Only God Can Judge…
04/03/22.
Throughout the Bible, we are reminded of a truth that is often summarized by this phrase, “only God can judge.” Whether in the parables of Jesus or the decrees in the Old Testament, we see that the responsibility for “judgement” is in God’s hands. So, what does that mean for us? For many, we have learned to walk one of two paths.
Some of us have learned that our Christian faith gives us the power and authority to judge the world of all its sins. We have the right to reject and condemn the world, and feel a sense of duty to point out the coming doom that awaits. When we go too far down that road, we forget our call for compassion, our call to mercy, and Jesus’ ultimate desire not to condemn the world but to redeem it.
Some of us have learned that the statement “only God can judge” removes all responsibility for accountability. If God “separates the wheat from the weeds”, why should I get stuck in someone else’s mess? Would getting involved in someone’s sin be me trying to be God? Why should I be the bad guy? When we go too far down that road, we forget our call for justice, our call for truth, and Jesus’ desire for us to rebuke, repent, and forgive as His followers.
There is a different path we can walk. Having clear definitions and Biblical examples may help us find it. The word “judge” has two different meanings in scripture. When used in the ways mentioned earlier, we see a term that is closer to our word “condemn”. In short, we don’t make the laws, and don’t determine the consequences. The other meaning is where we come in. This meaning for the word “judge” is “to discern”. As followers of Jesus, we are given His Word and His Spirit, so we are called and equipped to be able to discern what is right and wrong.
That is this word “rebuke” that we find in scripture. To discern but never devalue. To hold to account. Where do we see this take place?
In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan tells David a story about a rich man stealing a poor man’s lamb to cause David to acknowledge and confess the truth that he had taken another man’s wife and had him murdered while he was blinded by his power and privilege.
In Galatians 2, Paul tells a story of when he rebuked Peter for being hypocritical and two-faced when he was confronted with the social tensions between Jews and Gentiles.
With both examples, this process of rebuking was not deciding a punishment or used to tip the scale in their favor but was entered into with the Truth as the measure, and love as the means.
Our call to encourage each other is not just making each other feel better, it is pointing each other to Jesus. Sometimes that means times of rebuke. Being vulnerable. Holding each other accountable. Not to tip the scales, but to build each other up, and so the world can see Jesus by how we live and love. So, do we need to talk to someone? Or maybe, do we need a talking to?