgression of all God’s laws.
Listen once more to the words of Jesus: "From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts—adulteries—fornications—murders—thefts—covetousness—wickedness—deceit—lasciviousness—an evil eye—blasphemy—pride—foolishness. . . .”
May God purge our hearts of these evil things, if we are harboring them! Ah, if many of us were weighed now, we should find Belshazzar’s doom written against us—“Tekel—wanting!”

Like I said you do you. As for me my walk with the holy spirit has led me to the conviction that instead of judging people I should pray for them because my prayers are more powerful than any judgement I could possibly pass upon someone.

I dont read peoples books for discernment on matters of my faith, I read the bible. Again, you do you.

 

[Kokavkrystallos]

Like I said you do you. As for me my walk with the holy spirit has led me to the conviction that instead of judging people I should pray for them because my prayers are more powerful than any judgement I could possibly pass upon someone.

I dont read peoples books for discernment on matters of my faith, I read the bible. Again, you do you.

The Bible IS the final authority, and that is ultimately what we should go to for matters of faith. I do read some of the old preachers who preached the Word. I ask for discernment, and can spot false teaching, which sadly is in too many contemporary Christian books. I start my day with reading in the Bible before I even get out of bed, about 5 AM. During the day I often use the online resource of biblegateway.com KJV, which is so valuable for composing messages.

I don't think no one was saying you have to judge. And it's better to pray, as God hears prays and He knows ultimately how to respond. There's also a difference between judging in regard to an individual, and judging a group: whether a church, a city, or a nation: that's a general judgment, whereas individual judgment is far more delicate because first you have to be free of whatever sin you're confronting: second, you have to know whether to go with compassion, or with fear (Jude 22-23), and do all in a spirit of meekness.

Honestly, when it comes to individuals, I much prefer like you, to pray, and that's scriptural according to 1 John 5:15-16,
"And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it."