Who Are You To Judge?
When I was in 9th grade, I was the new kid to the school that year. It had been several months since school started, and other students were still trying to figure me out. Then one day one of the students in homeroom asked me, “Are you a Christian?” And I said, “No.” Then he along with others sitting around me, started judging me and talking about all the sins they thought I might have possibly committed. I remember thinking at one point, “Who are you to judge me?” and said to them “Why should I be a Christian if you're not living the way you're supposed to?” Then the bell rang, and it was time to go to the next class. What they didn’t know was that, while I wasn't a Christian, I did go to church. The students who sat around me judging were known for doing things they should not have been doing. These students had mouths worse than sailors, they were gossips, they were disobedient to their parents, foolish, and there was one girl who was known for being promiscuous. That was in 1999. I didn’t accept Jesus in 2004.
Last Episode Recap
Thanks for tuning in to this Episode of the Grafted Podcast. I just want to say a quick thank you for everyone that has been praying for our family and supporting our ministry. We just hit 80% of our monthly missions budget and have started the VISA process. We have $1800 left in monthly support to raise before we can go back to Spain. Our goal is to be finished fundraising by December, and if the Lord wills to move to Madrid by the end of December. Thank you again for your prayers and financial support. To find out more about how you can become one of our ministry partners please visit our website www.showingtheworld.com and click on the Donate Now tab.
Last episode we looked at Romans chapter 1 vs 28-32 and what happens for those who don’t acknowledge or have faith in God. Through Paul's example, we saw how God never gives up on anyone, but he will, however, allow them to go their own way, and to live the way they want to live. Today that relates to people living the “You do you” lifestyle, then to help themselves feel better they encourage others to do the same things they were doing. Eventually, this leads to suffering the consequences of their actions. As Christians, we should use Paul's example to live for Christ, stay on the right track with God, and do our best to live up to his standards through our faith in Jesus.
Intro
In this episode, we are looking at Romans 2:1-5, Who are you to judge!?
Remember Paul is addressing the Church in Rome which was made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers. There was a small group of Jewish believers that Paul is calling out here. This group considered themselves to have the highest of morals. So they looked down on and judged others because they had higher standards of living than the other people living in the community. They also believed that God’s condemnation did not apply to them.
So let's look at these first 5 verses of Romans chapter 2:
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, everyone of you who judges. For in passing judgement on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgement of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgement of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed.”
Before we dig in, I want to point out two things. First, while Paul is talking about judging, he is not talking about judging for Church discipline. There is a time and a place for church discipline to happen. This typically happens when a believer has had what is considered a moral failure and is unrepentant. At that point, the pastor, church board, deacons, elders, and other church governing authorities step in to judge and discipline. This is Biblical and each Christian denomination has their own set of bylaws that helps guide this process. As an ordained Assemblies of God Minister, I have witnessed church discipline, and it is not fun for anyone or any side that is involved. BUT, this is not what we are talking about in this episode.
The second thing I want to point out is that Paul is not talking about judging our fellow Christians as a form of accountability. This is where one Christian notices another who is struggling in an area that may be known or unknown. When a Christian sees another doing something they are not supposed to, they are to judge as in, calling into question the situation. But this is not to judge, as in condemning the person, but instead to gently help them stay right with God. Again, not what we are talking about in this episode.
Now that we have that out of the way, we can look at what Paul is really talking about.
Calling Out the Judges
Paul starts chapter 2 by saying, “You have no excuse! You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad.(NLT)” He is directly referring to what he said in Chapter 1 verses 28-32 where God let people go to live their own way and to do what should not be done, and then he gave a list of the things they were doing. The small group of Jewish believers we talked about earlier along with other believers were judging people for their ungodly living.
The issue with that is that the same people who were judging non-believers, were doing some of the same exact things. While they believed in Jesus Christ, they were still actively involved in sinful acts such as gossiping, slandering, boastful, heartless, and being envious and deceitful. While they know the rules, they thought that their faith would allow them to still practice these things. But that was not the case.
Paul calls these judgy people out by saying “When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. (NLT)” These believers were caught red-handed! There is a story in John chapter 8 where the Pharisees brought Jesus a woman who had been caught in adultery. The believers Paul was referring to, were acting just like the Pharisees. Romans 2:1 was Paul’s way of saying what Jesus said in John 8:7 “Let those who are without sin be the first to throw a stone…(mixed translation)”
The Thought Process
Paul knew about the two thought processes that these people had in the back of their mind who thought they were better than others.
First thought
Their first thought is that they had Escaped God’s Judgment. This is found in verse 3.
“Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgement when you do the same things?”
They thought that because they had faith in Jesus, that they would escape the judgement of God. They also forgot who the judge, jury and executioner actually is, so they began taking it upon themselves to be those three things. And they showed absolutely no mercy to those they were judging. Paul insisted that they were condemned because they were doing the same exact things they were judging others for. He knew that someday every one, including us today, will appear in our true character and stand in judgement before Jesus. When we do, we will receive what is due to us (our reward or punishment) based on the things we have done while living. Paul suggests that when believers judge others for something they do also, that they are going to be judged the same way.
Jesus talked about judging others in Matthew chapter 7. In verse 2 he said,
“for with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”
This is judging in the sense of sentencing someone or condemning someone for their actions. There is a difference between wondering if someone is going to Hell because they don’t have faith in Jesus, and condemning someone to hell because of their sinful lifestyle.
In 1 Corinthians 4:4b & 5 while talking about the ministry of the Apostles Paul said,
“It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”
The Second Thought
The second is that they took for granted what God had done for them.
We see this in verse 4 where Paul said,
“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (NLT)”
These Judgy believers had grown arrogant and entitled. They had a false sense of security believing that since they were Jewish believers, they had possession of God’s law. They became self-righteous. This caused them to take for granted that God was patient with them, and how He gave them time to turn from their evil rebellious ways. In the way they were judging others, they became ignorant of what God did for them.
Paul was concerned that their overconfidence in their “special” status with God, and their unwillingness to repent of sin, showed disrespect for God’s blessings. So he reminded them that God’s purpose is to lead people toward repentance and to return to Him. This happens through God's kindness and His patience.
Peter teaches in 2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Instead of showing people God in a positive light, these Jewish believers were judging others in a way that showed contempt for the kindness, tolerance and patience of God.
Paul’s Warning
So now that Paul has called out these two through processes, he brings down the hammer on the arrogant believers with a warning in verse 5.
“Because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed.”
Paul was enforcing the idea that because they were judging others for the same things that they were doing, they were throwing judgement and condemnation on themselves. This was his way of telling them they need to ask for forgiveness and turn from their sin or there will be consequences when the day Judgement comes.
Even Jesus mentions this in Matthew 7:3-5.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. (NLT)”
Application
While Paul was calling out high moralist believers in the Church in Rome, today we can learn from their mishaps. What we learn from this is that we need to be extremely careful in judging other people. Especially if we are judging someone else for doing something we are guilty of doing ourselves.
It's probably safe to say that we all know someone who is guilty of being like the people Paul was referring to. We may even be putting ourselves in check thinking about it.
My family studies Brazilian Jiu-jitsu together. It’s fun, it’s a great heart pumping exercise, and it's a great thing to do as a family. If you have ever been to a martial arts gym, there are all kinds of people from just about every walk of life. Some are Christian, some are from other religious backgrounds and lifestyles. There is a lot of ministry that can happen on the mats. About 6 months or so ago, there was a mixed martial arts fighter at our gym that everyone knew was Christian and attended church. Now the people in this story are people that I personally know and respect, and they could kick my butt, so I’m changing their names. We’ll say his name is Andy. He was an outspoken Christian. One day he was talking to one of the lady mma fighters. We will say her name is Kelly. During that conversation, Kelly let the “F” word slip out. Andy completely lost his mind, started yelling, and raked Kelly over the coals. He told her how she was on a path straight to hell because of her foul mouth, and that she needed to apologize to him for cussing in front of him. Wow, thanks Andy for showing God’s kindness and passion there. Come to find out by looking at Andy’s social media accounts, he was involved in some questionable lifestyle choices himself. He just chose cussing to be the mountain he wanted to die on that day. And in the process, he ruined his reputation as a Christian at the gym. I don’t know if Andy was having a bad day that day, if he was being a little on the self-righteous side or if he used to cuss like a sailor or something. But For whatever reason he decided to judge someone else when he knew his lifestyle didn’t fit with Gods standard as well.
As Christians, we are called to a higher standard of living which includes our morals and ethics. Where we need to be careful is that we don’t become self-righteous and start judging people when we know that we mess up too. There isn’t a single one of us who is guiltless. While we are supposed to speak out against sin, we need to do so with a humble heart.
When we find ourselves justifiably upset about someone else's sin, we are to show that person the same kindness, tolerance, and patience that God has shown to us in our wrongdoing. That doesn’t mean we are giving approval of wrong living, but instead we are being gentle and prayerful of how we handle the person. More often than not, the sins we see most clearly in others are the ones that have taken root in us the most. Before attending to someone else's issues, we need to evaluate ourselves first and remember what God has done for us.
Remember, God shows us his kindness in allowing us to live and enjoy life, he is tolerant as he bears with us as we don’t live up to his standards, and he is patient with us as he postpones his judgment and punishment so that his kindness will lead us and others into repentance and a relationship with him.
Growth Points
There are two parts to the growth points for this episode. First are to help us examine ourselves, and the second set are for discussion.
Self-examine:
Have you ever found yourself judging or looking down on someone else? If so, why?
What ways have you experienced God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience in your life?
Have you ever taken what God has done for granted? If so, how?
Are there currently things in your life that you have tried to hide in darkness that you know will be revealed during God’s judgement? If so, what are they?
Discussion:
Have you ever experienced someone else judging you for something?
We all know judgemental, self-righteous people. What type of things do they tend to judge others for?
What excuses do people make to defend their reasoning for judging someone else?
In what ways can we show others God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience?
