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What You'll Discover in this Episode:
171: Baseless Suspicions Are Dangerous
This is part 2 on the topic of "making rash or righteous judgments". How do you make judgment calls as Christians, biblical counselors, pastors, or leaders? How do you determine whether somebody is walking in sin?
A wise Christian shows discernment and knows how to judge situations, behaviors, and even people according to God's Word. Let's continue this discussion and learn more about using God's standards (instead of your own) when judging.
In this episode, Pastor Jeff Christianson provides a review on the booklet by Lou Priolo, "Judgments: Rash or Righteous (Resources for Biblical Living)."
Resources:
What I took away from this episode is to be very careful in counseling and really seek the Lord’s guidance in what we are seeing and hearing. Ask thorough questions and look at the fruit that they are showing. We need to stay on the path the Lord has given us.
1. Judging things that are not Sin as expressed in the Scriptures: Judging the brothers and judging the Law, and undermining God and a self-righteous, self-appointed position to judge vs convictions of believers that are not sin. I struggle a lot in the area of convictions with my husband, as he finds certain things permissible and I do not find them to be worthy of my calling in Christ. I guess I need to work on making my distinctions between sin and convictions.
2. Don’t make judgments on things you do not know: I do not need to make judgments on things I do not know or things that are not my business to know. Leaning not on my own understanding. Innocent unless proven guilty.
3. Do not judge the hearts and motives of another person: I feel shamefully convicted that I have recently done this. I am encouraged by your words Jeff, to be more careful on what I judge and say about others, not making a sure accusation against someone when I have little authority or information.
1.) Again I believe this word is going to be very helpful when helping myself and others to evaluate people’s behaviour. I’m going to remind myself that if it’s not delineated as sin in the word then it shouldn’t be treated as such.
2.)very helpful to reflect on the fact that I can only work with material that is disclosed. And definitely rely on the Holy Spirit to bring relevant information to light.
This is very true. Thank you, Ann, for your comment. I do see the value in working only with the data that is exposed to me rather than working with assumptions. I am highly encouraged to rely desperately on the Holy Spirit in all matters of counsel.
This comment resonates with me as I have been seeing the fruit of it in my life. The statement is “believe the best about others”. When we think this way we avoid sinful judgements. We are more honest and avoid hypocrisy. How can we be judging someone without facts, thinking evil of them but before their faces we smile and appear happy. Remembering as well that God is seeing our heart protects us from imagining evil about others. We want to maintain clean hands and pure hearts.
Thank you Joycelyn, for your comment. When I do not assume the best about others, I am assuming false testimonies against them and God sees that in my own heart. I do want to be careful about what I think of others, and I am so glad to see that it produces good fruit in your life!
Reading both of your comments I think about assuming false testimonies and know that if I am relying on my own assumptions and judgements I won’t clearly be able to see what the Lord’s heart is in helping them. Then I am having to deal with the sin that is in my heart. That is why I want to remember that praying over the situation beforehand and committing everything to the Lord is essential.
We have received some transforming principles for life not only applicable in the counseling situation but in our everyday relationships.Although we are not to judge as sin those actions not are not implicitly mentioned in scripture it must not be an excuse for us or those we counsel to settle for behavior that can still be displeasing to God. As Pastor Jeff pointed out those one another passages are still essential to practice in these cases when we need to address these actions.
The comment that when we judge things to be sin that are not sin, that not only are we condemning that individual but also the Author of the Bible. I never want to judge God. I am not above Him, and I have no right to act as such. What I feel convicted by is something that God knows I struggle with, but may not be a struggle for another. My convictions are for me alone.
Yes that’s a very sobering thought that when we wrongly judge we set ourselves up as God!
I absolutely loved the concept in this episode of judging motives. 1 Samuel 16:7b “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” This is twofold. First, We cannot rightly judge the motives of others, as we cannot see their heart. But, we can judge the fruit that is produced in their lives, and hold them accountable if they profess to be Christ Followers and their fruit is not showing this. Second, we must take ownership of our own motives, and be open to analyze them through the lens of scripture; allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us of any intention or motive that does not align with Him.
It’s so easy to want to judge other people’s motives, yet turn a blind eye to our own. We have to hold ourselves accountable and be open to what the Holy Spirit has to say to us—not dismissing or making excuses for our behavior.
So rightly said Angela judging other motives and not bringing ours under the lens of scripture. Motives are not tangible and as Timothy said the fruit or the actions is what is only visible to us. This is what we can judge and the caution is still applicable that actions have to be weighed or measured based on scripture. While the action may not be a sin repentance may still be needed and the put off and put on principle of scripture be needed for changed behavior.
I agree we help to hold them accountable for the fruit whilst working with them and God to uncover the heart motives behind the actions. Note to self that applies to me too!