We seek to address what is probably the most abused text in all of Scripture. Most people, even those having little to no Scriptural background, have said and/or heard the statement, "Judge not, lest you be judged." And generally, this statement is used as a means of excusing sin, and disarming any who would
seek to confront others about their immoral habits. The idea is that, "Hey, we are all sinners anyway; you're not perfect, I'm not perfect, so, let's just lay aside this whole notion of confronting one another about our sins. Don't judge me, as if you are perfect. And remember, you have your share of baggage as well. We all sin." To this end, the whole concept of honoring the holiness of God, and working toward sanctification of any sort, is just heaped out the window, and replaced with a "Jesus died for everyone's sins, anyway" type of mentality.
Now, as gross as such a misuse and abuse of Scripture is, on the other side of the coin, this text does mean something, doesn't it? And so, our desire ought to be to get to the bottom of what all of Scripture teaches, without allowing one truth to contradict another, while allowing each text to say what it says, within its own context. And brethren, the key to unlocking this text, is to remember that it has a broader context. And so, this morning, we move on then to consider our Lord's warning here, about wrongfully judging one another. |
