The Bible says...

"Judge not, that ye be not judged."
(Matthew 7:1)

This is one of the most misunderstood and misquoted verses in the Bible.

The Bible also says...

"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things..."
(1 Corinthians 2:15)

Do these contradict each other?

No.

In the first verse, the Greek word used for "Judge" means to try (as in legally), convict, or damn. In the second verse, the Greek word used means to investigate.

So this word translated "Judge" is actually two different Greek words.

Big difference.

Because we cannot always see the shortcomings in ourselves, God expects us to tell others what we see in them if we see a problem:

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
(Proverbs 27:17)

So, the "judging" we are expected to do is not condemnation, it is information that can be used by the wise ("A word to the wise...") to make them sharper, if they so desire.

Thank you, Russ!
"A word fitly (aptly) spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Proverbs 25:11
Very timely and of great Wisdom. Blessings, Abishag

We also have to use judgment to reason things or judge right or wrong.... Kind of like discernment...

I think its best to do as Christ said, though, and take care of our own beams.... The most righteous people I know of are also the least judgmental...but at the same time they are the most ....searching for a word....consistent and correct about general principals. (Still searching for the word...)

Of course in saying that don't mean to be "judgmental.." : ) Seriously - you do a great job as a moderator here on your site Russ... You moderate us in a literal sense.... Moderation in all things..... : )

Thanks...

I love this quote. Have heard it as being said by Nelson Mandela but per an internet search it has been misquoted as such and its author is a Marriane Williamson??? Not sure, but love the text....

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Wow. That's something.

I like that and am like that. I shine for a bit and then the darkness shows it's face which I think is fear but God always pulls me back into the light. He is so wonderful like that it's just too awesome for words.

Interesting thread.. ((( Smiles )))

Yes thats true..
What seems to contradict doesn't..
And going back to the translated word..
and reading the meaning behind it allways helps one to understand the meaning much better...

We are not allowed to judge in the way of condemning or
convicting a soul..
In that context as only God can judge fairly...
Examine hearts....

As..
I think of..
Jehovah is the examiner of hearts. "
{ Proverbs 17:3 }
That should be extremely reassurring for all of us.
Why ?
Because unlike humans , who judge merely by what appears to
the eyes , our heavenly Father ' sees what the heart is ."
{ 1 Samuel 16:7 }

Actually , even we ourselves are not the best evaluators of our
own deepest motives and innermost inclinations. Why ?
Because our " heart is more treacherous then anything else and is
desperate. Who knows it ? "

Well , God knows it for he declares :
" I , Jehovah , am searching the heart , examining the kidneys."
{ Jeremiah 17: 9, 10 }
Yes , Jehovah understands " the heart " -- including our inner motivations
-- as well as " the kidneys " our deepest thoughts and emotions..
{ Psalm 26:2 }

And I believe that many now liveing may yet take a stand before
the " great tribulation " , and they will gain salvation..
Even though it may not seem like it right now..
One never knows only God knows whats possible..
The Apostle Paul changed his heart..
Anything's possible with God..

God looks at the heart..
He see's accurately and judges mercifully..
He has committed judgement into Jesus' hands , not ours.
{ Matthew 7:1-5; 24:21 }

But it's as you posted above..
In that context...

Take Care
Lynn

I totally agree with what you said about the Lord judging the heart Lynn. Very nicely put.

Hi Jeanie, ((( Smiles )))

Glad it's up to God and not up to us..
To make that kind of judgement call..
To have that kind of power..
Us humans have to many off days..
And lots of regrets...

But that makes me think of...
Let Discernment Safeguard You..
In Proverbs...
My son, if you will recieve My words and treasure up My commandments with you, so that you attend to wisdom,
you shall extend your heart to understanding.
For if you cry for discernment, lifeting up your voice for understanding. If you seek her as silver, and search for her
as hidden treasures; then you shall understand the fear of Jehovah, and find knowledge of God.
For Jehovah gives wisdom; out of His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom for the upright.
He is a shield to the ones who walk in integrity, to guard the paths of judgment, and He protects the way of His saints.
Then you shall understand righteousness and judgment and honesty;yea, every good path.
When wisdom enters into your heart; and knowledge is pleasing to your soul; discretion shall keep you; understanding shall watch over you;
To Deliver you from the evil way;
from the man who speaks perverse things; thoses who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil..

" Thinking ability itself will keep guard over you;
discernment itself will safeguard you."

When God asked Israel's King Solomon what blessing he wanted,
the young ruler said: " You must give to your servant an obedient heart to judge your people, to discern between good and bad."
Solomon asked for discernment, and Jehovah gave it to him to an unusual degree.
{ 1 Kings 3:9; 4:30 }

Discernment carries the thought of being able to grasp what is obscure.
Jesus said.. When your eye is simple, your whole body is also bright.." {Luke 11:34}

Blessings Russ!

I had a rough time locating this post...at any rate, here is another interesting article from The 'Institute for CREATION Research'....<www.icr.org>

JUDGING OTHERS ~

"Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1)

This is a very familiar maxim, often cited by unbelievers and carnal Christians as a rebuke to Christians whom they regard as intolerant. These words of the Lord Jesus Christ do, indeed, warn us against a self-righteous attitude, condemning others who disagree with us on the basis of superficial criteria.

On the other hand, this caution by no means relieves us of the responsisbility of evaluating the beliefs and practices of others in the light of Scripture. In the very same sermon, in fact, Jesus said just a few moments later: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine"; and, "beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:6-15). Obedience to such commandments obviously requires one to make a judgment as to whether certain unbelievers should be regarded as "dogs" or "swine," to whom it would be counterproductive to try to speak of spiritual matters; or whether certain professing Christian leaders are actually false prophets who should be repudiated. Jesus also said: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge RIGHTEOUS judgment. (John 7:24).

Since the Scriptures themselves are to be used in the final judgment (John 12:48; Revelation 20:12, etc.), it is obvious that we should use them right now to discern truth and error, right and wrong. "For the word of God....is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

There is another basis of judgment that the Lord Jesus has authorized us to use. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an corrupt tree bring forth good fruit....Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:18-20). Thus, the test of Scripture plus fruit produced, can serve as the basis of a valid judgment. HMM

~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you, Russ, for bringing the TRUTH of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to light, on the Herb Allure Forum (Message Board). Have a blessed New Year 2009.

Blessings and Prayers to you and all
the Team at Herb Allure,
Abishag <><

Very nicely said. Thanks for posting.

We are all manifestations of the divine, and we all walk our own spiritual paths. Judgment is often a negative process which sets us apart from others and feeds the ego. Sending light and love even to those who hurt us is always a positive and helpful action. Some things Jesus said about this:

"Judge not, lest ye be judged."
"Love thy neighbour as thyself."
"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me."

The problem with the "Judge not" statement is that it is constantly mistranslated. It is referring to condemnation, not judgement. See the original Greek in Strong's.

In fact, this thread begins with this explanation. (See the top post in this thread.)

There is evil abounding on this planet, and evil wants nothing more than for people to be "tolerant" of it. Evil wants us to "judge not" the evil, so it can continue unhindered.

The Bible (which is where you get that quote from) constantly tells us to discern all things. We should become sharp enough to know the different between good and evil.

Many today would condemn the Masons for their participation in occult rituals and the destruction of modern civilization ("order from chaos"), but few realize that not only was Joseph Smith a Mason, the temple ceremonies that every Mormon goes through are very similar to Masonic utterances. In fact, some parts of the ceremony are taken word-for-word from Scottish Rite Masonry rituals, of which Joseph Smith was a member.

It's important to know the difference between good and evil because evil's intention is to kill, steal, and destroy. The way we avoid evil is by recognizing it, discerning it, judging it.

Don't let evil have it's way by tolerating the form of blindness that mantras "Judge not". This mantra does nothing more than attempt to blind those who have refused to awaken to the wisdom found in the most important Book ever written.

How "Judge Not" is Destroying America

When you tolerate evil, you're conspiring together with the enemy of your own soul.

I understand what you are saying, Russ, but maybe you misunderstand me. You might judge someone's actions to be unacceptable, and want to do something about them. You might judge, in law, that someone has committed a crime and needs to receive punishment.

What I'm talking about is judging other people themselves, which feeds the ego. This is different from deciding that someone might need your help or guidance, attempting to give it, and finding they are unwilling to accept it -- usually there are lessons to be learned on both sides in such cases. To repeat what I said before, we are all manifestations of the divine and we all walk our spiritual paths. I think it's very important to recognise the divine in others, including our enemies, hence Jesus' teaching about loving your enemy -- this does not mean "do nothing about your enemy's actions." This teaches us to act from a place of compassion, rather than anger or revenge or perceived superiority. I believe this is expressed in what I also quoted above, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." When we measure ourselves and others, we lose sight of the fact that we are all equal parts of the divine; some are simply further along their spiritual paths.

Some people believe that Satan or demons actively try to turn people from the path of light. Whether you believe that dark forces are working to do this, or that some people are simply misguided and make bad choices rooted in fear, accepting one of these two possibilities again shifts the problem from the person to their actions. You can have compassion for the person, who is in need of help, while doing something about their actions. This is different from judging people to be evil, ungodly, etc. I don't personally believe that anyone is.

Ephesians 4:26

Be angry but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath..

So it's O.K. to be angry..
God never says a person can not feel anger or express it.
Or other emotions..
Just not to commit sin because of it..
Like destroying your neighbors property because your angry..
Not letting it turn into wrath.
Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger.

Now on the subject of revenge..

Romans 12:18
If possible, from you, seeking peace with all men.
Not avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place to wrath,
for it has been written,
" Vengence (is) Mine, I will repay , says the Lord."
{Deut 32:35}

Then if (one) hostile to you hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink; for doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head.
{Proverbs 25:21,22}

It goes in line with return no evil for evil..
And love thy neighbor.
Or righteous anger..
But revenge or Judgement belongs to the Lord..
He reads the heart he measures justly..
Us imperfect humans can not do that as..
1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a mirror in obscurity, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I will fully know even as I also was fully known.
But now faith, hope, love theses three remain; but the greatest of these is love.

God is love and God is righteous..
Only God can Judge/Condemn in righteousness..
We can discern we can feel angry or pain or express any God given emotion..
But we see through a glass darkly and only God can see through the glass clearly.
Only God can Judge mankind in that way..
We can discern..

And Russ is right in that..
There is such a thing as mistranslation thats why I look the definitions up.
And try to take it back to the orginal Hebrew or Greek..
Plus.. The oldest manuscripts possible..
Compareing manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls in comparision to the Old Testament..
Like the one scripture of the Sons of Israel in the Old Testament compareing it to reading..
The same Scripture as the Sons of God in the Dead Sea Scrolls..
Which actually makes that subject fit in much better with scripture..
Sometimes reading the definitions, going back to the orginal language it was written in and compareing it to the oldest manuscripts found.
Helps..
That can take alot of effert to do though but it's worth doing..
For thoses who want to understand it much better for them.
As compareing and measuring up that has lead to unhappiness there are scriptures in the Bible about that..
Even from brother to brother.
Yes...


Without laws.. The world would be a lawless mess.
Well, in the worlds imperfections' in a way it is..
but it could be worse.. It could be better too.
I hope for better and thats where my faith leads.
To a just world with a just leader and that leader is
the God of the Holy Bible ..
Thats what I believe to be true.

Stay Well
Lynn

--We Don’t Know Enough

--God is the One who judges. We don’t know enough! We condemn a man for stumbling this morning, but we didn’t see the blows he took yesterday. We judge a woman for the limp in her walk but cannot see the tack in her shoe. Only one who has followed yesterday’s steps can be their judge. Not only are we ignorant about yesterday, we are ignorant about tomorrow. How can you dismiss a soul until God’s work is complete? Philippians 1:6 says, “God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.”

Be careful! A stammering shepherd in this generation may be the mighty Moses of the next. Don’t call Noah a fool. You may be asking him for a lift. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Do not judge before the right time; wait until the Lord comes.”
--In the Grip of Grace/ML

----JUDGING ERROR~~

--“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which causedivisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17-18)-

In order to mark and avoid those professing Christian teachers and leaders who are promoting doctrinal heresy (thus causing divisions among Christian believers), it is obvious that we must exercise sound biblical discernment and judgment. This judgment must be based on “the doctrine which ye have learned” from God’s Word. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

Such decisions are not to be based on supposed scholarship, tolerance, or eloquence, for such teachers “by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” Instead, we must know and apply God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures. We must be like the Bereans, who, when they heard new teachings, “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).

It is sadly true today that many who call themselves Christians have compromised with the pseudo-scientific worldview of evolutionary humanism that controls all secular schools and colleges, hoping thereby to avoid the “offence of the cross” (Galatians 5:11) and to remain on good terms with “the princes of this world” and “the wisdom of this world” (1 Corinthians 2:6).

-They do this for their own personal gain or prestige, however, not serving Christ “but their own belly” (Romans 16:18). Those who are simple Bible-believing Christians are, therefore, not to be deceived by their “good words” but to “mark” and avoid them.

--ICR/HMM
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