Brothers and sisters,
This is a wonderful article by Jacob Prasch. It is not short, but I believe if you read it, you will understand something that few believers do. What about judging? Hold on. This is the best article I have seen that explains judging. It can appear in the scriptures to be confusing because we are told not to judge and commanded to judge. This is priceless!
Judge Not
by James Jacob Prasch
DO NOT SPEAK AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, brethren. He who speaks against a
brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge
the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it (James 4:11).
Do not speak against one another. Do not speak against your brethren. Do not judge your
brother. Is that what it says? Look at verse 4 of the same chapter.
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility to-ward
God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of
God. (James 4:4).
You adulteresses!
Do not judge your brother!
From the pen of the same apostle, in the distance of a few paragraphs, in almost the same
breath that he is saying "do not judge," James calls worldly churches "adulteresses."
Spiritual Adultery
James is probably the oldest book of the New Testament. We know from its Hebraic
background, from the way it draws on synagogue leadership structure and the Scriptures,
that it was obviously written to Jewish Christians.
James is using the Hebrew concept of whoredom or harlotry. Whenever Israel went into
idolatry, God calls it "adultery." Idolatry equals spiritual adultery.
Israel was to be God's woman, in much the same way as the church is the bride of Christ.
The church being unfaithful is like Israel being unfaithful. That idolatry is called
"adultery." It is a very strong term in Hebrew, a very strong concept in the Jewish mind.
By Their Fruit
Every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot
produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits
(Matthew 7:17-20).
Jesus said that you can judge someone by their fruit. In the same chapter, He says, Do
not judge lest you be judged (Matthew 7:1).
First it is, "Judge not lest you be judged," yet He goes on to say, "You will know them by
their fruits." People involved with Toronto and Pensacola say, "You know Toronto/
Pensacola by its fruit and there is good fruit from it."
Jesus never said that you would know a phenomena by its fruit He said that you would
know a person by their fruit.
More than that, even judging a phenomenon by its fruit, you can see that it is not the fruit
of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit self-control, not drunkenness and lunacy.
Contradictions?
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement (John 7:24).
First Jesus says, "Judge not lest you be judged," but then He says, "Judge with right
judgement."
James appeared to contradict himself. Now Jesus seems to contradict himself. Jesus said,
"Don't do it," then He tells you how; to do it. James said, "Don't do it," straight after he
did it.
Therefore you are without excuse, every one of you who passes; judgement, for in that
you would judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same
things (Romans 2:1).
Therefore do not go on passing judgement before the time, but wait until the Lord comes
who will both bring to light the things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the
motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God (1
Corinthians 4:5).
But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother
with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10).
For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him
who has so committed this [the guy in question here was involved in an incestuous
relationship with his father's wife ], as though I were present (1 Corinthians 5:3).
Over and over, Paul says, "Don't judge." But then he passes judgment.
Jesus says, "Don't judge," but then he says to do it and shows you how.
James says, "Don't judge," but then he does it.
Why the contradictions?
God is the Judge
If God says in the Bible that something is wrong, and we see someone or some church do
that thing, we are not judging them, it is the Word of God that judges.
The Hebrew name, "Jehoshaphat" means Jehovah has judged. That is not me or you
judging. We are simply acknowledging, "This is what God says."
James was not calling worldly churches "adulteresses." The Word of God says that, if we
are attached to this world, we are an adulteress church.
Paul was not saying that the man involved with his step-mother was immoral. Paul was
saying that the Word of God says that person was immoral.
If God says that something is plainly wrong, that is not you or me judging, that is God
judging.
That is what it means when it says, "Judge with right judgement." Judging with right
judgement means judging with God's judgement, not with our own.
There is a big problem here -- there are things that I would not do, but which are not
necessarily wrong for someone else.
People's Opinions
I know of a case where some believers, after their wedding, went to a discotheque. (I
would not go to a discotheque unless it was to give out tracts.) I did not feel a peace about
going, but I am not going to make a big deal out of it, no matter what my own misgivings
or feelings.
I know of another case in Ireland where, at a Christian wedding, people danced. Other
people became indignant and began yelling, "You're backsliders," and stormed out of the
wedding, creating a big scene. It split a church. That is people judging.
The word "Laodicea" has to do in the Greek with "people's opinions, people's
judgements." We have no right to make a judgement of another person, but once God
says something is right or wrong,that is not us judging.
Anakrino - To Discern
The Greek word for "judge" is krino.
If you put the prefix "ana" in front of the word "krino," you get a variation on the idea of
himself is judged [anakrino] by no man (1 Corinthians 2:15).
God, in His Word, commands us to anakrino. It is not a right; it is not a privilege; it is not
something that is advisable. We are commanded to do it. And if you do not discern, you
lack wisdom.
There is a reason why false teachers will not stand up publicly and debate someone like
Hank Hangraaff or Dave Hunt.
People who will stand up and say, "That is not Scriptural." "That is not right." "I discern
that this is not of God," are practicing wisdom.
The reason why Michael Brown backed out of his debate with me over Pensacola, and
why Jim McConnell backed out of his debate with me over British Israelism is that they
lack wisdom.
Those who practice wisdom, cannot themselves be judged by anyone. Because they
anakrino, they cannot be anakrinoed. That is why those others are afraid of them.
Diakrino - To Decide
I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be
able to decide [diakrino] between his brethren? (1 Corinthians 6:5).
Another prefix which changes the meaning of krino is "dia." Diakrino means to "render a
decision."
Is something right or wrong? Is someone's behavior right or wrong morally? Is it
Scriptural or unscriptural? Is it of God, or is it of the flesh, or of the devil?
The Holy Spirit speaking through Paul commands that we are to diakrino.
We are not permitted to diakrino. We are not advised to diakrino. We are not privileged
to diakrino. We are commanded to diakrino. It is not that judging is acceptable. Rather, to
fail to judge is unacceptable.
Not Allowed to Go to the Secular
About two months ago a woman and her husband contacted us, very distressed. They had
a four year old girl who was the victim of semi-penetrated sex in a church. She was
molested by a fourteen year old boy, who was supposedly a going to that same church for
years.
This little girl was devastated. She drew me a picture, and as soon as I saw the picture, I
knew what it was.
Now, I do not have much time for secular psychology. I believe in Biblical psychology,
but I do believe in psychology. Biblical psychology is based in the book of Proverbs.
If you want to know why human beings behave and act the way they do, and think the
way they do, read Proverbs. That is the best book of sociology and psycholog there is.
I can agree with human psychology to the degree that it is based on Biblical psychology.
Secular psychology is godless, and sees man as a two dimensional being. It concerns me
that so many evangelicals have gotten into secular psychology and pop psychology.
The little girl drew a picture of a house. Inside the house there were four windows and a
door. Each face inside the house was female, there were no male faces.
And she drew a picture of herself, outside. There was no pelvis. There was no pubic area.
That, according to pediatric psychiatrists, is a very frequent characteristic of drawings by
children who have been sexually abused.
Children of that age will say things with pictures and drawings that they cannot express
verbally. No men and she herself had no mid-section.
Her parents told me, "We don't know what to do. We go to a Baptist church and the
pastor can't advise us because this fourteen year old boy is a Christian, and, based on 1
Corinthians, we are not allowed to go to the secular authorities about another believer.
So, according to his parents, we can't tell the police or the court what has happened. We
are at our wit's end; we don't know what to do. Our daughter is traumatized."
Civil Law/Criminal Law
1 Corinthians 6 refers to Roman law. (The systems of jurisprudence in Britain, Australia
and America are based on the original model in Rome.) 1 Corinthians 6 is talking about
civil law, not criminal law; it is talking about suing someone under civil law, about
litigation, it is not talking about criminal law.
It is 1 Corinthians 5 that talks about an immoral person.
I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother [any so-called Christian] if he
should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a
swindler -- not even to eat with such a one.
For what have I to do with judging [krino] outsiders? Do you not judge [krino] those who
are within the church? (1 Corinthians 5:11-12)
We judge those who are within the church, who are guilty of immorality. Do not even
associate with the person. Chapter 6 is not talking about criminal law. It is talking about
civil law.
That fourteen-year-old should have been dealt with under the criminal law. His identity
would have been protected by the court because of his age.
If something was not done for that kid at the age of fourteen, by the age of eighteen his
life would have been destroyed. He would have been in an institution for pedophiles.
But this fourteen-year-old had a chance. He should have been brought before the
authorities for his own good, and also so that the little girl could have seen justice being
done.
If this kind of stuff is not dealt with by the church immediately, what is going to happen
when these people get older?
The victims are traumatized for their whole lives. It affects their sexuality when they
grow up. And that church could not even give a Biblical answer!
(It was probably a good thing it was a Baptist minister. He could not give a biblical
answer, but if it had been a Pentecostal minister, he probably would have tried to cast
demons out of the little girl!)
I talked to my friend's wife, who is a Christian pediatric psychiatrist, and I showed the
pictures to a Christian pediatric psychologist. They both agreed with the advice I gave the
parents. And the parents referred the matter to the criminal authorities.
But what were these other ones saying? "Do not judge." "You cannot go to the authorities
about another Christian and you cannot judge another Christian."
What were they doing? Giving people a license to sexually abuse little kids?
This is what happens when the church goes away from God's Word.
We are not allowed to diakrino, we are commanded to diakrino; but it has to do with
more than just people.
Judging Prophecy
And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others [diakrino] pass judgement (1
Corinthians 14:29). We are commanded to judge prophecy.
But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not
commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet
shall die.
And you may say in your heart, "How shall we know the word which the Lord has not
spoken?"
When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come
true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken.
The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy
18:20-22).
Jeremiah 14 and Jeremiah 28 says the same thing. Jesus warned that there would be many
false prophets in the last days.
We do not stone them to death any more, but the sin is no less serious. They shall die if
they do not repent.
We are not under the law, but under grace; but their "ministries" should be stoned. 1
Corinthians 14:29 does not say that we are entitled to diakrino prophets or prophecies,
rather we ar commanded to judge prophets andprophecies.
On this basis, Rodney Howard Browne is a false prophet. On this basis, John Wimber
was a false prophet. On this basis, Rick Joyner is a false prophet. And on this basis, Paul
Cain is a false prophet.
Now, that is not my judgement. I cannot krino anybody. The things that God has said will
krino. I have to anakrino. I have to discern. Is this of God or is this of man?
No, it is not for me to judge. I have to diakrino, render a decision on whether it is morally
right or wrong, by biblical standards.
The founders of the Mormon cult and the Jehovah Witnesses were false prophets; they
predicted things that failed to happen. The Roman Catholic nun, Lucia, from Fatima, in
Portugal, is a false prophet; she predicted things that failed to happen. John Wimber and
Paul Cain and Rick Joyner (as well as John Kilpatrick, Michael Brown and Gerald
Coates) are false prophets; they predicted things that failed to happen.
Do I have the right to say that? No, not the right, but the responsibility to say it, the
command from my God in heaven to say it. That is not my judgment; it is what God says
about these people.
Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." If you fail to diakrino, you are
failing to keep His commandments. If you fail to diakrino, you will let these same people
go on giving people "words" from their own flesh or from Satan. People like that should
be brought to account.
Judge Righteously
Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, "Hear the cases between your fellow
countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countrymen, or the
alien who is with him" (Deuteronomy 1:16).
That was not advice; that was a command. Just look at what has happened to our secular society. Everybody is a "victim."
It does not matter that he got blind drunk and he was driving at 90 miles an hour through
a village and killed a little kid on a bicycle. He came from a broken home: he is a
"victim." It does not matter.
I tried to talk to a prostitute the other day. "I do this because my father hung himself."
That was her argument. "I came from a bad situation." I said, "You just told me that your
sister goes to university and she came from the same background, and she thinks that
what you are doing is terrible. sn't she a victim, too?" Nobody is responsible for their own
actions any more in society. But how can we expect society to live up to God's standards,
when the church will not live up to God's standards.
I came from a bad situation. My father drank. I was a drug addict by the age of sixteen,
and I have no doubt whatsoever that, if Jesus had not intervened in my life, I would be
dead by now or a destroyed person of some kind.
It is only because of Him that I went to university and got married and did the things I
have been privileged to do.
Left to myself, I would not have amounted to anything. Nonetheless, I am responsible for
my own life and my own choices.
Salt and Light
If the church will not uphold God's standards of responsibility, how can we expect our
society to be any different?
If we are not upholding His standards, how can we be salt and light to a society that has
turned it's back on God?
No wonder there is crime! The main reason for the moral and social decline of our
society is not because of the unsaved people; it is because of the lukewarm church.
Krisis - Heaven or Hell
There is a kind of judging that we are not called to do. The Greek word is krisis.
For not even the father judges anyone, but He has given all judgement [krisis] to the Son
(John 5:22).
The ultimate determination of heaven and hell belongs to the Lord alone. We never krisis.
We are forbidden to krisis.
Krites - The Judge of All
But you have come to the general assembly and church of the first born who are enrolled
in heaven, and to God, the Judge [krites] of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made
perfect (Hebrews 12:23).
God is the judge of all. Yes, there are people who are called to judge, but God is the
ultimate Judge of us all.
Hupo-Krites - Pharisees
If we are going to stand up and confront other people in the church about something
being wrong, we had better make sure we are not guilty of the same thing, because that is
another kind of judging we are forbidden to do.
Here the prefix hupo is added to krites, giving us the English word "hypocrites."
This is what Jesus meant when he said, Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way
you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to
you.
And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log
that is in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," and behold,
the log is in your own eye?
You hypocrite [hupokrites], first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).
We do not krites and we especially do not hupokrites.
Kritikos - To Discern
For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and
piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to
judge [kritikos] the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Cells called erythrocytes are stored in the red marrow of big bones, like the femur and the
tibia. On the outside there is the bone and on the inside there is the marrow. But in
between there is an area where, even with a microscope, it is very difficult to tellwhere
the bone ends and where the marrow begins.
The Bible says that the relationship between soul and spirit is like that. Take prophecy:
Was that from someone's imagination, or was it God's Spirit speaking through their
spirit? It is very difficult to tell the difference.
Man is a three-dimensional being. You can separate a body from a soul; but you cannot
easily tell where the soul ends and the spirit begins.
When people say, "The Lord showed me this" and "God told me that," it is difficult to
know if it is someone's imagination or God's Spirit speaking to their spirit. The mind is a
good servant, but a dangerous master. Many people overtly demonic, but they are
prophesying from the futility of their own mind.
We are called to kritikos -- to discern between the soulish and the spiritual. The Word of
God enables us to separate the bone from the marrow, the spiritual from the purely
soulish.
Summary
Judge not? What does the Bible say?
1. We never judge from our opinions.
2. We are commanded to anakrino -- we always seek to discern: "Is this of God, or is
it of the flesh,or of the devil?"
3. We are commanded to diakrino -- to render a decision as to whether something is
morally right or wrong.
4. We do not krisis -- the Lord alone decides who goes to heaven and who goes to
hell.
5. We are sometimes appointed to krites -- but we are to remember that the Lord is
the Judge of all, and we are to judge righteously.
6. We never, ever, hupo-krites -- before we take a speck out of our brother's eye, we
make sure we do not have the same speck in our own eye.
7. We always kritikos -- we draw on the Word of God to discern between the things
of the soul and the things of the spirit.
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