Thou Shalt Not Judge 19 Jun 16

The phrase “thou shalt not judge” is used and abused. It’s quickly tossed out by those wanting to get off the hook for something that God never said was okay. What did God really say?

How to judge in a fair and Biblical way:

We let Scripture be our guide (Matthew 18:15-17; Matthew 7:6)
Clean your own house first
Do it only for the good of others (Galatians 6:1)

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TEXT: Matthew 7:1-6; Matthew 18:15-17; Galatians 6:1; Matthew 5:14

“Thou Shall Not Judge.” Many people, including those who are not Christians, hold tightly to that belief. It’s not in the Bible and God didn’t say that. Why do you think the belief has become so popular?
Jesus did say in Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” What kind of judgment is Jesus referring to here?
When is it ever okay to judge those around us? What kinds of judgments has God called us to make?
When it comes to judging others, it is always to save them from destructive decisions and the consequences that those decisions bring. So when we do judge others in the correct way, there are three ways to do so.
1. We let Scripture be our guide. Read Matthew 18:15-17 and discuss the steps that it suggests.
2. We need to make sure that we clean our own houses first. What does that mean? How does hypocrisy play into all of this?
3. We do so for their good and for spiritual growth, not so that we can say, “I told you so!” How can personal motivation affect the way we express our concerns? Read Galatians 6:1. What is the right attitude to have as we restore one another?
Read Ephesians 4:14-16. What are some things that you can do in your own life to be assured that you approach any kind of necessary judging in the right way?

Daily Bible Readings for the week of 06/19/2016:

Day 1: Leviticus 19:14-18

Day 2: John 7:24

Day 3: Ephesians 4:29-32

Day 4: 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Day 5: Titus 2:11-15

Day 6: Ephesians 2:1-10

Day 7: James 2:14-26