- The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness. -
Thou shalt not judge.
It’s one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Many people outside of the church love it. They do so because they see people within the church judging them harshly.
You cannot follow this simple command by your God? Then how dare you call yourself Christian. I am obviously more Christlike than you who purports to be His follower.
Many people within the church hate the banter surrounding this verse because of this tactic (perhaps you could go so far in certain situations to call it bullying).
You will see Christians tie themselves in knots trying to show that this verse doesn’t mean what it plainly means.
Of course, we are to judge. How else will be able to call sin - sin? We have to call out things that grieve God no matter where they can be found.
Why then do I call this one of my favorite verses despite the confusion it causes within the church and society? It is because the verse has nothing to do with the argument surrounding it.
In many ways, we all act like Pharisees, trying to determine with our worldly understanding the meaning of a verse that has nothing to do with us.
Why are we not to judge? Because there is only one Judge.
There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
It will surprise you possibly to know that this verse comes directly from James, chapter 4 verse 12.
Does this mean we do not live lives according to God’s will? Does it mean we do not witness to the unsaved? How can we know if we cannot discern what pleases God?
And here we see the truth. Christians are not supposed to judge but warn of judgement. All know in their hearts that the secret actions they take are stored against them.
Whether they believe it or not, all feel the corruption of living against the force of Being itself. Their own lives become a judgment, forcing them to see their own foolishness.
What foolishness is it they have succumbed to? By saying you cannot judge me they mean more than what they say. They mean no one can judge me.
Not even the King of Heaven. They don’t believe in Him and use His own words to belittle His followers, exposing their own foolishness.
Reminds me of a showdown in the wilderness.
What happens when you believe there is no judge or that His will cannot be known?
You might begin to believe that your sexual relationships don’t matter. Afterall, nobody is hurt. There is no crime!
You may think the consequences of those sexual actions should be erased. A night of pleasure willing entered shouldn’t result in a lifelong financial burden.
No one has been hurt, save for the embryos.
What then will stop you or others from leaving the natural use of each other’s bodies? You will feel it a moral obligation to give homosexual couples the same cultural standing as heterosexual ones.
If men’s and women’s bodies have lost their purpose (rearing children), then why not allow them to be interchanged?
Why not remove their ability to serve the Lord in one of His earliest commands?
Why not butcher your body like the pagans?
Why be judged?
Ecclesiastes 10:13