Should Christians Judge?
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Christian's are
often told
they should not judge, it this a Biblical principle or a man made
one?
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Judging
isn't
about deciding who is bad, judging is about making decisions
based on evidence. A teacher judges every time they issue a report
card, even if that report card is filled with A+'s, so to say we must
not judge would be to say that we can't tell someone they did well even
if they did something that saved lives. So to never judge would be to
never tell your kids that you are proud of them. I for one would not
want to live in a world where kids were never praised, even by their
parents.
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Ephesians 5:11-And
have no
fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darkness,
but rather reprove them.
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2
Tim
4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season , out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.
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Luke 17:3
Take heed to
yourselves:
If thy
brother trespass against thee, rebuke him;
and if he repent, forgive him.
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1 Timothy 5:20
Them that sin rebuke
before all,
that others also may fear.
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Titus 1:13
This witness is
true.
Wherefore rebuke them sharply,
that they may
be
sound in the faith;
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John
7:24
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
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The word rebuke
means to
to criticize
sharply .
The word reprove
means to
to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly intent
This can not be done without judging someone.
Sometimes you must judge people. For example if you see someone who can
hardly walk without falling down trying to get behind the wheel of
a car. If you don't judge them someone could get killed., sin hurts,
and
sometimes kills. If you don't judge someone who is involved in that
behavior,
you will always wonder if you could have stopped at least some of the
pain
that was caused. The facts are that many actions in this would can
cause
pain to people, adultery often causes broken homes, disease, and has
even
been known to incite murder. Judging those who are guilty of committing
adultery can actually save a life. Ask yourself would Jesus like it if
you
could have saved a life by simply taking a person aside to a private
place
and kindly explaining the how dangerous his actions were, but you
refused to do that simple life saving action ?
The tricks behind judging are
1) Know the facts, Just because you see a woman hugging a man that
isn't her husband doesn't necessarily mean she is cheating. Is this
person a relative, or a long term family friend? People who look
guilty aren't
necessarily as guilty as they look. A person who looks like they
are drunk, might actually be on a doctor prescribed medicine. Even a
person
who is guilty of a sin, might not deserve as much guilt as you would
think
at first blush. A person who steals might steal because they are
unwilling
to work, or they might steal because they are doing their best and
still
can't feed their kids. Someone who steals for the sake of stealing
deserves
allot more harsher judgment then someone who steals an apple for a
hungry
child.
2) Don't be a hypocrite If you weight 300 lb.. don't call someone else
fat, It will be clear to them that you are not any stronger then they
are, and they will just get angry, instead invite them to take a walk
with you.
3) Always judge with love in your heart. Hatred or a bad attitude will
only
drive the person to do more of the behavior that upsets you.
4) Don't harp, If you have said what you need to say, and it isn't a
matter of life and death
leave it alone for a while, harping will only drive the
person away. If it is a matter of life and death
do whatever you have do.
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Rules (and suggestions) for Witnessing
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Who
is the Alpha and Omega?
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Do Cultures Create Morality?
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The
Resurrection was it spiritual or physical?
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Some of what is wrong with our country and
our world today.
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