The Lie of "Judge Not" Part I

By Pastor CT Jermin
The following is a transcript from the December 10, 2009 edition of my show on blogtalkradio.com called 'A New Day For You'

We are egalitarian when it comes to truth, but elitist when it comes to people, and it should be the other way around"
– Dr. Ken Boa

Many who preach about love, have no idea what biblical love teaches.
- Dr. Ken Motto

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;
- King Solomon - Prov. 3:21



Before you continue, I believe that there is something that you should know about me:
I am intolerant.
I am bigoted, judgmental, and Pharisaic. I am ‘deep’, unyielding, and without love. How do I know? I’ve been told/called this on the internet so it must be true. Most often, I am called this by well-meaning Christians who ‘warn me in love’ when I make comments about false doctrine, bad theology, or point out issues involving Pastors, preachers, Prophets and prophetesses and other ‘Christertainers’.

What I usually get is along the lines of:
‘Brother, be careful when you ‘put your mouth on’ xxx, you know the Bible says touch not God’s anointed…’ or
‘Who are you to judge xxx, you are wrong! Only God can judge, and the Bible says Judge not.’


So where did this mindset come from? When did we abdicate our God-Ordained moral responsibility, and stop being the light on the hill, the pillar (support) and ground (foundation) for the truth?

Let’s take a moment and look the scriptures that the ‘judge not’ ‘touch not’ proponents like to use to support their contentions:
Let’s take touch not first. As you can see from our reading of Psalm 105, (and if you have not read it, please do) the context of this verse is
In reference to the treatment of the Hebrew children in the wilderness, and is COMPLETELY out of context in its modern pseudo-apologetic use. The same is true for 1st Samuel 24.
The Lord’s anointed were the Kings and Priesthood, none of which we have today,
Instead we have today a better covenant, and we are all Priests…

Now as for Judge not
Matthew 7:1 & Luke 6:37
Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (Luke 6:37)

Remember now family, we are totally against prooftexting, which is, as you remember
according to wikipedia,
“the practice of using decontextualised quotations from a document (often, but not always, a book of the Bible) to establish a proposition."

Why do we have a problem with this? Because often times, the passage or document, when read as a whole, may not in fact support the proposition.
We dealt with this issue when we talked about the fallacy of the tithe doctrine in November.

Or in short, text without context is PREtext

So what’s the context of Matthew 7:1, and Luke 6:37
At Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan, Jesus was talking to the multitudes gathered there after hearing of His message and of His healings to beseech them to not become like the pharisees and hypocrites who think they are above sin.

* Jesus' use of "hypocrite" in this verse is "hupokrites" {hoop-ok-ree-tace'} meaning an actor, stage player, a dissembler, pretender.

Now, I would ask, is this a threat or promise? It depends on how you choose to look at it.
For us, is it a promise.

1) What does it mean to judge?
In today’s parlance, it means not to say anything about someone’s lifestyle, behavior, conduct of beliefs…
This is contrary to scripture, in that Jesus (and we are to be conformed into His image according to Romans 8:29) did a lot of what we would call ‘judging’ today
Calling folks Vipers: Matt 3:7, 12:34, 23:33, Luke 3:7
Concentrate on Matt 23: Blind, fools, vipers, sepulchers, etc…
Was Jesus being a hypocrite when he said in John 7 that we should judge?
John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Or what about Paul’s letters, where we find things like:?
1Cor. 6:2-3 Do you not know that the saints [the saved; Christians] will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
Or this
I give praise to my God at every memory of you, And in all my prayers for you all, making my request with joy, Because of your help in giving the good news from the first day till now; For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ: So it is right for me to take thought for you all in this way, because I have you in my heart; for in my chains, and in my arguments before the judges in support of the good news, making clear that it is true, you all have your part with me in grace. For God is my witness, how my love goes out to you all in the loving mercies of Christ Jesus. And my prayer is that you may be increased more and more in knowledge and experience; So that you may give your approval to the best things; that you may be true and without wrongdoing till the day of Christ; Being full of the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:3-11)

2 instances: Paul has judged (made a decision) about them in verse 7, and then he encourages them to judge/ or discern in verse 10

2) Are we afraid to speak out for fear of being judged in return?

Another way that Christ’s suffering helps us is that Christ, by embracing the human condition and experiencing the hardships, weaknesses and temptations of human life, became the perfect candidate to help us along the way.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

This is good news for us struggling sinners. Sometimes, we are tempted to despair, like Judas, thinking that our Lord, Jesus will not understand and forgive us after we have betrayed him once again. But he will understand and he will forgive if, like Peter, we refuse to give up. “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)

The promise God made to Jeremiah:

Jer 1:17-19
(17) Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
(18) For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
(19) And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Is exceeded by the promise Jesus made to His disciples
(which includes us):

Mat 28:18-20
(18) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
(19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
(20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.



• The Pew Forum survey: Christians believe Jesus was/is a liar? According to The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

2009 - According to the poll, 22 percent of Christians, for example, say they believe in reincarnation – that people will be reborn in this world again and again. Twenty-three percent, meanwhile, believe in astrology. And 15 percent have consulted a fortuneteller or a psychic.

Not surprising, however, is Pew’s observation that white evangelical Protestants consistently express lower levels of acceptance of both Eastern beliefs (reincarnation, yoga) and New Age beliefs (spiritual energy in physical things and astrology).

Roughly one-in-ten white evangelicals, for example, believes in reincarnation, compared with 24 percent among mainline Protestants, 25 percent among both white Catholics and those unaffiliated with any religion, and 29 percent among black Protestants.

2007 - last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews.

Now for the question: Are their many ways to get to Heaven?
First off we cannot base our beliefs on the way we feel of what others think or say.

The scriptures say that GOD is right and every man is a liar. Just because some said something doesn't mean it is true. Just because the majority goes with it doesn't mean it is right. The majority of the world thought the world was flat at one time, and they were wrong.

In Romans 3:4 the scripture says
Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but EVERY MAN A LIAR; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.


John 14:1-11
(1) Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.
(2) In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
(4) And whither I go, ye know the way.
(5) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know we the way?
(6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.
(7) If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also: from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

• Contrary to the beliefs of some: Jesus identifies himself as deity several times, so He is more than just a prophet, or sage, or guide…

(8) Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
(9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?
(10) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works.
(11) Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

Joh 10:24-33
(24) Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
(25) Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
(26) But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
(27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
(28) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
(29) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
(30) I and my Father are one.
(31) Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
(32) Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
(33) The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
John 17:1-17
(v.17 - Thy Word is truth, I am the truth john 14:6,

He is the Word, John 1:1, and the Word is God)


The fact is that the so-called church in America is dying, brethren, and it is not for lack of 'love' or 'tolerance' or 'political correctness’.
It is in fact because we no longer speak the truth in love. The American church is fast becoming a powerless, self-absorbed shell, a walking corpse.
(and I have the statistics to prove it, lol)

We placate, cajole and fondle, seeking to be seen as 'loving and nice' because 'Jesus is love'. We teach a watered-down comfortable Gospel or no Gospel at all, to make Christianity palatable, accessible and socially relevant. Forgetting that GOD is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS and we will all give an account.

The most loving thing that we can do for someone else is to share the Gospel.
The Most loving thing that we can tell people is lead them through the Romans Road.

But we don't... Why?

Because we’re not judging…

We Pastors have done awful job of teaching the flock the truth of the Gospel, we have not equipped the saints, and as a result, are responsible for much of what is seen around us in America.

Because we have striven to be celebrities ourselves, we feed into the idolatrous culture that America is. We have failed. Because we ourselves have bought into the world’s measures of success, we have made allowances for unrighteousness, no longer hear from God, but know all of the right formulas for church growth… So we feed the sheep on dry brown grass
As a result, we have a massive amount of skinny malnourished and poorly taught sheep crowding into huge pens Sunday after Sunday to be entertained.
Those of us that are aware of it are doing all that we can to fight against it, but it is like salmon swimming against the stream.

Jesus wanted and planned for big strong tough sheep, and that's what he trained.
They were 'deep', and they were honest, like their Master.
They told the truth at great personal cost, and died for it, like their Master.
Why are we not like them?
Our Master is the same one, is He not?

But we love this verse don't we:
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

One of the things that I have been talking to my group about is the idea of 'reputational martyrdom'. We may not be killed physically anymore, but the truth of Mark 8:35 - “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” remains
It is only when we are no longer afraid to 'die' to our reputations, carefully crafted images, and comfortable social situations, that we really become his disciples, and scripture bears that out...

But we won't do that, because it's uncomfortable. We are so good at doing ‘church’ and being religious, but so bad at being Christians.
This is why groups like the Westboro Baptist church can spring up, saying the most hateful atrocious things in the name of God, and they get air time.

If we were doing what we should be doing, they'd have no members and get no attention, but the sorry fact is that much of what they say is true, and because it's packaged in with the vitriol that they spew, it all gets disregarded. How sad.

So when we say the same things that they say (those things that are correct) what happens? Labels and epithets.. But why should we have it any different. They pulled Jesus beard out of his face. (Isaiah 50:6)

Hmmm...
It's not over,
Here is a link to Part II

Comments

Holly Garcia said…
Treasure Cyril...Glad to count you as a brother in Christ. I thank God for each one He blesses me with. Family...
SmileyB said…
Excellent article! Thanks Bro. Cyril. I am glad we met.

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