“…we don’t usually know what’s motivating someone’s actions. We do tend to be quick to judge. As someone has said, we never know what kind of battles people are fighting. In Scriptural terms, we’re to be ‘quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger’ ” - P&D
“The human impulse to rush to judgment has always existed, but now it is common to believe whatever we hear and then post outrage using social media. But what if in our use of social media we applied the concepts of innocent until proven guilty, and from the mouth of Jesus, ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’?” - Randy Alcorn
“The moment is delicate. Questions are good, but they can easily become interrogations. What do we say when there’s so much we don’t know? Jesus once met a woman like this.” - TGC
“A misguided view of spirituality affects how others and oneself are viewed. Being ‘wrong’ on some issue is viewed as a spiritual problem, and being ‘right’ is often treated as if it comes from a closer walk with God. This can end up with both sides infected with pride and judgmentalism.” - Dave Doran
From Voice, Jan/Feb 2015. Adapted from Stephen Davey’s book In Pursuit of Prodigals. Kress Biblical Resources (The Woodlands, TX, 2010). Used by permission. Read Part 1 & Part 2.
The Apostle John wrote, “Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing” (John 7:51). In other words, the believer should never judge on a whim, an impression, a rumor. The facts are necessary, and the believer should be quick to hear and slow to speak.
Romans 14 makes it clear that personal decisions can direct activities in areas where the Scriptures are silent. For instance, the Bible doesn’t specifically address credit cards, dating practices, plastic surgery, watching television, using electric guitars in church, ad infinitum.
“It is to observe quietly and humbly and then, when appropriate, to ask clarifying questions. And more often than not, I have been encouraged and even challenged by these clarifications. ” - Challies
From Voice, Jan/Feb 2015. Adapted from Stephen Davey’s book In Pursuit of Prodigals. Kress Biblical Resources (The Woodlands, TX, 2010). Used by permission.
In the matter of church discipline, the Bible is clear that believers must judge themselves (See Part 1). When else is it right to judge?
The Apostle Paul instructed the church in Corinth:
From Voice, Jan/Feb 2015. Adapted from Stephen Davey’s book In Pursuit of Prodigals. Kress Biblical Resources (The Woodlands, TX, 2010). Used by permission.
Paul instructed Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12) which means we must engage in an active defense of the faith. That battle for truth begins in the local church where truth and holiness must be defended. And of necessity that involves church discipline. But what exactly is church discipline?
Church discipline can be broadly defined as the “confrontive” and corrective measures taken by an individual, church leaders, or the congregation regarding a matter of sin in the life of a believer (Fritz Rienecker and Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek Testament. Regency, 1976, p. 237).
Discipline and discipling are actually interconnected actions with similar goals in mind.
“One of the first steps in bridging differences is striving to understand rather than rush to judgment. Remember James 1:19, which encourages us to be ‘quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.’” - The Baptist Paper
“Jesus is saying, ‘You judge people according to the flesh. But I don’t do that!’ Jesus does not form an opinion about you according to the flesh. He does not base a judgment about you on your appearance, ability, age, friends, race, gender, work, home, family, or experience.” - Colin Smith
