To Judge or Not to Judge? –

Recently, I came upon this article that was originally posted in 2017 and realized how relevant it has become to the present day. Therefore, I am reposting it. 

To Judge or Not to Judge,

Part 1

   Someone informed me of this statement that they read on Facebook by an unknown author. (I am not on Facebook, nor do I have any plans to have an account on that platform). This is the statement that they asked me to comment on. “Do you seriously believe God will judge someone for loving a person of the same sex but will not judge you for hating someone you have never even met?“

  Here is my reply. First of all — YES — God has judged homosexuality, and God will continue to judge homosexuality. Pulling out the “hate” card from a loaded deck is like pulling out a sword from its sheath — you are in danger of wounding yourself — let me show you how this can happen. To equate “hate” to anyone who is simply conveying what God says about homosexuality is true hatred; hatred for a book you have never read — the Bible, hatred for a God you claim to believe in, and hatred for all those who defend His Word, hatred for someone you have never met because of their faith in God. (See how easy that was to turn around your statement).  I don’t hate you, and I don’t believe you hate me! The word “hate” has been used too much in an attempt to silence others. If you are able to read and have the ability to comprehend more than a three-word sentence (I know that is a bit snarky of me) then I invite (no, I challenge) you to read the following article. If you are unable to read, or comprehend, (this comment is not a put down as many very brilliant people have difficulty in reading due to reading disabilities) or merely do not have the time to read this short article (I jest about the shortness of this article) please merely read the entire first Chapter of the book of Romans. The Apostle Paul said to the Galatians, as documented in Galatians 4:16- Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

   When you tell a child to stay away from a hot stove — that isn’t hate, that’s love. When you hold on to the hand of a child while crossing a street — that isn’t hate, that’s love. When you tell a young person to choose friends carefully, that isn’t hate, that’s shows a caring heart and a loving attitude. I write what I write, not in hate, but in love.  I wish to inform you what God has to say. I wish to communicate to you the authority that I use, the standard that is above all standards. I wish to share with you the following thoughts, because I believe that you probably have never had anyone share these things with you. Take what I have written and know that I care — some things may appear hard to hear, and therefore hard to endure — but I care.

Continuing on . . . .

   The author of the first statement above in bold print reveals that he believes three correct undisputable premises: (1) there is a God, (2) God judges, and (3) God has the right and the authority to judge. So, we need to further investigate this statement. What is the proper standard for judging? What is God’s standard for judgment? What is love? What is God’s standard for love? Does God ever allow man to judge? If so, what, where, and how does God allow man to judge? When should men not judge?

   The only standard that we have received from the hand of God is the Word of God — the Bible. However, society believes that the standard for all things can only be found in the opinions of writers of Hollywood and television scripts, and in the fluctuating emotions of culture, education, society and law. The standards of man are ever changing, there is no stability, no absolutes, no firm unchanging foundations of truth. Emotionalism is ever changing; emotionalism is the enemy of reason. Laws are made to suit the current belief systems and morés of those it serves. Consequently, laws are constantly changing to reflect these changes within society and the criminal justice system. This can be proven by simply looking at what we consider our foundational truths of civility and societal stability — the Constitution of the United States. This foundation has eroded through the very agencies that were established to protect it, and by the very men who placed their hands on a Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States, thus Law should not be used as a standard for moral judgments. The Law should be concerned with “justice” and truth. Sadly, “justice” is not always faithful to its very core. I have seen many things disappear from our understanding in my life experience . . . justice has been one of them. Indoctrination has replaced teaching in education, justice has disappeared from our courts, facts have disappeared from our news, and doctrinal teaching of truth and faith have disappeared from our churches. The foundations set by mankind have crumbled and failed, but the foundations set by our Creator and God still stands firm that all truth is found in the written Word and in the Living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

   Do not base your standard for decision making on the opinions of others, especially those who have an agenda, those who desire to push on you their own opinions. Opinions that are based on feelings are meaningless. That is why the Word of God says “Prove all things,” and I like to document it with 1 Thessalonians 5:21. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” Matthew 22:29. All our errors in decision making, all our errors in judgment, in discernment, all our errors in understanding come because we are totally ignorant of Scripture. The Word of God is the only unchanging element in all areas of life. This is the true and only standard. Let me not deviate from the course set in analyzing the statement above.

   Opinions (even mine) need to be looked at and proven accordingly by the Word of God. Do not base your life on an opinion from another; demand that it is followed with an unchanging proven reality. Can we look to education, culture and society for a strong belief system? I place the stability and strength of a nation squarely onto Educators. Passing on information is not education, bias is not education, opinion is not education. To educate is much more than knowledge — it is to instruct how to think, not what to think! Higher education produces our teachers, our researchers, judges, CEO’s, bankers, economists, social engineers, politicians, our thinkers — wherein do we see a higher standard of truth, reliability, and honesty? There are a few who are truthful, reliable and honest; however, they have become fewer and fewer with each passing year. How do I know? Look at our culture and society. You cannot truthfully say that our country has evolved in honesty, or has become a stable, just, or a “good” society. Therefore, not only is Law not a reliable standard, but Education is also not a reliable standard by which decisions and judgments should be made. Can a changing, emotional, self-centered, and greedy driven society be the standard for living and decision making?  — I think not! Those who rest on society to receive their moral compass are truly tossed every which way by waves of change. The masses are driven by mindless emotions stimulated without thought or evidence by a few seconds of a YouTube Video or by a television personality, comedian, newscaster or entertainer. The churched also are too often moved by bumper-sticker doctrines and smooth clichés with religious words and phrases. These visual and oral influences have become the educators of the masses. For those who still have the knowledge of the written word, many do not have the tools to understand what they are reading, these following questions should be considered whenever reading:  Who is the writer, who is he writing to, who is paying his salary, what is he writing about, is this opinion or news, what is the evidence or source that is the basis for his words? What is required for all good decision making and proper judging is an unchanging stable standard. This standard cannot be found in the world of the judicial, or in higher education, nor in society. What feels good, sounds good, produces a smile, or brings the approval of your peers is not a true standard by which one judges.

   “Do you seriously believe God will judge someone for loving a person of the same sex but will not judge you for hating someone you have never even met?” Although the unknown author of this statement infers that he believes in God, and in His ability to judge, and in God’s right to judge, the author shows inconsistencies and a total lack of knowledge of what God requires from man. The author reveals a confusion of terms. Love is not synonymous with sex, neither is an opinion synonymous with hate, nor is stating a position of difference synonymous with hate. Also, the statement insinuates that it is wrong to hate someone you have never met, but does that mean you can hate someone you have met? With this type of reasoning there is never ever any documentation from the Word of God to prove the validity of the statement.

   Love is a word with many meanings, and with many actions, and with many consequences. There is a difference between love and sex. Love is the direction that comes from the heart and is the spiritual side of the being. Though the mind is linked with the heart, it is the mind and the senses of the being that defines sex. We confuse the two by not separating them. They are two separate and distinct passions. What our writer is referring to is much more than merely sexual lust. The core of all sin is rebellion against God and God’s order. The futile search for the meaning of life outside of the framework of a Creatorial and Personal God has led our society to embrace all forms of ungodly life choices. It has led to the erosion of the distinction between man and woman, in that the female and male complementary partnership has become “an old thing,” “a thing of the past,” and is no longer the only acceptable form of personal relationships. Unable to find meaning in the world, searching for happiness, and attempting to fill the void and emptiness within oneself, many seek to find some kind of meaning often in the sexual area of life. Without meaning in life then life becomes meaningless, and insanity fills this void. We are seeing the birth of the Age of Insanity.  There is much more to be said on this subject but let us move on in our article. (Today (2022) I am adding a link to another article called The Celebration of Insanity.) 

   Look to history to see the future. Many sexual actions were once disapproved and outlawed. Gradually, these sexual actions became lawful and acceptable. What is considered to be immoral today will become a moral right tomorrow. All it takes to make a moral wrong into a moral right is for the re-education of the masses through visual propaganda. Yes, it takes years for moral decay to take hold of a nation — but look to history to see the future. Pedophiles will one day soon have the right to indulge in their love. One day, maybe even today, bestiality will become accepted as a moral right to express love. We are on the path that “love” will be the determining factor of all moral actions.  Love is not the determining factor of all moral actions and issues.  “Love” (meaning sex) has become for many, and will become for the majority, the standard by which they choose to live. The banner of the broad meaning of “love” alone should not become a justification for acting rebelliously outside of the order of God.

   Let us now approach the vast subject of judging. God clearly gives us the conditions by which man can and cannot judge. He supplies us with the tools in order to judge, and tells us who and what we can judge, who and what we cannot judge. His standard never changes. He never changes. What He sets in His Word is for all ages, all men, all societies, all situations — it is relevant through all the time-history of mankind. There are no inconsistencies in God’s Word, only man’s lack of knowledge of His Word. The guidelines by which God tells us to judge and not to judge will be followed by documentation of Scripture — why should I do all the work —you look it up!

   If you are still reading this, (and have not angrily clicked me off) you are stronger than I imagined! I’m getting tired from writing, so you must be exhausted from reading.

   Before we approach the next section on how not to judge, and how and when to judge, let me first comment on the obvious. “God is Love,” and “Judge not, that ye be not judged” are two verses that most people can quote. I find this very amusing, out of 31,173 verses in the Bible, these are the only two verses that many people can quote — I guess that makes them Bible scholars. First, both verses are pulled out of context. “Judge not, that ye be not judged” can be found in Matthew 7:1-5, and it is strictly directed to the hypocrite. If you are a thief, you should not judge another as a thief, if you are an adulterer, you should not judge another as an adulterer. Got the drift of the passage? I told you where you could find the verse because most people who can quote it can’t find it! But there again, why even look it up and read it in its entirety because if you don’t believe the Bible why waste your time, just continue to go on your way mocking the Bible. Most people do not even get to verse 5 of Matthew 7, or they just pass over it. Let me quote it and highlight the words that we need to think about. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. There is an action required here, first get rid of your sin so that you will be able to clearly see what your sin entails, and at that point you will be able to help others by showing them the danger of their sin.

   The following statements have verses or documentation to back them up. We are not to judge hypocritically. We are not to judge by appearance. We are not to judge presumptuously. We are not to judge hastily, and therefore unfairly. We are not to judge unmercifully. We are not to judge uncharitably. We are not to judge prematurely. Read Matthew 7:1-8; Romans, Chapter 1; Romans Chapter 4; Romans 14:5; 1 Corinthians 2:15; 1 Corinthians Chapter 4. These are just a few references — because I’m getting really tired and need to get a snack.

   We are told to judge. First, we are to judge ourselves. The standard which we should use is the Bible. We are also given the charge to judge sin, and we are also given the authority to reprove the works of unrighteousness as prescribed by the Word of God. We are to judge righteously, and for an unrighteous people, this surely is a difficult assignment — I point to myself here. Again, it is not to us we turn to, but to God’s Righteousness. (John 7:24; Hebrews 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 11:31; 1 Corinthians 5:12; Ephesians 5:11.)

   The statements of this essay, “Do you seriously believe God will judge someone for loving a person of the same sex but will not judge you for hating someone you have never even met?” revealed such hypocrisy from those who commented with their approval. Isn’t it amazing that our unknown author of this statement received such approval, yet while invoking the name of God, knows absolutely nothing about God or the Word of God. What hypocrites, who challenge and judge others while hiding behind a god they do not believe in, nor do they desire to even know. Why go to Scripture for truth when it is far easier to mock it.

   The Bible, the Word of God, is the only true standard by which man should live. There is no current issue that is not addressed, there is no current situation that it does not appeal to. The Word of God is the only unchanging element in all areas of life. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the current issue of today, gay marriage. Marriage is only between one man and one woman. Christ always used Scripture for His authority. That was not a correct statement — for He is the authority! He used Scripture to show us that we should use Scripture as our authority.

And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, (Matthew 19:4)

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? (Matthew 19:5)

   Christ often mentioned the destruction of Sodom by God for their unrighteous acts of sodomy. What saith Scripture about the city of Sodom and the act of Sodomy?

 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: (Genesis 19:4)

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. (Genesis 19:5)

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. (Genesis 13:13)

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. (Leviticus 18:22)

Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. (Leviticus 18:23) Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: (Leviticus 18:24)

 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (Leviticus 20:13)

   The consequences was the penalty of death to be executed by the judicial system that God had instituted for the nation of Israel — it was not up to the individual to take a life, any life outside of the laws that God had established for that particular time period and for that particular people. If you can stand it, I suggest reading my article on “Law and Government.” For those who do not know the structure of the Bible. The previous verses were quoted from the Old Testament and the following verses can be found in the New Testament

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (Romans 1:26)

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:27)

And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; ( 2 Peter 2:6)

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)

   The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. He changes not, His principles never change. In the Old Testament, God acted in Grace and Government, and in the New Testament God acts in Government and Grace.

   To judge or to act in judgment are two distinct Biblical principles. Reproving sin is one thing, acting in judgment is another. God alone acts in judgment. It is not men who should act at any time in judgment. God gives the message and the authority to recognize sin and to rebuke sin (both in the professing Church and in the unbelieving world), and to warn of God’s judgment and approaching wrath, but to always do so in love of the truth and in the righteousness of His Word. (1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 2:15.)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;

but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,

but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

© Copyright 2017, Mary Haigh

Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely have ye received, freely give. 

All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJB)