Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Chapter 44

The Bible passage from Matthew 7:1-2 states “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV) There is a critically important characteristic within the proper interpretation of this passage, and generally there are a great many misunderstandings correlated with the proper exercise of its implication. The most common misuse of this teaching is to believe passing judgment of any sort is unacceptable and we should all just do whatever we think is right. That would be a false belief.

In Strong’s Concordance we find the word “judge” can also be translated as “condemn.” Since we are incapable of seeing another person’s heart, we are not to “play god” and condemn or “judge” the other person. The inculcation to be cognizant of our own weaknesses and need for humility is clear; however, we are in NO WAY to be indulgent and tolerant of immorality, depravity, or wickedness in ourselves or others.

Jesus warns us not to judge someone else’s sin when our own sin is even worse… this is a warning against hypocrisy –which is not tolerated by God. The Bible teaches us to learn wisdom and practice discernment though, and there are instances in which we are to avoid certain people because their behavior could unfavorably influence us. If we see another person in the wrong, we are to respectfully point out the truth to them in love, with the hope they will change. The Bible says plainly what we are to do in 2 Timothy 4:2 “...correct, rebuke, and encourage –with great patience and careful instruction.” (NIV)

(implication = the act of implying // inculcation = to teach and impress with frequent repetitions // cognizant = knowledgeable of something especially through personal experience

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