Judge Not!

The new “unpardonable sin” is “judging.” What a blessing this “new commandment” is to "EZ Christianity Lite.” Hypocrites can flaunt their violations of the Word of God and yet parade around, calling themselves Christians. No one dares call them hypocrites, for that would be judging them.

“Judge not, lest you be judged.” Judge not? This verse is quoted often enough, but can anyone tell me where it says that in the Bible?
Probably not. It’s Matthew 7:1. Later in the same chapter (Matt 7:16-20), Jesus says, “You’ll know them by their fruits.” What does this mean? It means that your behavior is your beliefs put into action.

“Judge not” was addressed to a hypocrite, so quoting it out of context actually makes it pertain to the one misusing it in an attempt to continue in their sins guilt-free!
But we ARE to judge.

1 Cor 5:12
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?
God will judge those outside.

Heb 10:31
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
I am trying to prevent you from being judged, by asking you to examine yourself and prepare.

John 7:24
Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.
Make a judgment, but do it justly.

Eph 5:11
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Use discernment, make a judgment.

Rom 12:9
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
How? By determining what is good and what is evil, by your judgment.

1 Thess 5:21
Test everything. Hold on to the good.
Don’t leave your brains at the door, or you’ll end up in a cult.

Judge not” is so often quoted so that people can feel comfortable going about sinning in this life, suppressing their conscience, and they’re angry when reminded of it.
But let’s face it, the refusal to exercise moral discernment is a confession of your own moral bankruptcy.

You might say, “You can’t know my heart!” No, but your actions betray you. By your actions, it becomes clear if you are a true believer or a hypocrite. Whether you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” or if you will be cast out.

Do you know what the scariest words in the Bible are? Matt 7:23 (the same chapter that “judge not” comes from). It says, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’”

To think that you’re saved, only to find out at the end of time that you are not. That’s got to be the scariest verse in the entire Bible.
So, how can you know for sure? Our behavior is our beliefs put into action. What do you actions show?

Christians are called to be separate from the world, putting the things of God first. Do you look any different from the world? Do you dress the same, look the same, watch the same things? Do you laugh and joke about the very things that nailed your supposed Savior to a cross?

Are you a true believer? Is your salvation sure? What do you base it on? Why should you be let into heaven?

Is it the good things that you’ve done?
All your works are as filthy rags before the Lord. The Bible tells us that there are none found righteous, not one. If a rapist or murderer were to help someone out, or give money to a charity, should he then be set free? No, he still broke the law, he still must be punished.

Is it that you’ve tried to follow God’s commands and be a good person?
The Bible calls us to endure, persevere and overcome, not try! Where in the Bible does it say, “Just do your best, try to live a good life and you’ll be rewarded? It doesn’t.

Maybe you feel that you’re a good enough person to get into heaven.
Are you? Don’t look at your friends, we won’t be judged by man’s standards, or in comparison to anyone else. When you stand before God, you will stand alone, judged by His moral standards, revealed to us in the 10 Commandments. Do you know them?

Ignorance of the Law is no excuse. It’s not acceptable in man’s court of law and it will not be acceptable on Judgment Day, either. This is because you’re not really ignorant of God’s Law. It’s written on your heart. Your conscience speaks of it. Con means with and science is knowledge. So when you sin against God, your own conscience testifies against you, and you do it with knowledge. You may harden your heart and suppress your conscience, but that doesn’t make it go away, and attempting to justify yourself in spite of what you know does not excuse you.

So why is punishment in hell infinite? Because you've sinned against an infinite God, the Creator of everything!
But even more than that, the reason it lasts forever, is because the rebellion lasts forever.
If you cannot repent here, where common grace has been spread all around by the loving hand of a loving God, what makes you think you’ll be able to repent in a graceless hell?

God doesn’t want anyone to be sent to hell. Hell was created as punishment for Satan and his demons. But lawbreakers must be punished, justice must be done, the fine must be paid. The wages of sin is death, but God provided a way.

Maybe you don’t feel like you need this gift. Maybe you feel like you’re good enough on your own. Let’s take a short test to see.

How many lies have you told in your life? That transgresses the 9th Commandment, every time you’ve done it – it doesn’t matter if it’s an exaggeration, a half truth, a fib, or a little white lie, the Bible tells us that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire.

Have you ever stolen anything, no matter how small it might have been? If you’ve taken a pen from work, or “borrowed” something without asking, you’ve broken the 8th Commandment and probably the 10th as well, because you would have coveted it before you actually stole it.

Have you ever used the Lord’s name in vain – just cry it out as an expletive or curse word? That’s called blasphemy and violates the 3rd Command. This is very serious in God’s eyes, what if someone were to use your spouse’s name like that, as a curse word to express disgust?

This is only 4 of the 10 Commandments, there are 6 more. How did you do? It’s all or nothing, you must be perfect.

God provided a way, one way, to keep you out of hell, while still upholding justice. Do you know what He did?

He sent His Son, who lived a perfect life, sinless and innocent, never breaking the Law. And He was crucified, suffered and died to take the punishment that you deserve. On the third day, He rose again, defeating death forever.
Now, how do you claim that gift of yourself? You repent, turn away from your sins, forsake them, and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and obey His Words.