Do not judge lest you be judged goes too far

[Introverted1293]

I don't judge people, but I sure judge what they do and say. I got in trouble with this in my old southern Gospel band. I'd hear really whacked preaching from "lay preachers" that really had nothing to say and missed, terribly, the meaning of the short scripture they used to come up with a half hour of ranting and yelling.

When I commented on this, I was told not to judge. Poppycock I said. I'm not judging the man. I'm judging his words. If a guy tells me it's ok to spend money on prostitutes, I'm going to judge what he said to me.

On a side note, we DID have a very judgemental member (is it judgemental for me to mention this?) who would say, to the congregationfrom the mic, that on Sunday morning he saw a farmer driving his tractor, pulling a load of hay or other crop. He'd then say, "Why is that man not in church?!"

Finally, one week, I'd had it, and I said, in my mic, to the whole congregation, "maybe he is Seventh Day Adventist.".

Who knows why he was driving his tractor? Maybe he's not Christian, maybe he IS seventh day adventist. Maybe he goes to Saturday night or Sunday night service. But I can't judge a man's heart.

Also, the bible tells us to judge many things people say and do. We are not to be idiots.

Thank you

I Now understand the difference between judging the action and judging the person.

 

[Hillsage]

That's actually informative. And yeah, I did misunderstood what you were saying. I guess I just don't understand what the soul is. Well, I didn't understand until you kind of gave me the definition. I always thought the soul had to do with the spirit of a person. You know how when your physical body dies but your spirit doesn't die. I kind of thought that's what the soul was.

Your understanding is not alone, in the body of Christ. But it comes from a 'dichotomist' view of man, and not a 'tricotomist' view such as I believe in.

1TH 5:23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

IOW God is a trinity and we are a trinity. That should clear up this age old argument and make my side's position 'as clear as mud' to anyone.

But I don't always understand what I am talking about. I sometimes think I know what I'm talking about but it turns out that I didn't know a thing that I was talking about.

I appreciate your honest and humble comment.

 

[Almost there]

Your understanding is not alone, in the body of Christ. But it comes from a 'dichotomist' view of man, and not a 'tricotomist' view such as I believe in.

1TH 5:23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

IOW God is a trinity and we are a trinity. That should clear up this age old argument and make my side's position 'as clear as mud' to anyone.

I appreciate your honest and humble comment.

However, you must be born again to have a spirit. That is what is brought into existence when you are "born again". Those that are not born again do not have an eternal spirit.

 

[Hillsage]

I don't judge people, but I sure judge what they do and say.

Finally, one week, I'd had it, and I said, in my mic, to the whole congregation, "maybe he is Seventh Day Adventist.".

Who knows why he was driving his tractor? Maybe he's not Christian, maybe he IS seventh day adventist. Maybe he goes to Saturday night or Sunday night service. But I can't judge a man's heart.

Reminds me of the 'childlike' understanding of my granddaughter when she was very little. As they were driving down the street one day, her mon/dad were laughing at a woman who was walking her cat on a leash. From the backseat of the car came her little voice; "That's not funny....maybe she's blind."

Also, the bible tells us to judge many things people say and do. We are not to be idiots.

 

[Hillsage]

However, you must be born again to have a spirit. That is what is brought into existence when you are "born again". Those that are not born again do not have an eternal spirit.

We were bound to hit a 'disagreement bump' in the religious road. From my POV if your 'body' doesn't have a spirit, it is a dead body ready for burial.

JAM 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

I'm of the persuasion that you cannot kill a spirit, only a body and soul. That's why spirit is still alive even after the body and soul have died. My POV in the following verse.

1PE 3:19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison,
20 who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah,

Being born AGAIN in spirit was not available to man, back then, and yet these 'disobedient spirits' were still preached to by Jesus. Unless you believe these spirits were demons??? I'm pretty sure most agree they were human though. Demons can't do anything but follow the nature of their Father to 'rob, kill and destroy'. And, for what it's worth, orthodoxy believes 'the will of 1/3 of the fallen angels was frozen, just like the will of the 2/3 left was frozen. To obey Satan and God.

 

[joshua 1 9]

You are right about that Joshua. I know I need to work on my forgiveness and you are right about God being the ultimate God of Justice. I just need to remember that.

I had a situation once where I could not forgive someone. I prayed one day during communion and God did a work in me so I was able to forgive. This was not something I could have done on my own apart from God.

 

[Minoa]

I also though recall we are to hate sin, so to react in such ways to sin is to not accept it. However it is not your job to actually judge-judge them like in a court..eh, I get confused too lol.

You at least are willing to confess your own shortcomings though and your sins which is a good start that many men will rather make excuses for. So it is not that you are feigning perfection while looking down on others. I'd also have to say that taken too literally, not judging would also mean having no social order or court law---it's just the police and judges cannot send people to hell, but they can set consequences for sinful actions.

I admit though, it does feel confusing still. I am very judgemental on certain things but I try to at least make sure I'm not breaking the same rule or not following my own example. Hypocritical judgment where one says one thing but does themselves the opposite, to me, is the worst type to put up with. Instead of recognizing something to correct, it causes all sorts of havoc inside of different reactive feelings such as being treated as such:

When basically one person says "you are stupid and have no self-control to eat that brownie, stop eating it now" but once the brownie is placed in front of the critical person they immediately start to devour it, in front of the person they condemned, no less.

Also though, we aren't supposed to turn a blind eye to our Christian neighbor's sins, told to gently confront them (though many people do not read the "gently" part!) and are allowed to take them to the church if they hurt others.