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Romans 5:12

June 11, 2010 by Michael Coughlin

Romans 5:12 KJV: Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.

What a great verse to hold in your heart! What does Paul mean by “one man sin entered into the world?” This is a reference to Adam’s sin in Genesis 3:6-7. Adam’s sin in Genesis 3 provides the foundation for the reason we live in a sin cursed world and need a redeemer in a first place. Dear Christian, do not throw this away! In the spirit of “modernity,” many have found it necessary to avoid drawing on and trusting the supernatural, particularly creation. Some will say, “It doesn’t matter what I believe about creation, if I have Jesus, that’s all that matters.” God forbid. It does matter. Your view of creation is a reflection of, or rather a manifestation of, your view of scripture itself. And the same author who said “In the beginning,” (Gen 1:1, John 1:1) also said “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). That author is the Holy Spirit; and His authority is absolute and trustworthy. If you don’t believe Genesis 1-3, tell me, at what point do you start believing?

Here in Romans, Paul confirms that in Adam we all sinned. We all have had a death sentence passed up on us. We all are sinners, and we’ve all sinned. (Rom 3:23) None can stand righteous before God. (Rom 3:10-12) This is important to understand! Hold this verse in your heart to remind you that scripture is sufficient: from beginning to end. Your cleverness is unnecessary; in fact, it will destroy the message. No human author would have conceived of a curse like this, nor redemption in Christ alone, by His righteousness alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, for His glory alone. Read Romans 5:6-19 during your devotion …and see the hope that we can offer others, hope that holds no meaning except that it is declared by the Word…the Word to which we must hold fast!

Filed Under: Creation, Gospel, Memory Verses, Theology Tagged With: Adam, apologetics, Bible, Christ, Creation, Forgiveness, glory, God, Gospel, Grace, Holy, Jesus, power, Righteous, savior, Scripture, sin

Acts 4:12

June 11, 2010 by Michael Coughlin

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for this is none under name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

What’s the biggest obstacle in open-air preaching and evangelism today? I’d say it’s the blatant denial of God and His authority to righteously judge. (Psalm 10:3-4,13) Many folks today, largely due to what is called ‘postmodernism,’ deny the very existence of sin, essentially. No sin means no need for salvation.

What’s the second biggest *problem* I encounter today? What about the LARGE number of people who actually acknowledge sin and, in fact, admit they are sinners? What distinguishes them from those who will not perish? Christ does. John 14:6 (article here).

Why is this important? Because Satan has created counterfeit religious systems; these systems teach partial truths, such as the truth that there is such a thing as sin. Satan is entirely satisfied if you believe you are a sinner, as long as you don’t obey Christ. So false systems have been created which allow men and women to believe they are a sinner, but to deny the truth spoken in Acts 4:12. Neither is there salvation in ANY OTHER (emphasis my own). The apostles not only proclaimed that salvation is available in the Christ, but affirmed Jesus’s own declaration that there is NO salvation in any other. Jesus isn’t an “option.” He is not one of many possible paths to God. He is the only path, and the only path to salvation. Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Church of Christ and Catholicism – these are all religions that deny Christ as the only savior; the only provision for salvation. Christ isn’t one of a number of gods to put on your shelf, He’s God almighty, solitarily! He doesn’t open the door for you to work your way to God, or prove your righteousness to Him; He is the only provision and all the provision!

Does it offend you that I say Christ alone can save? Good! It means you understand the scripture; God has enlightened you to spiritual truths you could otherwise never understand. Praise Him and fall on your knees and beg for His mercy, through Christ alone. If you are not bothered by this it is likely because you are already His; or you are suppressing some truth. (Romans 1:18) You love you sin so you deny its very existence or the power of God. Your pride will not allow you to fully and totally rest on Jesus Christ for your soul’s atonement, because you believe God ought not judge you, or you have a perverted view of God, an idol you worship; usually this is the “God who would never judge.” You make up pithy sayings like, “My god is too big for that” or “My god is love, she would never hate or punish her creatures.”

These statements seem profound in their simplicity from human terms, but they are unscriptural and not based in any truth; they are rooted in “what makes you feel better about yourself.” Christ came to free you from that slavery! The bondage of trusting in an unseen, irrational god. The God of your own reason, or Darwin or Dawkins! Instead you are called to trust in the seen (through the incarnation and revelation through scripture) God, Jesus Christ. You are urged to believe the rational God whose logic is infallible, whose arguments can never lose, whose conclusions are always based on true assumptions and reason.

Dear Christian reader, are you LIVING AS IF you believe this verse? Do you desperately pray for your unsaved family, coworkers, neighbors and acquaintances like they may GO TO HELL ANY SECOND? Do you support other people’s religious activities even if you know they deny salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone? Do you celebrate religious diversity in the name of tolerance and getting along with others, all the while allowing people to be deceived by demons and false teachers? Ultimately, by NOT leading them to the cross, you are, due to your negligence, leading them to Hell. Depraved Indifference is a legal term which we can define as

conduct must be ‘so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime.

For you to say you believe Acts 4:12 is to say you believe that everyone you meet is either going to Hell due to their sin, or on their way to Heaven based on the merit of Christ alone, by His grace alone. For you to approach any individual without the mindset that “this person either LOVES the gospel or NEEDS the gospel” is irrational, based on that belief. So we must always be ready! (1 Peter 3:15) Be encouraged, you carry the most important message ever from the greatest King ever about the most awesome story ever! Share it! Do it with joy, compassion, respect, love and boldness! Everyone NEEDS it or already EMBRACES it, so proclaim it and trust the results to God!

Filed Under: Gospel, Memory Verses, Open Air Preaching, Theology Tagged With: apologetics, Bible, Christ, Forgiveness, glory, God, Gospel, Grace, Holy, Jesus, Mercy, Open Air, people, power, preaching, pride, Righteous, savior, Scripture, sin

Philippians 2:10

June 5, 2010 by Michael Coughlin

Philippians 2:10 KJV – That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth;

Philippians 2:5-11 KJV Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Possibly my favorite portion of scripture! Many times I have looked at the humility of Christ, and been humbled…I want to devote a short essay about Ph 2:10, the memory verse for this week, but in order to do that, I felt verse 5 was the latest possible starting point to read into context. Here again, Christ’s perfect attributes are exemplified; even exalted! Essentially, Paul declares that Christ, who had every right to claim of deity, and the benefits thereof, willingly and humbly submitted himself to death on the cross and living as a man as the result of the incarnation. Now getting to verse 9, we see that He is highly exalted: elevated by praise! Why? So that at HIS NAME EVERY knee will bow. I prefer the Php 2:10 NASB translation; and I don’t think it is a bad translation, I think it is the best one if you review the original and cross reference Romans 14:11.

And now, you ask, what could Paul possibly mean by EVERY? I mean, people argue all the time that God didn’t mean “the whole world” in John 3:16, right? Let’s turn to scripture: things in Heaven, things in Earth and things under the Earth! Scripturally, I can’t think of “anyone else.” This encompasses the entire population of Heaven and Earth, all creatures great and small, if you will. And I contend, things under the Earth refers to the dead who are not saved. That means that the very same people who will curse God in this life, who will blaspheme His Name, who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, who deny Christ…not only will they suffer an eternity of torment, but they will ultimately bow to Christ as well. And as we see in verse 11, they will also confess Him as Lord. Please Lord, forgive me for my pride and lack of compassion for the lost today, and cause me to share the good news with others, so that they might confess Him as Lord in this life, and put their faith in Him, so that they may be part of the “things in Heaven.”

Filed Under: Gospel, Memory Verses, Theology Tagged With: attributes of God, God, humility, Jesus, people, pride, savior

2 Timothy 1:7

May 28, 2010 by Michael Coughlin

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I’m a KJV guy…not “KJV only” guy, but I often read the KJV, and when I do memory verses I always use the KJV. I have become a big ESV fan lately for reading and studying though. Anyway, the reason I share this is because I would like to show you how studying multiple versions is essential sometimes for proper understanding of the scriptures. It’s also a lot easier for people to do than studying Greek or Hebrew!

So let’s look at 2 Tim 1:7 NASB, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” Now that’s a little different, isn’t it? What if I told you that the word “cowardice” could be used instead of the word “timidity” or “fear?” It is worth noting that the word translated “fear” in this verse is different from the word translated “fear” in the following verses: Rev 14:7, 15:4, 19:5, 11:18, 1 Pet 2:17, Heb 13:6, 11:27. There are several others as well, if you do a word search for G5399 “phobeo.”

My point is this. There are (at least) 2 definitions for fear that we must understand. The first definition, the one used in the verses above that describe a proper fear of God, implies reverence. The word used in 2 Tim 1:7 is a different word. This word has more to do with the cowardice and timidity that people often have out of a desire for SELF-preservation. Let me be clear. God DID GIVE us the SPIRIT OF FEAR and AWE and REVERENCE OF HIM. If you have this, it is from HIM. What God has not given us is the spirit of cowardice that Paul was warning Timothy of in 2 Timothy. If you read the 2 letters to Timothy, you will see that Timothy struggled with the fear of men. He feared persecution for the gospel; I also infer that he was even afraid of some of his own church members’ opinion of him and “his youth.” (1 Tim 4:12) While it is clearly true, and biblical to look up to “elders,” (people of the faith for many years), it is also true that the Holy Spirit may choose to work in any believer’s heart at any rate. Take Paul for example…he wasn’t a Christian for very long before he began preaching and teaching and sharing God’s Word with others! Now he had a lot more special revelation than anyone else, but the concept still applies; the Holy Spirit can and will reveal to a man that which He chooses, and we should test men by what the Bible says, not their apparent reputation, education or age. (Although these factors can be useful!)

Now I’m finally getting to the point of the verse! Paul is telling Timothy that any timidity or fear he had, (as it pertained to his duties as a preacher-teacher-pastor-evangelist), was not the result of God. On the contrary, God had already provided Timothy (as well as all believers) with a spirit of Love, power and self-control, a disciplined mind. Fear of persecution, rejection, or loss of relationships is a self-centered, self-preserving thought, and if captured by your mind and subjected to Christ (Philippians 4:8, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) you will not be able to remain that way for long. Even if the fear remains, the cowardice or timidity which paralyzes you, and keeps you from acting correctly, (e.g., sharing the gospel), will be overcome by your love for God, the power you know He possesses and will display through you, and the disciplined mind you have cultivated as the result of the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23)! As Tony Miano has reminded me, the cowardly will see the Lake of Fire too (Revelation 21:8), not because works reconcile a person to God, but because if 2 Tim 1:7 is true, then truly regenerate people are no longer “cowards!”

Finally, what are we to conclude about fear anyway? Is it a God-given instinct which aids in preservation of the species? Is there a true fight or flight reaction to external stimuli that God put in us so that we would survive? While this is possible, and there is circumstantial data to show that these phenomenon do seem to occur, I will maintain that biblically we are NOT given a spirit of fear by God. Our sound mind, if anything is that which, and ought to be that which, we use to determine whether to approach a situation, although it does seem we use this to interpret the feelings of timidity we often experience. Let me put it this way. Imagine a person filled with the Holy Spirit, completely trusting that God is sovereign and powerful and Good. Imagine this person believes that every moment of their life is already known by God and every event falls into God’s Holy decree (as the Bible declares). Is it reasonable to believe this person would ever experience self-preserving fear? How many cubits might he add to his stature, (Luke 12:25) or how many years to his own life will he add with this worry? (see Luke 12:22-30) A person who truly trusts the One True God cannot worry! The problem, as always, is a heart problem. We all need to have our hearts turned more toward Him, our focus on Christ as Savior and Lord and Provider, Author and Perfecter (Heb 12:2) of our Faith! It is impossible to worry about self-preservation when you believe that it is God who grants your every breath! It is unreasonable to fear rejection of men when you know you are a child of the King and are but an ambassador on His behalf. None of us, in this life, will ever be fully filled with the Spirit and perfectly live this out, but we can grow in this direction, and trust that the cowardice and timidity we face here will be gone once the curse is lifted. I can say with certainty that Adam did not experience this problem before the fall, and we will not know these terrible emotions after Christ returns. Our world is sin-cursed, and this is just another byproduct of the unholiness we love as sinful men. Praise Jesus for the rebirth of men’s souls, yours included if you are one of His!

If you are finding ministry difficult and fearful, why? Are you actually sharing God’s Word or are you sharing your thoughts and words as the emphasis instead of His? Are you concerned with what people think of you or where they spend eternity and How Christ is magnified? Be unashamed! (Romans 1:16) If there is anything to fear, it would be Christ denying you before His father! (Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 10:32-33) Make sure you are right with Him and then trust Him for every need!

Filed Under: Gospel, Love, Memory Verses, Theology Tagged With: Adam, apologetics, attributes of God, Bible, Christ, Creation, Forgiveness, God, Gospel, Grace, Holy, Love, power, savior, Scripture, self-control, sin

Isaiah 64:6

May 21, 2010 by Michael Coughlin

Isaiah 64:6

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And we are all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Wow, this verse it tough to remember.  I think it is because I have heard so many translations of it…and for a long time I thought it ended at the word “rags!”

Let’s take a look at it and see if that helps us memorize it!  Many evangelists will tell you that this verse should be a memory verse for evangelizing.  The first half basically calls us unclean, and compares our righteousness to filthy rags.  What this is saying is that in God’s eyes, even the things we do which seem to be “right” (or quite possibly do, in a literal sense meet the requirements of the law) are nothing more than a filthy rag to him.  Why is this?  Because our hearts are deceitful and wicked, (Jer 17:9).  Even the things we do that seem “right” are not done out of a pure heart and a love for God.  Our righteousness, when it comes from ourselves is abominable to Him.  Any self-sufficiency we have is downright insulting to the One who holds all things together and provides all.  To believe that we have anything inherent in ourselves to impress God with is unreasonable and, in fact, punishable by death…for it is sin.

Think of the folly of this line of thinking: Do you ever think God looks down at a large skyscraper or a strong weightlifter, or billions of dollars in a bank account and thinks, “Wow, that is impressive!”  Certainly not!  It’s absurd to believe that the Creator of all would be impressed with anything at all that creatures do!  The God that accepts human offerings of sacrifice or religion is an idol, created by the minds of men who deny truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).  Reason with me, please!  If there is a god, he could not be coerced or moved by human will, else he would not be God!  And there is a God – and He is not compeled by men!  He wills and does as he pleases!  (Eph 1:4-5)

How about the second half, maybe that tempers the previous haunting thought a bit…we all do fade as a leaf?  What?  This sounds like we are considered weak, and dying vessels.  Our iniquities (sin, lawlessness) take us away like the wind takes away a leaf.  Think about this, leaves don’t even FIGHT against the wind.  I don’t think I am taking the analogy too far by saying we are no different when it comes to SIN before coming to a relationship with God through Christ.  How powerless we are!  Keep in mind who controls the wind and has power over weather! (Luke 8:24).  Even in Job 1:12,19, you can see that it is the Lord who grants that power to Satan if He sees fit to bring Him glory that way.

What a pride-crushing concept!  How can a man ever please God then?  By being brought In Christ, by the Holy Spirit.  When His righteousness is what shines through us (Mt 5:16, 2 Cor 4:6-7) we cannot help but please Him, because He is perfect, and He is always pleased with Christ, and only with Christ.

Filed Under: Creation, Gospel, Memory Verses, Theology Tagged With: apologetics, attributes of God, Christ, Creation, God, Gospel, Grace, Jesus, people, pride, Righteous, savior, Scripture, sin

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

May 19, 2010 by Michael Coughlin

Mat 7:1 KJV Judge not, that ye be not judged.

What a tough verse to ponder! It sounds simple, but if you’ll bear with me, you’ll see that there must be more to this verse than what appears plain from a simple reading. Out of context, and all by itself, this verse seems to be a command not to judge…but in context, and using legitimate rules of interpretation and sound logic, I’ll show that this verse commands something different, and nearly opposite of that! When I’m finished, we will understand why false converts, false teachers and nonbelievers everywhere are shouting this verse from the rooftops, and you’ll be ready to defend your faith when you are accused of not being Christlike, because you are “judging.”

I. What is Judging?

I looked up judge at www.m-w.com and www.dictionary.com. The best definition seemed to be: “to form an estimate or evaluation of” or “to hold an opinion”. I will ask you to please accept my working definition, “to qualify or evaluate the righteousness of someone, something or some act.” Or, “to determine whether something is right or wrong or neither.” This requires quantification and qualification, as well as a standard with which to compare the measure. I can also judge whether something is tall or short, long or narrow, but that is not the kind of judging that is being discussed here.

Thus, the act of judging is essentially two parts:

  1. Observing or quantifying – This is rarely looked down upon in our society. It is the second step which most people degrade or bring to a low esteem. You can notice several things via observation: the time of day, your spouse’s weight gain, a blemish on your friend’s skin or that someone’s behavior is homosexual, for example. These are observable “items,” if you will. They have quantifiable attributes, such as 8:30PM, 13 pounds, a red spot about 4 mm in diameter and a same sex relationship respectively. Notice no qualification has been made, only statements of fact or measurements.
  2. Qualifying – This is the part so many people have a problem with. But let’s look at what it is. Qualification is the act of comparing the measurement made in step one to a standard and rating the item which was observed. In the example above, 8:30PM, if compared with 8:00PM for a start time of a ballgame would mean, “you’re late!” Of course, if you are asking what time it is and you don’t need to be anywhere until 9, then 8:30PM might mean “early.” Thirteen pounds of weight gain could be a problem or it could be a success story! A red spot on your friend’s skin could be a pimple or it could be a warning to your friend to go to the doctor. Observing that someone engages in same sex relationships, (not just friends, you know what I mean), must be qualified based on some standard, if at all. So to say it is right or wrong is to ascribe to same sex relationships a rightness or wrongness. If homosexuality is inherently wrong, then homosexual relationships ought be “judged” as wrong. If homosexuality is right, then the opposite. Neutrality is also possible, and we’ll cover this.

So judging, in the context that we are discussing, is the two part act of observing some behavior, comparing that behavior to some standard, and ascribing the behavior a value of right, wrong or neither.

II. Is it possible not to judge? Is it judging to even determine that someone is judging in the first place?

What’s the real problem people have? Do people really think engaging in the act above ought not be done? How would anyone ever choose a restaurant, or a babysitter for their child? How would organizations choose which employees to hire, sports team choose which players to fire and universities which students to accept and reject, if not for passing judgment? Clearly, judgment is a necessary and good thing, when used properly. What “non-judging” advocate walks outside on a cold winter day with a swimsuit on? None, because they judged the weather to require warm clothing.

The very act of telling someone else they are judging is a simply an observation. But for the ‘non-judgment’ crowd to cry foul when they see judging is, itself, a judgment. So to qualify someone’s behavior as judgmental and therefore wrong, is a judgment! There’s a pot calling the kettle black, eh? True to Proverbs 26:5, it would be folly for someone to tell other’s not to judge, and then to judge, themselves. You may tell people all you like that they are judging, but to tell people judging is wrong and that they shouldn’t do it, or can’t do it? Well, that’s just hypocritical!

Ultimately, it is impossible not to judge. We survive by making good judgments; many die from bad ones. Men and women prosper financially, success in business and school and relationships thanks in part to good judgment. And we all know someone whose miserable situation is the result of their own bad judgment. We must judge; it is how we determine who we would vote for, who to follow as a mentor at work, who to start at quarterback or tackle and whether to discipline children or reward them!

III. The problem is really: “How do you decide which standard to use for comparison?” and “Why are you judging me?”

Folks, let’s face it, the real problem you have with judging is you don’t like the standards that some ‘judges’ use. I’m the same way. I think slow, overweight men who don’t like getting hit should be in the NFL. Not really, but, for example, I don’t qualify for the NFL…but only by their standards! If you used a different standard, one that put me in the ‘top half’, then I could play! But that’s not reality is it? The NFL’s standard is its own, and they have a right to it, and they’ll adjust it as they see fit based on the number of teams they have along with other factors.

Let’s look at a more personal type of judgment. Let’s say I am told I am overweight. I may be. And if you tell me I’m overweight, because according to the American Heart Association I exceed their standard and that you are concerned because you care about me, that will likely be taken differently from if you just walked up and patted my belly and said, “maybe its time to take the steps some more!” There’s two reasons for this: reason one is that appealing to a higher authority for your standard will very often be taken with a better attitude because often the person may agree with the standard, or at least they’ll respect the standard; reason two is what the object of the judgment deems to be your motivation for the judgment. If I believe you are judging me because you care about my health, I may be more apt to listen and heed your words of advice than if I just feel mocked or insulted.

Looking at the example above, it is clear that if the American Heart Association is WRONG, then I am not overweight! But how does that affect the idea of judging. Is my friend wrong, or unloving, because they appealed to that standard and pointed out to me how I compared to that standard? In this case, probably not. That is a reasonable standard. And frankly, if they really believed that organizations standards for health are good, for them to point them out to me is helpful and loving. I might disagree with their standard, or I guess I could argue that their measurement is inaccurate, but the truth is, all they did was point out to me factually that I weigh more than the AHA standard. As a matter of fact, my friend did little more than hold up a mirror to me and just allow me to see what they already saw.

My friend may be very wrong, of course. The standard they choose could be a wrong one! Like my NFL player standard I listed above was. But I think what we can see is that the actual act of observing is not inherently a wrong act, (and if it is we’d all be in trouble), and actually judging cannot be a wrong act. The standards we use with which to judge are the points on which so many of us differ. And in many cases, that is ok. I like crunchy peanut butter. So I judge peanut butter based on crunchiness…a creamy peanut butter lover will definitely rate the same jars of peanut butter different from me! That’s ok. But when we are talking about people’s health, people’s eternity and morality and its effect on society, our standards DO matter.

That’s why it is so important to appeal to a higher authority. As in the weight example above. Appealing to the AHA makes the judgment more legitimate. In the case of morality, when people appeal to their own ‘self’ for authority, that carries no weight with other people. If we all judge ourselves by our own standards, then we would all be ok all the time. Most people generally live up to their own standards (or they lower their standards). No, we must appeal to a greater authority. We don’t let people (usually) drive whatever speed they feel like, we set up limits, or standards, to follow, for safety and for the good of society. Every law “on the books” is an attempt by the lawmaker to impose his or her will and morality upon the people who are subject to the law. Don’t try to argue that my morality doesn’t apply to you; that very statement is folly, as you are applying your morality to me in making it.

IV. So then, what ought not be judged…who ought not judge? What was Jesus saying?

Alright, here is where I’ll lose some of you. The very name of Jesus Christ is so offensive to you, you won’t keep reading. Or you’ll roll your eyes and start skimming because you’ve already decided Jesus isn’t worthy of your consideration. That’s your right…but if you ever find yourself quoting the verse Matthew 7:1 to a Christian by whom you feel judged, then you ought to pay attention. It is not only unreasonable, but a logical fallacy for you to deny Christ but try to use His words as suppositions.

Let’s look at this verse in context. Jesus was presenting what was commonly known as “The Sermon on the Mount” when he uttered these words. He was nearing the end of a long sermon concerning sin, repentance, faith and conversion. His particular attack was on the self-righteous, religious people of the day, mostly pharisees. (Matthew 5:20) Jesus finished chapter 6 with an exhortation for the people to seek the kingdom of God, to be content with what God provides. Then he utters “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Immediately following this statement, he warns the hypocrites of the day that with the same judgment they are passing upon others, they “shall be judged.” From Jesus’ perspective, he is warning the evil doers of the day to stop worrying about what they see other people doing, and instead be more concerned with the sin in their own hearts. You don’t believe me? Keep reading Matthew 7:3-6. Christ’s famous words about the plank in your own eye! So many people have interpreted this to mean that we must not look at the sin of anyone else, but to always and only look at our own. But read Jesus’ words. He says (Mt 7:5 KJV) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. (emphasis my own). Note that the command is to get your own heart right with God first, be cleansed of your own sin, be ye holy, THEN you will be capable and spiritual enough to help your brother or friend! (see also, Gal 6:1).

In Mt 7:6, Jesus makes an even greater case for discernment and judgment when He tell us not to cast pearls to swine, or that which is holy to dogs!
Matthew 7:15-16, furthermore, warn us of false prophets…how will we know them? By their fruits. By judging their fruit to be evil! In fact, we are commanded to judge. But the standard by which we are to judge is NOT OUR OWN, (Mt 7:1), it is God’s standard, His Word, His Holy laws and statutes. And we are to judge NOT for the purpose of puffing ourselves up, or for comparison, but for the edification of our brethren. To help others. In order to be able to warn people! Like a loving wife or a good doctor would warn an unhealthy man who is eating poorly. Like a loving mother would warn her son to stop his bad behavior before he ends up arrested. Like a loving friend would warn another person who they see in danger.

V. What can I judge then?

So when a born again believer in Christ preaches repentance and faith, are they judging? Is this the wrong form of judging? Let’s first start by saying that its possible that a person is preaching out of self-righteousness and that they truly don’t care to help others. But let’s assume for this example that we are talking about someone who is truly trying to warn others that there is a wrathful God who will not be appeased by the works of the hands of men. That this God is righteously angry with sinners because the Bible declares it, and that there is a way, only one way to escape this wrath, and that is in Christ. What is really going on here?

Of course, people will err, but this is the goal toward we aim. If the person is a decent preacher or evangelist, with sound theology, the following ought to be true.

  1. The speaker will be aware that it is only by grace they themselves are saved, and that only God’s grace keeps them in good standing with God. (Eph 2:8-9) Humility is the natural result of this knowledge and self-righteousness should be discarded quickly by bible-believing Christians. Jesus spoke harsher to none other than the self-righteous. (Luke 3:7, Mt 12:34)
  2. The speaker will have a heart that loves the things that God loves…and consequently, hate the things God hates. The speaker will love mankind, and wish for others to be saved. (2 Peter 3:9) He or she will hate sin, (Proverbs 6:16-19, Psalm 7:11, Psalm 5:5), and will want to tell people of the terrible damage that sin causes.
  3. And finally, and probably the hardest part, a good evangelist will try to use God’s standards to measure or judge their fellow man’s behavior, in order to show that man the true nature of his heart, that he might repent of his sin. A good evangelist will call another’s behavior what it really is. We use words like lying, stealing, adultery, hatred and blasphemy. We don’t sugarcoat something. We point out the sin of sex outside marriage, and the fact that marriage is only defined as between a man and a woman. We don’t “judge” in the conventional sense. We observe behavior, then compare it to a standard set forth in the Bible. We then allow people to see their true status before God. Naked, helpless, spiritually poor, and headed for judgment. No, my good friend, I do not judge, but God does, and will (Acts 17:31, Heb 9:27). We warn of the judgment to come. Since the beginning, the righteous have been accused in this way, (Gen 19:7,9). And by righteous, we always mean, those who have been made righteous before God, by His grace, through faith in Christ alone.

VI. Conclusion

By all reason, it is clear that it is not only impossible to stop judging altogether, but to even attempt to would be a grave error (in judgment LOL). The act of judging is as natural to humans as any other survival instinct, and we are commanded by God to be good judges. I’ve shown it to be logically fallacious for an “anti-judging person” to actually ascribe to the act of judging a value of “wrong” in that their own argument refutes itself, and is considered “absurd” by academic standards. And finally, it is clear that ultimately, it is not the act of judging that people really abhor…it is the standard that some of us choose to us by which to judge. No one is offended when they are judged “right,” it seems. It is when they are on the “wrong” side that they cry out against any judgment at all. Homosexuals, fornicators, abortionists, idolaters, blasphemers, liars and thieves…they will all be judged by God, whether they like it or believe it or not! (Rev 21:8) as Penn Gillette, a well known atheist comedian said, (paraphrase) “How much do you have to hate someone, if you believe in Heaven and Hell, not to tell them how to avoid Hell?”

So clearly, the most loving act anyone can do is share their beliefs, and share them with reason and logic. Hate my assumptions all you want, I already wrote a blog post about presuppositions! Deny my thesis, but don’t try to argue with the logic; that’s a fool’s graveyard, it’s sound. But at least stop using my Savior’s Words improperly, it’s called perversion and there’s a serious penalty for it as well. (Mt 12:36) Flee the wrath to come, by embracing the loving abundant grace of God, who sent Jesus to die for your sins, if you will change your mind about your sin and put your faith in Christ as your Savior, the only way.

VII. Epilogue – Determining a standard by which to judge your standard?

For those of you who like extra credit, here it is. How do you decide which standard to pick? I mean, seriously, why should I believe the American Heart Association…why not appeal to an even higher standard? Why should I take your word for anything? The point here is that we all need to appeal to an ultimate standard at some point. If you do not, you always leave yourself open to being wrong. I mean, if you appeal to something that you admit is not an absolute standard or authority, why should anyone believe it’s true? Do you see? It’s essential that there is an ultimate standard or authority. I use the Bible. The Bible works for this purpose because the Bible appeals to NO OTHER AUTHORITY. The Bible declares itself to be the ultimate authority. (2 Tim 3:16-17, Psalm 19:7-12, Psalm 119:103-105). Creation and experience confirm the Bible’s truths, but they do not prove it. The Bible proves itself like a hungry lion proves itself in a sheep pen. It needs no outside help. Deny it all you wish, but what is your standard of truth and righteousness? What is your measuring stick? It is something in you? Beware! (Jer 17:9-10). Is it your friend, or group of friends? What do you think Hitler’s standard was? Stalin’s? Horrifying things have been done by men who make their own standards for judging right and wrong. Only one from an ultimate authority can do. Only God can be that ultimate authority. And only One God is true. Either He is or He isn’t. I take it on faith that He is, and I hope you will too.

Filed Under: Gospel, Love, Theology Tagged With: apologetics, Bible, Christ, Forgiveness, God, Gospel, Grace, Holy, humility, Jesus, Love, people, pride, Righteous, savior, Scripture, sin

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