What About Judging? Pt. 2

• Author: Dan Corse
• Tagged: Righteous, Judgement, Correction
• Created: Dec. 5th 2021

John 7:24 (NKJ) – But do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.

Thus far, we determined that Jesus admonished believers to judge righteously. We noted that it is disingenuous or hypocritical or both to judge others for judging but condemn them for doing so. We established that all engage in various kinds of judging that involve standards. For Christians, that standard related to our behaviours, beliefs, and practices is the Word of God. Additionally, Paul noted that one of the four purposes of God’s Word is correction. The precursors to godly corrections are righteous judgments, based on the standard that is God’s Word. In Part 2, we will expand our discussion to include when it is and is not appropriate to judge. We will also identify the essential qualification for those who administer needed correction based on righteous judging, that they are of appropriate spiritual maturity. Then, we will focus upon the goal of correction, which should always be restoration.

When is it appropriate and not appropriate to judge?

Paul, writing to Christians in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NKJ), stated, “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet, I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since you would need to go out of the world.” Paul here made a distinction between Christians and non-Christians. Based on righteously judging a Christian as sexually immoral, he counselled the Corinthian believers to not keep company or associate with such believers, indicative of the appropriateness of discipline being administered to fellow believers engaged in sexual sin.

However, he did not offer the same counsel related to non-believers. Why was that? Continuing in 1 Corinthians 5:11-12, Paul added to sexual immorality other sins that, if not repented of, require Church discipline. However, in verse 13, we learn that “those who are outside God judges.” Outside where? Paul refers to those who are outside the body of Christ, non-believers. Non-believers God alone is to judge, a responsibility He also delegates to governing authorities but not to the Church (Romans 13:1). Having seen that the body of Christ is responsible for righteously judging its members and that God alone or His delegated authorities are to judge non-believers related to sinful behaviours, we turn to our next question.

Who should administer corrections based on righteous judgments?

Galatians 6:1 (NKJ) stated, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass (a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness; a sin, misdeed, trespass – Thayer’s Greek Lexicon), you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Only those who are spiritual, who are controlled and led by the Holy Spirit, are equipped to engage in such correction. That eliminates local bodies choosing carnal, flesh-driven, or novice Christians to administer correction. Those who are spiritual have gained sufficient maturity in the faith can lovingly administer needed correction that will promote godly growth. Fleshly motivations that lead to condemning, belittling, or treating those being corrected as “less than,” should never be exhibited. Such self-righteous displays are contrary to the love (Ephesians 4:15) and compassion that we should have for others.

What is the goal or purpose of correction?

Immediately after Paul noted that those who engage in correction should be of sufficient spiritual maturity, he identified the goal or purpose of correction, to restore. Restore is a translation of the Greek transliteration “katartizo.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon tells us that restore or “katartizo,” as used in Galatians 6:1, means “to strengthen, perfect, complete, make one what he ought to be.” Such restoration, engaged in by those led by the Holy Spirit and in love, is the overarching goal of correction based on righteous judgments.

As we have seen thus far, righteous judging is appropriate within the body of Christ. However, it is never appropriate for the church to engage in such judgments with non-believers. That is God’s responsibility, which He also delegates to governing authorities. We noted that those who engage in correction should be of appropriate spiritual maturity, Christians who are lovingly led by the Spirit. The goal of correction based on righteous judgments is always to restore. Finally, in Part 3, we will address other attitudes that should govern any effort to bring about correction (2 Timothy 2:24-26).