Two Types of Judging

DIFFERENT JUDGMENTS

 

In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul rebuked his church for not judging one in the congregation who was steeped in open fornication.  He also told people to stop going to secular law for matters of judgment; rather than going outside the church, he told them to set up the least esteemed among them to judge between two Christian people suing each other.  Paul pleaded, "Don't you know that we will judge angels?"  He was trying to convince them to judge within their own community and not to take judgments outside of the community.

 

On the surface this looks like a contradiction...judge not, so you will not be judged (Matthew 7:1), but judge among yourselves (1 Corinthians).  Paul wanted to have the church judge them that were within the community and leave outside judgment to God (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).  But Paul also told the same church not to judge before the time when Christ will return and be able to expose hidden thoughts and intentions (1Corinthians 4:1-5).

 

When we have such an obvious contradiction, we need to look to the context to see what is going on.  And in the context, we can see that the Bible's "to judge" had different meanings, much like today.  A judge who judges me is different than when I critically judge others and look down on them.   Likewise a church that needs to discipline (needs to judge) a church leader who is steeped in open sin is different than being critical or judgmental about the way other people do things.

 

Communities need the one judgment and are hurt by the other.  I will address both in the blogs that follow.