judgement

In many ways, I think the modern day church in America is missing the mark when it comes to using "judgement" at the appropriate time and in the appropriate context. By American church, I mean the collective individuals of Christians that make up that body. In the name of "tolerance," which has something that has developed more and more in our culture in recent decades, I think the church has done too little (staying quiet and not saying anything) or done too much (congregation fights or splits over various issues).

Please don't get me wrong, I think tolerance is a good and healthy thing, but it can be taken to far so that one, or a group of people basically becomes unprincipled and standing for nothing.

This post is meant to focus on the church and internal issues of the church. I'm trying not to link external issues and their relationship to the church, which obviously influence and play a part, but I really want this post to focus on the church itself.

One of the most highly quoted verses from Scripture, and I would think most highly quoted by non-Christians would be "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-3 NIV)

In this passage, I feel like Jesus is instructing believers regarding their relationships with those outside the church, non-believers. I think this because a) this is early in Jesus' ministry and a church doesn't really exist yet, the apostles are hardly in place, and so without a church really being formed, I don't think Jesus means this in the context of believer to believer relationships and because b) this passage follows a group of passages that Jesus highlights dealing with beliver-relating to the outside world issues. In Matthew 6, He talks about: giving to the needy, prayer (by comparing the worldly Pharisees, who I think Jesus certainly sees as outside the "church"), fasting (again, comparison to worldly Pharisees), treasures in heaven, and having not worrying for worldy sustenance (food and clothing). So I think that theme continues to the beginning of Matthew 7 where Jesus is giving instructions to belivers on external world issues, and how to deal with them.

What I'm getting to is that I think Jesus means it's not okay to judge those outside the church, but it's okay to judge those inside the church*. Notice I put an * mark, because I think Jesus would mean that you can judge those inside the church if they're clearly doing something that is out of line with Scripture and Christ's teaching.

Paul is more clear later on expelling the immoral brother: "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 5:1-3 NIV)

Now this presents a whole host of problems. And this may result in a "duh" Hunter, this post isn't saying anything new. Different people are going to interpret Scripture in a different way. This will lead to differences in issues that are controversial. That's one of the main problems of the church today.

Why am I writing about this? I think the church needs to figure itself out. As quickly as possible. Instead of fighting among itself, or teaching something completely contrary to Christ's intention (health and wealth gospel), it needs to get back to a more pure, original intent of what the church is supposed to be, which I think, also includes stop being so fragmented. Now, I just wrote that the health and wealth gospel is contrary to Christ's teaching. Others are going to completely disagree, in light of their interpretation of Scripture.

In light of this, I think Christians that have opposing viewpoints should sit down together, ask the Holy Spirit to guide their meeting(s), and seek out the real Truth of what Scripture is saying. If a Christian refuses to do this, or is unwilling, I think that's a sign for concern.

Now, I'm not going to go walking into every health and wealth gospel church and stand up in the middle of the service and start yelling and shouting. There's a proper Spirit of love that Christ would use to go about this I think, maybe He would do that, but I don't know.

My ending point to all this is that I think Christ-seeking Christians should be convicted more in their thoughts about the Supremacy of Christ and His Truth taught in Scriptures, and to not settle for all sorts of fluff the world, or other aspects of "the church" might present. I don't think they are to do this in a mean-spirited way, but follow Christ's example in standing firm in love and in Truth. If that involves correcting a brother or sister (again, in a spirit of "firm love"), then so be it.