|
"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. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your
brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can
you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when
all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take
the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove
the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:1
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matthew 7:1.
The verses at which we have now arrived begin a new section of our
Lord’s Sermon, and that it is by no means one of the simplest appears
from the diverse treatment which it has received at the hands of the
commentators. They are almost unanimous in allowing that our Lord’s
prohibition "Judge not" cannot be understood in its widest possible
latitude, yet as to how far and wherein it is to be modified there is
little agreement. That Christ’s forbidding us to exercise and pass
judgment upon others cannot be taken absolutely, few if any who
are acquainted with the general tenor of God’s Word would deny, yet as
soon as they attempted to define its limitations a considerable variety
of opinions would be expressed. This should at once warn us against
coming to any hasty conclusion as to the meaning of Matthew 7:1, and
guard us against being misled by the mere sound of its words. Yea, it
should drive us to our knees, begging God graciously to subdue the
prejudices of our hearts and enlighten our minds, and then diligently
search the Scriptures for other passages which throw light upon the
one now before us.
Not only is it very necessary for our own personal good that we spare no
pains in endeavoring to arrive at a right understanding of these verses,
for it is to our own loss that we misapprehend any portion of Holy Writ,
as it will be to our own condemnation if we transgress this Divine
commandment, but unless its meaning be opened unto us we shall be at a
loss to repel those who would bring us into bondage by the corrupt use
they make of it. There are few verses quoted more frequently than the
opening one of Matthew 7, and few less understood by those who are so
ready to cite it and hurl it at the heads of those whom they ignorantly
or maliciously suppose are contravening it. Let the servant of God
denounce a man who is promulgating serious error, and there are
those—boasting of their broadmindedness—who will say to him, "Judge not,
that ye be not judged." Let the saint faithfully rebuke an offender for
some sin, and he is likely to have the same text quoted against him.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." The word which is here rendered
"judge" is one that occurs frequently in the New Testament, and it is
used in quite a variety of senses. It is the one found in "I speak as to
wise men; judge ye what I say" (1 Cor. 10:15), and in "judge in
yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?" (1 Cor.
11:13), where "judge" means weigh carefully and form an opinion or
consideration. It occurs in "thou [Simon, whom Christ asked, "Which of
them will love Him most?"] hast rightly judged" (Luke 7:43), where it
signifies inferred or drawn a conclusion. It occurs in "If ye have
judged me to be faithful to the Lord" (Acts 16:15), that is, "if you
regard or account me so." "Take ye Him and judge Him according to your
law" (John 18:31) means, "put Him on trial before your court." In Romans
14:3, "judge" has the force of despise, as is clear from the first
member of the antithesis. "Doth our law judge any man before it hear
him?" (John 7:51), where "judge" signifies condemn—its commonest
signification. Which or how many of these meanings the word "judge"
has in our text must be carefully ascertained and not hastily or
arbitrarily assumed.
Now the first thing to do when prayerfully studying a passage on which
opinions vary is to examine its context, first the remote and
then the immediate. In this instance the "remote" would be the
particular portion of the Word in which it occurs, namely the Sermon on
the Mount. As we pass from one section to another in this Sermon, it is
very important that we bear in mind our Lord’s dominant object and
design therein, which was to show that He requires in the character and
conduct of His disciples something radically different from and far
superior to that religion which obtained among the Jews, the highest
form of which they regarded the scribes and Pharisees as possessing.
The keynote was struck by Christ when He told His hearers, "except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (v.
20). That which precedes and all that follows to the end of His
discourse is to be pondered and interpreted in the light of that
statement.
In the earlier chapters we called attention frequently to what has last
been pointed out, and it must not be lost sight of as we enter upon the
present division of our Lord’s address. That which pre-eminently
characterized the Pharisees was the very high regard which they had for
themselves and the utter contempt in which they held all who belonged
not to their sect. This is evident from the words of Christ in Luke
18:9, where we are told, "He spoke this parable unto certain which
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others"; in
what immediately follows we have contrasted the Pharisee and the
publican. The Pharisees took it upon them to go up and down passing
censorious and unjust judgment upon others, while blind to their own
glaring faults. The disciple of Christ is to conduct himself in a manner
exactly the reverse: unsparingly judging himself and refusing to
invade the office of God where others are concerned.
The "more immediate context" of Matthew 7:1, is the verses which follow
it. In order to obtain a right understanding of verse 1, it is important
to recognize that the next four verses are inseparably connected with
it, that the five together form one complete section treating of the
same subject. The contents of verse 2 show plainly that we have a
continuation of the theme of verse 1, while the "and" at the beginning
of verse 3 and the "or" at the beginning of verse 4 denote the same
thing, while verse 5 contains our Lord’s application of the whole. The
value of preserving the link between the later verses and the opening
one lies in noting the threefold mention of "thy brother" in verses 3, 4
and 5, and in observing what is there said of his state and the state of
the one who takes him to task. If these details be kept in mind we shall
be preserved from making an erroneous interpretation and application of
verse I. As we must not too much anticipate what is to come we will
leave these suggestions with the reader for him to ponder.
After carefully weighing both the remote and immediate contexts of our
verse our next task is to search the Scriptures for all other passages
treating of or bearing upon the subject of judging others. It is most
essential that we do so if we are to be preserved from many erroneous
ideas. Some statements of Holy Writ are presented in a very terse and
contracted form, but elsewhere they are amplified and filled out: others
are expressed in seemingly absolute terms, but elsewhere are modified
and qualified. As an illustration of the latter, take the fourth
commandment. The Sabbath day is to be kept holy: "in it thou shalt not
do any work"; yet from the teachings of Christ we know that works of
piety, of mercy, and of necessity are lawful on that day. So it is with
our present text: unless we are very careful in our interpretation of it
we shall prohibit what is elsewhere required, and be found censuring
that which other passages commend.
"The capacity of judging, of forming an estimate and opinion, is one of
our most valuable faculties and the right use of it one of our most
important duties. ‘Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?’
(Luke 12:57) says our Lord; ‘judge righteous judgment’ (John 7:24). If
we do not form judgments as to what is true and false, how can we
embrace the one and avoid the other?" (John Brown). It is very necessary
that we have our "senses exercised to discern [Greek "thoroughly judge"]
both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14) if we are not to be deceived by
appearances and taken in by every oily-mouthed impostor we encounter. It
must not be thought that our Lord here forbade us to act according to
the dictates of common prudence and to form an estimate of everything we
meet with in the path of duty, nor even that He prohibited us from
judging men’s characters and actions according to their avowed
principles and visible conduct, for in this very chapter He bids us
measure men by this rule, saying, "by their fruits ye shall know them"
(verse 20), and many duties to others absolutely require us to form a
judgment of men, with respect both to their state and their conduct.
Unless we form estimates and come to a decision of what is good and evil
in those we meet with we shall be found rejecting the one and condoning
the other. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15): how
shall we heed this injunction unless we carefully measure every preacher
we hear by the Word of God? "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11): in order to
obey this we are obliged to exercise a judgment as to what are "works of
darkness." "We command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks
disorderly" (2 Thess. 3:6): this compels us to decide who is "walking
disorderly." "Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to
the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them" (Rom. 16:17): this
requires us to determine who are guilty of such things. Thus it is
abundantly clear that our Lord’s prohibition in Matthew 7:1, is by no
means to be taken absolutely.
There are four kinds of judging which are lawful and required by the
Word: two public and two private. First, ecclesiastical judgment. This
belongs chiefly to the minister, who in preaching God’s Word judges men
by admonishing their sins, and in his private dealings he must be
faithful to their souls and rebuke where necessary. The judgment of the
Church is exercised when it decides upon the credibility of the
profession of one applying for membership: so too in the maintenance of
discipline and exclusion of those who refuse to heed its reproofs.
Second, civil government. This pertains to the magistrate, whose office
it is to examine those charged with criminal offences, giving judgment
according to the laws of the land, acquitting the innocent, sentencing
those proved guilty. Legitimate private judgment is first where one man
in a Christian manner reprehends another for his sins, which is required
by the Lord (Lev. 19:17) and second where the grosser faults of
notorious offenders are condemned and others informed thereof that they
may be warned against them.
Seven Forms of Unlawful Judgment:
"Judge not:" that which is here forbidden is unlawful judging of our
fellows, of which we will instance a variety of cases. First,
officiously or magisterially, which lies outside the prerogative of the
private individual: this is assuming such an authority over others as we
would not allow them to exercise over us, since our rule is to be
"subject one to another and be clothed with humility" (1 Pet. 5:5). We
are required both by the law of nature (which includes rationality and
prudence) and the Scriptures to judge of things, and persons too, as we
meet them in the sphere of duty, but to judge whatever lies outside of
our path and province is forbidden. "Study to be quiet and to do your
own business" (1 Thess. 4:11): if we give full and proper heed to this
Divine precept we shall have little or no leisure left to pry into the
affairs of others. That which our text prohibits is the passing beyond
our legitimate sphere, that taking upon us to judge that which is not
set before us for judgment, intruding into the circle of others: "let
none of you suffer. . . as a busybody in other men’s matters" (1 Pet.
4:15).
Second, "judge not" presumptuously, which is done when we treat mere
suspicions or unconfirmed rumors as though they were authenticated
facts, and when we ascribe actions to springs which lie outside the
range of our cognizance. To pass judgment on the motives of another,
which are open to none save the eye of Omniscience, is highly
reprehensible, for it is an intrusion upon the Divine prerogative, an
invading of the very office of God. "Who art thou that judges another
man’s servant? to his own master he stands or falls" (Rom. 14:4)
places the Divine ban upon such conduct. A notable example of what is
here interdicted is recorded in Job 1. When the Lord commended His
servant unto Satan, saying "Hast thou considered My servant Job, that
there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one
that fears God and eschews evil?" the evil one answered, "Doth Job
fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about
his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed
the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land: but
put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse
Thee to Thy face" (vv. 8-11), suggesting that Job only served God for
the gain thereof. Thus to judge presumptuously the motives of another is
devilish!
Third, "judge not" hypocritically. This form of unlawful judgment was
particularly before our Lord on this occasion, as appears from the
verses which immediately follow. The one who is quick to detect the
minor faults of others while blind to or unconcerned about his own
graver sins is dishonest, pretending to be very precise while giving
free rein to his own lusts. Such two-facedness is most reprehensible in
the sight of God, and to all right-minded people too. "Therefore thou
art inexcusable O man, whosoever thou art that judges: for wherein thou
judge another, thou condemns thyself; for thou that judges doest
the same things" (Rom. 2:1). No matter what may be his social standing,
his educational advantages, his religious profession, the one who is
guilty of partiality, who censures in others that which he allows in
himself, is inexcusable and self-condemned. That even true, yea,
eminent, saints are liable to this grievous sin appears from the case of
David, for when Nathan propounded the instance of the rich man sparing
his own flock and seizing the one lamb of his poor neighbor’s, David’s
anger was greatly kindled and he adjudged the transgressor as worthy of
death, while lying himself under guilt equally heinous (2 Sam. 12:1-11).
Fourth, "judge not" hastily or rashly. Before thinking the worst of any
person we must make full investigation and obtain clear proof that our
suspicions are well grounded or the report we heard is a reliable one.
Before the Most High brought upon the world the confusion of languages
it is said that He "came down to see the city and the tower which the
children of men built" (Gen. 11:5), as though He would personally
investigate their conduct before He passed sentence upon them. So again,
before He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, He said, "I will
go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the
cry of it, which is come unto Me" (Gen. 18:21). Thus God would teach us
that before we pass sentence in our minds upon any offender we must take
the trouble of obtaining decisive proof of his guilt. We are expressly
commanded "judge not according to the appearance (John 7:24), for
appearances are proverbially deceptive. Always go to the transgressor
and give him an opportunity to clear himself: "he that answers a
matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame unto him" (Prov.
18:13).
Fifth, "judge not unwarrantably, which is to go beyond the rule which is
set before us. In God’s Word certain things are commended, certain
things condemned, yet there is another class of things on which the
Scriptures pronounce no verdict, which we term "things indifferent," and
to condemn anyone for using such things is to be "righteous over much"
(Eccl. 7:16). It was for just such offences that the apostle reproved
some of the saints at Rome, who were sitting in judgment upon their
brethren over different things as "meat and drink." So too he admonished
the Colossians who were being brought into bondage by the "Touch not,
taste not, handle not of the "commandments and doctrines of men"
(2:20-23). The Holy Spirit points out that in such cases to judge a
brother is to "speak evil of the law" (Jas. 4:11), which means that he
who condemns a brother for anything which God has not proscribed regards
the Law as being faulty because it has not prohibited such things. "He
who quarrels with his brother and condemns him for the sake of anything
not determined in the Word of God, does there by reflect on His Word, as
if it were not a perfect rule" (Matthew Henry).
Sixth, "judge not" unjustly or unfairly, ignoring everything that is
favorable in another and fixing only on that which is unfavorable. It is
often far from being an easy matter to secure all the materials and
facts which in any case are necessary to form a judgment, yet to
pronounce judgment without them is to run a serious hazard of doing
another a cruel injustice. Many a one has rashly condemned another who,
had he known all, might have approved or at least pitied him. Again, it
is very unjust to censure one who has sincerely done his best simply
because his effort falls short of what satisfies us. Much unjust
judgment proceeds from a spirit of revenge and a desire to do mischief.
When David sent his servants to comfort Hanun, the king of Ammon, upon
the death of his father, that king suffered his nobles to persuade him
that the servants of David were spies on an evil mission (2 Sam. 10): a
horrible war was the outcome—behold how great a fire a little matter
kindles!
Seventh, "judge not" unmercifully. While on the one hand we are
certainly not, as far too many today appear to think, obliged to regard
one who holds fundamental error or one who is thoroughly worldly as a
good Christian, yet on the other hand the law of charity requires us to
put the best construction we can on doubtful actions, and never without
proof ascribe good ones to evil principles or motives. God does not
require us to call darkness light or evil good, nevertheless since we
are so full of sin ourselves and so prone to err, we must ever be on our
guard lest we call light darkness and good evil. We are not to go about
with our eyes closed nor wink at sin when we see it, yet it is equally
wrong for us to hunt for something to condemn and seize upon every
trifle and magnify molehills into mountains. We are not to make a man an
offender for a word, nor harbor suspicions where there is no evidence.
Many a one has condemned another, where no ground for judgment existed,
out of personal jealousy and ill will, which is doing Satan’s work. May
the Lord graciously deliver both writer and reader from all these forms
of unlawfully judging others.
[TOC]
[Top of Page]
"Judge not, that ye be not judged" (v. 1). In the previous chapter we
were obliged, so as not to exceed the usual length, to confine ourselves
unto the first part of this brief verse. In it we sought to show what is
here not forbidden, that there is a lawful judging which God requires us
to exercise, both in public and in private. Then we pointed out no less
than seven forms of unlawful judging, indicating that this prohibition
of Christ’s is a very comprehensive one. Our apology, if such be needed,
for entering into so much detail is, first, because these words "judge
not" are so frequently misunderstood and misapplied; and second, because
the sin which is here forbidden is a very grievous one and has become
exceedingly common. Some Christians are more prone to it than others,
one in one way and one in another. It is a sin which may be committed in
the house of prayer. When the minister is rebuking some evil or failure
in some particular duty, there are often those present who will conclude
he is addressing himself to some others in the congregation, which is
one reason why so many reap so little from hearing the Word preached.
Now since it be wrong for us to judge one of our brethren or even our
fellows presumptuously, hypocritically, hastily, unwarrantably, unjustly
or unmercifully, how much more heinous must it be for us to give audible
expression to the same and transmit it to others! Equally so is it for
those who listen to us to repeat the same. "Thou shalt not go up and
down as a talebearer among thy people" (Lev. 19:16): yet who among us
can plead innocence therein? Alas, how many there are, now that the
pulse of love beats so feebly, who take a devilish pleasure in spreading
evil reports of fellow members and enlarging on the same. "A talebearer
reveals secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit conceals the
matter" (Prov. 11:13). Equally reprehensible is it for us to censure and
hold up to scorn those of another denomination, unless the Scriptures
plainly condemn them. "Speak evil of no man’s (Titus 3:2) forbids us
expressing anything to the discredit or disadvantage of another to
anyone but to oneself, except where duty demands it—the putting others
on their guard against an evil-doer or a doctrinal corrupter.
It should be pointed out that veracity is not the only virtue which
needs to be exercised whenever we make report of the character and
conduct of another. To say of such and such a person, "He possesses this
or that virtue, but—well, least said, soonest mended," is far worse than
saying nothing at all, for such an utterance insinuates to our hearers
that there is some grave evil in the party to whom we have alluded. We
may say nothing but what is the truth, yet by the very manner in which
we express ourselves suggest that a certain person is not to be trusted.
Thus when David came to Ahimelech begging bread for his men and
requesting some weapon, and the priest granted him the sword of Goliath
(1 Sam. 21), Doeg, who witnessed the transaction, put his knowledge to a
wicked use by reporting the same unto Saul, implying that Ahimelech had
entered into a conspiracy with David against the king’s life; and the
telling of the truth from such an evil motive and in such a manner cost
the lives of eighty-five priests (1 Sam. 22:18): again we say, Behold
how great a fire a little matter kindles!
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." After the commandment there follows
a reason which is designed to cause us to make conscience of forming and
expressing unlawful judgments; or, more accurately speaking, the second
part of the verse is a dissuasive, a warning against the sin forbidden
at the beginning of it. But precisely what is the nature of this
warning, exactly what did our Lord here have in mind? Nearly all the
expositors see in it nothing more than a threat that we must be prepared
for our fellows treating us just as we treat them: that if we asperse
people, others will slander us; that if we be harsh and censorious in
the estimates we form of our fellows, then we in turn shall receive
unkind treatment, being paid back again in our own coin. On the other
hand, if we be charitable and merciful, ready to think the best and slow
to think the worst of any, then others will in turn deal gently and
considerately with our reputation. In brief, that the words "that ye be
not judged" signify lest ye be unlawfully and unfairly judged by men.
Now we do not believe this common interpretation of Christ’s warning
gives the full or even the principal force of it, and that for several
reasons. First, because the usual sense accorded it is one which has
little weight with those who are walking with God. It is true there are
many professing Christians who are greatly concerned about what others
think and say of them, who are most anxious to shine in their eyes, who
are very jealous of their own reputations and easily hurt if anyone
slights them or speaks a word against them, yet all of this has its
roots in pride and self-esteem. But one who is walking with God, who is
painfully conscious of the plague of his heart, who in some measure at
least sees himself as God sees him, is so thoroughly aware of his awful
corruptions, his many inward and outward defects, that he knows quite
well that the worst men can say against him falls far short of the
estimate he has of himself. The one who unsparingly judges himself is
unruffled by the criticisms of others.
When one is truly walking with God his only concern is what his
Divine Master thinks of him. If he makes conscience of all that
displeases Him, if he daily confesses to Him every known sin and begs
Him to cleanse him from sins of ignorance and omission, if he be
sincerely endeavoring to walk in the path of obedience, it will trouble
him very little what other worms of the dust think or say about him. He
is conscious of the fact that God knows his heart, that if only he has
the approbation of the Lord this is worth infinitely more than the
highest esteem of all mankind. Said the apostle Paul, "But with me it is
a very small thing that I should be judged of you" (1 Cor. 4:3): their
opinion mattered nothing, his responsibility was not unto them. "Yea, I
judge not mine self," he added: Christ alone is my Lord and Judge, by
Him I stand or fall. Blessed liberty is it when we are delivered from
being in bondage to the fickle opinions and estimates of man, who will
one day cry Hosannah" and the next day "crucify."
It is not that walking with God produces a spirit of egotism which
causes one to have so high regard of himself that he considers he is
outside the range of human judgment: no, far otherwise. Nor will he
disdain a correction or admonition when he needs it: rather will he say
with David, "Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness; and let
him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my
heady’ (Ps. 141:5). A truly humble soul will weigh before God the
reproofs of the righteous. "Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee" (Prov.
9:8), for he knows full well that "faithful are the wounds of a friend,
but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." "As an earring of gold, and
an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear" (Prov.
25:12): alas, how few with an "obedient ear" are now left! But while
welcoming needful reproofs and being thankful for the faithful dealings
of those who wish him well, this is vastly different from being the prey
of public opinion, fearful of being misunderstood, wondering what one
and another will say of us, even while we are doing that which is right.
Second, we find it very difficult to persuade ourselves that when the
Lord said "Judge not, that ye be not judged" He had reference to nothing
else, nothing more solemn and searching than, Refrain from passing
unlawful judgment upon others lest you meet with the same treatment at
the hands of your fellows. Such a warning has little weight with the
majority of professors and none at all with those who are walking in the
fear of God, for where His fear possesses the heart it is delivered from
the fear of man. Furthermore, it seems entirely out of accord with the
whole tenor of His Sermon, with the searching character of all its
details, that He should introduce and make so prominent (note the
following verse) what is after all but a secular motive. In a discourse,
one chief design of which was to make plain the spirituality of the
Christian character in contrast with the worldly character of the
Pharisee, Christ would surely employ a weightier dissuasive than the
mere fear of suffering from the fickle judgments of fellow mortals.
Third, and what is more decisive, the idea that "judge not, that ye be
not judged" means we shall in this matter reap in this world exactly as
we sow—that if we defame others we also shall be defamed, that if we
refrain from rashly and censoriously censuring others we shall ourselves
be spared the experience—will not stand the test of Holy Writ. Apply it
to the Lord Jesus Christ and the treatment which He met with from man:
He never unjustly or unmercifully censured another, yet how frequently
were false and cruel charges preferred against Him. Apply the principle
to the life of the apostle Paul and see how completely it breaks down;
can we suppose that God had employed him to write 1 Corinthians 13 had
he been of a censorious, carping, pharisaical spirit? Yet he was
"defamed" on every side and accounted "the offscouring of all things" (1
Cor. 4:13)! No, such an explanation, such a theory, will stand neither
the test of Scripture nor of Christian experience and observation today.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." In view of what has been pointed out
we cannot avoid the conviction that many of the commentators unwittingly
toned down this solemn portion of the Truth, blunting the sharp edge of
the sword of the Spirit, for it seems clear to us that some vastly more
awe-inspiring motive was in our Lord’s mind, a far weightier dissuasive
from the sin forbidden than the treatment we shall meet with at the
hands of our fellows. We are persuaded that what Christ here had
reference to was not the judgments of men but the judgments of God, not
the decisions of time but the verdicts of eternity. In reality it is
but a sop for the conscience, a sewing of " pillows to all armholes"
(Ezek. 13:18), to tell people if they be guilty of transgressing this
precept and unlawfully judging others that all they have to fear is
being unrighteously judged by their fellows. But for Christ to declare
that such conduct will meet with Divine judgment at the Awful Assize is
a warning which may well make the most thoughtless to consider and the
stoutest heart to quake.
But it should be pointed out that this warning of Christ’s is not to be
understood as meaning: If you be generous in the verdicts you pass upon
others, God will be lenient in His judgment concerning you; that if you
be harsh and cruel, God will deal severely with you. No, whatever our
judgments of others may be, God’s judgment will be "according to truth"
and that without "respect of persons" (Rom. 2:2, 11). Thus we
understand our Lord to mean: Beware of forming wrong judgments of your
brethren and fellow men, especially hasty and unmerciful ones, for all
your judgments are to be reviewed in the searching light of God’s
throne, and by those judgments you are yourselves to be then judged.
Not that the judgments we form of each other are to be the sole test by
which our profession will be weighed and our character tried, but that
this will be one of the tests. "By thy words thou shalt be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:37) will be
another; our treatment of Christ’s brethren, as Matthew 25 plainly
intimates, will be yet another. Take care then that your judgments of
others be such as will endure the scrutiny of the Divine Judge, for if
they are not they must lead to disapproval.
We are well aware of the fact that what we have said above is contrary
to most of the teaching of the day even in orthodox circles. So much
emphasis has been laid upon certain favorite verses that the balance of
Truth has been lost here, as it has almost everywhere else. Such a
statement as He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen
perverseness in Israel" (Num. 23:21) has been interpreted to mean that
God looks not upon His people as they are in themselves but ever views
them in Christ, and therefore sees them as without any sin. But such an
idea is flatly contradicted by Holy Writ. God does take cognizance of
our sins and plainly declares: "If His children forsake My law and walk
not in My judgments... If they break My statutes and keep not My
commandments... Then will I visit their transgression with the rod and
their iniquity with stripes" (Ps. 89:30-32). Believers are required to
confess their sins, and both their forgiveness and cleansing are made
contingent thereon (1 John 1:9). It is blessedly true that the believer
has a perfect standing or status before God, yet that must not be made
to swallow up his state and present case.
We would not for a moment consciously weaken the glorious force of
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 8:1), and "he that hears My Word, and believeth on Him that
sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation
[Greek "judgment "]; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
Yet those verses must not be understood in such a way as to clash with
other portions of God’s Word, such, for example, as "For the time is
come that judgment must begin at the House of God" (1 Pet. 4:17). No
born-again soul shall ever suffer the eternal judgment of God, for he
has for ever passed beyond the reach of penal death or the curse of the
Law, Christ having suffered the curse on his behalf. But though beyond
the curse of the Law, Christians are subject to the government of God,
and that government will not make light of wrongdoing nor relinquish its
righteous requirements. Sin is no less sinful when committed by a
believer than by an unbeliever, and unless it be repented of or put
right before God in this life it will have to he put right in the Day to
come. And who that loves holiness would wish it were otherwise? Many a
breach between fellow Christians is never healed in this world: must not
things be put right between them before they can spend eternity together
in heaven?
Both the orthodox pulpit and what is regarded as sound literature convey
the impression that no matter how grievously the Christian may have
failed in his duty, he has nothing to fear so far as the next life is
concerned, that however careless and fruitless he has been, unclouded
bliss awaits him after death. But between death and eternity proper is
the Day of Judgment! But the Truth is now so watered down and so
accommodated to the carnal mind that the Lord’s people are led to
believe complacently that so far as they are concerned that Day will be
solely one of receiving rewards and words of praise. But this writer
does not so read the Scriptures: he finds another class of passages
which set forth quite a different aspect of the Truth, and though these
passages be almost universally shelved, or "explained away" when pressed
upon the attention of those claiming to be Christians, he dare not
ignore them or fritter them down.
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For
it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
and every tongue shall confess to God" (Rom. 14:10-11). We merely call
attention to the bare fact that the judgment seat of Christ is
here set before believers as a solemn motive to refrain from judging
their brethren, a motive which will have no force if commendation is all
they are to receive there; and that this warning is immediately followed
with "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God":
that this rendering of accounts will be something more than a mere
formality scarcely needs to be pointed out. "Every man’s work shall be
made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort
it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Cor.
3:13-15). This has reference to the adjudication of the labors of
Christ’s servants, when their work will be subjected to the searching
scrutiny of Divine holiness: "saved, yet so as by fire" certainly does
not suggest a happy experience—not that we understand there is anything
in these verses which furnishes the slightest support to the popish
"purgatory." Ministers would do well seriously to ponder this passage
and turn it into earnest prayer.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ: that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath
done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). The "we" takes in the whole
election of grace, all who are redeemed by Christ. That there will be
something more than the handing out of bouquets is plainly intimated in
"that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to
that he hath done, whether good or bad." An awe-inspiring description of
Christ in His office of Judge (when inspecting and passing sentence upon
His churches) is given in Revelation 1, where He is seen with "His eyes
as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned
in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters" (vv. 14, 15).
"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men"
(Col. 3:23): observe the solemn motive given for enforcing this solemn
precept: "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the
inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of
persons" (vv. 24 and 25): that some will be "ashamed before Him" in that
Day is clear from 1 John 2:28. May the Lord enable both writer and
reader to live his life more and more with the judgment seat of Christ
before him.
[TOC]
[Top of Page]
[Go to Page 2]
|
