What if a statement was made by someone that said; "We don't know who is saved or lost"? What is the typical reaction? The hearer might quickly respond with; "Yeah, that's right. Judge lest ye be judged!" Maybe the person who responded felt burnt in the past by someone judging them falsely or incorrectly. The combination of an unqualified statement and a hearer without critical thinking skills can only end in passing along false ideas from one generation to the next. When these are passed on much damage is done to God's people in causing weakness of the mind.

Let us go further with our example statement; "We don't know who is saved or lost" , when some would say this they may mean who is elect or reprobate. Well, what if one rejects the gospel to their death? That is what reprobates do.

What if the statement about judging meant you do not know who is converted or not? If a person clearly says the do not believe the gospel and never has, is it not safe to judge them unconverted?

What if the statement referred to judging according to the Law? If we judge by the Law then we know all men are lost since no flesh shall be justified by the deeds of the Law.

What if we the statement referred to conversion and we used the Pope as our subject? Do you think it is safe to judge the Pope unconverted? If so, on what basis? His goofy hat? I would hope you would say it was his false gospel (his doctrine).

Doesn't the Bible give us the command to beware of false prophets? How can we do that unless we make a judgment of who is and is not a false prophet?

Unqualified statements that deal with sympathetic issues often feed on the emotions and feelings instead of rational or logical thinking. This is a way that falsehoods slip into the mind and the church. In our example the hearer sympathized with the unqualified statement by emotional reaction because they had their feelings hurt by being judged in the past. Now they judge nothing rightly except for condemning any form of judgment, even legitimate, Biblical ways of judging. Their emotion has become a blockade all thanks to an unqualified statement. This can only hurt things, not help.

Now comes the passing on of these statements to the next person, then the next church, then the next generation. Before long certain aspects of doctrine become unsound. The more these stack up the more confusing and weak a ministry can become. Truth is precious because it describes our Savior who is precious. Truth must not be down graded in any degree. Some may follow this whole thing with; "I'm not called to explain but to proclaim."

Oh boy, here we go again.