What The Bible Says
“What The Bible Says - Vol. 6 / No. 14”
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What The Bible Says
Vol. VI - No. 14 / November 5, 2023
"JUDGE NOT, THAT YE BE NOT JUDGED"
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1) This may be one of the most misunderstood and therefore misapplied verses in the Bible. So much so, that even those who don't believe in the Bible quote, Matt. 7:1, in an effort to silence others who point out their wrongs. They might say, "now you know you're not supposed to judge." The truth is, we all make judgments every day concerning what we believe to be right and wrong. After all, the person who says, "it's wrong for you to judge me" has himself judged the person judging him.
The problem is that most people never read the entire context! When we consider the context of Matthew 7: 1, we see that a person subjects himself to the same standard or rule of judgment that he uses towards another. "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye use, it shall be measured to you again" (Matt. 7:2).
Jesus goes on to ask why we would judge hypocritically, i.e., judge another while we are guilty of sin. Notice Matthew 7: 3-4, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, but considers not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
In his letter to the Romans, Paul said something similar when he wrote, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, 0 man, whosoever thou art that judges: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judges does the same things” (Romans 2:1). When we judge another person while guilty of the same sin(s), we are actually condemning ourselves. Maybe if we took the time and considered ourselves first, there would be less antagonism in the Church of Christ and the world as a whole.
Continuing in Matthew 7:5, we read what Jesus said we must do first before we try to help our brother. "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye.”
It is clear from the above verse, that the commonly heard idea - that we are never to judge another - just isn't so! We are in a condition to judge only after we have gotten rid of our own sin, then at that point, we can see clearly to help our brother with his sin. If you are telling people that Jesus said we are not to judge, you are misrepresenting the point that Jesus was making.
In fact, we are to judge righteous judgement. In John 7:24, Jesus answering the people when they accused him of having a devil said, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgement." Clearly there is a type of judgement that is not to be used, and a type of judgment that is acceptable. If you've been misrepresenting Jesus concerning this subject or any other, you don't have to continue doing so. —Jerime Booker
A COSTLY MISTAKE
Failing to realize that we, today, do not live under the law of Moses is resulting in a costly mistake. Any casual observer of the Bible will notice that it is divided into the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament in the book of Genesis covers the Patriarchal Period when God made His will known to the heads of the family (Patriarchs). Beginning in Exodus and continuing through Malachi is the record of God's dealing with the children of lsrael through the law He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-20). This law God gave to Israel and not to the Patriarchs (Deuteronomy 5:2-3) and it was to serve as a "schoolmaster" to bring them to Christ (Galatians 3:24). All the while even the Israelites was made aware that the law of Moses would one day be replaced with a New Testament or the law of Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-32). The law of Moses was only a "shadow" of things to come (Hebrews 10:1). The animal sacrifices that were done yearly could not take away sin (Hebrews 10:1-4).
As the New Testament begins, we see the birth of the prophesied Savior, the Son of God. The books of Matthew through John record the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But we must remember that the life Jesus lived on this earth was lived during the time of the law of Moses. Jesus' law or the New Testament was not in force until after His death (Hebrews 9:15-17). Therefore as Jesus lived He could save ANY ONE from their sins ANYWAY He chose. Thus the sinner of Luke 18:10-14 was "justified" and the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43 was promised "paradise" because these incidence happened before Jesus' death. When Jesus died, salvation can only be given according to the conditions of His will.
This is where the costly mistake is made. Countless numbers of people are patterning their salvation like the sinner of Luke 18 and the thief on the cross. However, this does not meet the conditions of the will found after Jesus's death. In order to be saved today, we must hear (Jn. 6:44-45), believe (Romans 10:17), repent (Luke 13:3,5), confess (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10), and be baptized (Mark 16:16). To fail to do these is making a costly mistake because our souls are at risk! —E.R. Hall, Jr.
LIFE'S COUNTDOWN
If we live 65 years, we have about 600,000 hours at our disposal. Assuming we are 18 when we complete high school, we have 47 years, or nearly 412,000 hours to live after graduation.
If we spend 8 hours a day sleeping and 8 hours a day working, that only leaves 8 hours a day for everything else. That amounts to 137,000 hours in each category. When we think of the time we have to work and play in terms of hours, it doesn’t seem like much. And when seen in the light of eternity, it's but a fleeting moment. How important, therefore, that we spend our waking hours wisely!
The Psalmist wrote: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psa. 90:12). I'm not suggesting that we need to start literally counting our days or hours that we have left. However we need to be aware of the swift passage of time and the need to live with eternity's values in view. Paul wrote: "Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:15-16).
The hours, days, and years are here and gone. So whether we count them or not, let's be sure to make them count -- for the Lord. We can't afford to just spend our time; we must invest it. —Shane Williams
"What The Bible Says” is e-mailed twice a month. If you know of others who might benefit from the articles contained in this bulletin, we would be glad to have you submit their e-mail addresses and we will include them in the next mailing. If you are receiving this bulletin and do not wish to continue to do so, please e-mail us with your desire to be removed from the mailing list and you will be removed promptly. Continue to the bottom of this page for further instructions as to how you may contact us.
--- E.R. Hall, Jr.
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
For The East Albertville Church Of Christ
meeting at
4777 U.S. Highway 431
Albertville, AL 35950
Sunday
Bible Classes …………..….…………… 9:30 AM
Morning Worship ……..…….….……… 10:30 AM
Evening Worship …………………........ 5:00 PM
Wednesday
Bible Classes …………..………........... 7:00 PM
Radio Program
Sunday
WBSA 93.5 FM/1300 AM ………………………….. 8:30 AM
Monday - Saturday
WBSA 93.5 FM/1300 AM ………………………….. 11:15 AM
Website: www. EastAlbertville.org
