When can judgment be given

On many occasions I have been accused by people of judging. Many have told me to stop judging when I have spoken to them regarding correction or a warning according to what I read from scripture. Many times I would feel ashamed after speaking to them and also would question myself of not doing this in love!

I realize believers and normal people have been taught to be tolerant of something that is wrong. Tolerance of sin is the buzz word today and people get very upset when shown out.

According to scripture there are two ways of judging (rebuke, lecture, criticize, reproof): some parts say we not to judge and other parts say we are to judge.

Let me start of by looking at scripture that tell us to judge! “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” - John 7:24.

This verse does not tell us to make judgments but to rebuke those who make judgments according to their appearance, condemning that which Yahuah has not condemned. Example was when the Pharisees condemned Yahusha (Jesus) when He healed on the Sabbath. We should not judge by appearance but to judge righteously.

Read also Isaiah 11:3-4 for the judgment by the Messiah. And shall make Him breathe in the fear of Yahuah. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears. But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and shall decide with straightness for the meek ones of the earth, and shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and slay the wrong with the breath of His lips.

We as believers need to be conformed to the image of Yahuah and His Son, Yahusha (Jesus). In other words, right and wrong is not to be decided through what our physical senses report as it is weighed by our mind. It is with righteousness that judging and reproving are to be done.

What is righteousness?

Elohim is a righteous judge - Psalm 7:11.

For Yahuah is righteous, He has loved righteousness;.. - Psalm 11:7.

He is the source of righteous judgment. As we learn of His righteous judgments, we remove our own personnel judgments (as to how we hear and feel). If we walk in righteousness then our judgments will come from the source of Yahuah and not what we think is right or wrong.

The only acceptable judgment is that which finds its source in Yahuah. This is what Yahusha said in John 5:30: "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

Yahusha judges according to Yahuah's will only.

Timothy judges in 2 Timothy 4:1-2. Timothy is been told to show out falsehood and those who are in error. Timothy judged by Yahuah's will to know what was false and what was true. Speak these matters, urge, and reprove (confute) with all authority. Let no one despise you - Titus 2:15.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 to believers to stay away from so-called believers who still live in sin. He further says to judge those so-called believers but not the un-believers as Yahuah will judge them. True believers is to discern who among them are immoral, covetous, idolaters, revilers, drunkards, or swindlers. This discernment was to be followed with action. If the person would not repent they were to be rebuked and the believer was not to even share a meal with such a one.

In these verses the message was to the believers who witnessed the presence of sin in the assembly and tolerated it, rather than exposed, confronted and dealt with. It is clear that sin should not be ignored or tolerated in the assembly but should be exposed. If they will not repent then they should be excluded from fellowshipping with believers. This was and still is required today to ensure that one rotten apple does not spoil all the apples (body of believers).

In 1 Timothy 1:19-20, Paul judges both Hymanaeus and Alexander for blasphemy in the assembly. Paul in verse 20 delivers these two over to satan so they do not blasphemy in the assembly any longer.

This he similarly did to the man who took his father’s wife for himself - 1 Corinthians 5:5.

In all of these scriptures we see that believers are taught to be discerning. Other scriptures exhort believers to examine the fruit of people’s lives to know whether their teaching/life is of Yahuah or not.

Judging of un-believers should be left over to Yahauh only and judging of believers (within the assembly) should be judged by authority only. The Almighty's authority!

The scriptures is our guidance and we can use the Word that has been written by people authorized by Yahauh, example; scripture tells us fornication is sin and the person commenting it may go to hell if he/she does not repent of this sin.

Clearly the judging comes by His word and not the person reading the word. Those who are filled with the Ruach (Holy Spirit) and walking a righteous life with Yahuah are required to judge.