because it flows directly into the content of this one.
Believing with complete confidence that you are right usually leads down
a path to believing with complete confidence that (quite a few) other people are wrong.
There's nothing implicitly wrong with this. Perhaps they are wrong. Perhaps not.
But the more firmly we believe we're right and others are wrong, the more tempted
we become to 'set them straight'. It is in this area that we tend to go astray.
An Argument Not Against Judgmentalism but For Humility
The purpose for this chapter is to make a sound case for the following argument.
As disciples of Christ, we are called to share His servant mentality and spirit
(John 13:12-17; 1 Cor 2:16; Phil 2:5), not to undergird our trust in God with pillars of attaining self-worth by stealing it from others. This is best put into practice by humbly viewing ourselves
as 'chief among sinners' (1 Tim 1:15), just as the apostle Paul is recorded as having done,
and forgoing the office(s) of judge, jury, or executioner even within the private courtroom of
our minds (2 Cor 10:5; Phil 4:8).
First, it would be important to this discussion for us to define what we mean
when we say 'freedom from judgment', as the title does.
What exactly do we mean by 'judgment'.
For the purposes of this chapter, judgment is going to be defined
as obtaining worth for our self at the expense of someone else.
Placing ourselves in a position of moral superiority over another
when that is clearly not our place.
Two Types of Judgment
There are two different types of judgment, which are highlighted in Scripture.
The first is the one listed above, which we are explicitly instructed not to
engage in. Then there is the kind of judgment without which we would quickly
die. The world in which we live requires a constant stream of decisions which are
predicated upon judgment calls. Is this milk okay to drink or is it spoiled?
Should I wear pants today or shorts? Is it too cold outside to go jogging?
Can I make this yellow light or should I stop?
There's a clear difference. Discernment I believe, is what Jesus was referring to
in Luke 12:57; or Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:15.
Knowing right from wrong is quite a bit different than declaring
a man or a woman incorrigibly evil.
The first kind of judgment is a very vivid danger in our every day lives, which is why I've
targeted it as an idol. And not just a little one, but a major one.
Just like the certainty which serves as a precursor to it, judgment is insidious.
It seeps its way into our consciousness so easily because at surface level
there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with it.
Judgment goes hand-in-hand with basic human attitudes which we
begin to develop from birth on.
Key among which is the "It's us vs. them. Me vs. everyone else" mentality.
The Inner Courtroom of the Mind
If we are brutally honest with ourselves, which may only occur during those
rare moments of painful lucidity in our private introspection, we will often see
that what we view as ordinary discourse within our mind is actually
arrogance of the worst sort.
While conversing with someone, we are constantly making observations about them
and what they are saying and drawing conclusions. Some of these are fairly nasty in nature.
"Yeah, I bet you did what you said... Liar... You don't know what you're talking about...
You idiot... You're just wrong... Why don't you stop talking..."
Gregory Boyd relates this 'inner courtroom' of the mind in his book
'Myth of a Christian Religion'. I'd like to share it here, as well as borrow
a particularly accurate phrase he used in another book.
For about ten minutes I just watched people.I would like to go a step further however, by pointing out that not only are Christians
Then suddenly, as if someone had placed a megaphone to my thoughts, I heard my own running commentary about almost everyone and everything I saw.
Much of it was positive, but some of it was, frankly, complete trash.
I heard myself say things like:
“What kind of parent would treat a child like that?”
“Could her dress make it more obvious what she wants guys to notice?”
“Definitely gay.”
“What a nag.”
“Ohhh. Tough guy aren’t we?”
“Like that person needs that Big Mac.”
It was like I was gossiping in the privacy of my brain. I was surprised by this since I’ve always thought of myself as a tolerant, nonjudgmental person.
When I started paying attention, I found that in most cases the person I watched triggered an association in my mind.
For example, something about the lady I judged to be a “nag” reminded me of the stepmother who raised me. But beneath these psychological reasons I discovered an even deeper motivation for my internal gossip: I was engaging in mental gossip because it gave me a heightened sense of worth. Contrasting myself with others made me feel more fully alive. I was trying to get Life from an idol, and the idol was my judgment of others.
The motivation was profoundly subtle, which is why I’d never noticed it before.
But once I woke up to it, it was undeniable.
Like all judgment, my mental gossip was predicated on the assumption that I am qualified to be the insightful arbiter of other people’s parenting skills, dressing styles, sexual orientation, dietary habits, and the like. It presupposed my superiority.
However imperfect I may be, at least I wasn’t like that person.
And though I was unconscious of it before then, on some level this private judgment game made me feel significant.
Boyd, Gregory A. (2009-05-26). The Myth of a Christian Religion: Losing Your Religion for the Beauty of a Revolution (pp. 45-46).
not immune to the common sort of internal judging which is illustrated above,
but worse, we often disguise this sort of judgment with a veneer of religiosity.
Look Out! Here Come the Morals Police
Throughout history, most of the appalling and heinous actions committed
by Christians against other Christians (and indeed against other human beings),
would not have been possible without first passing judgment on them and then
taking matters into our own hands.
This is what happens when (to borrow that phrase I mentioned earlier), 'chief sinners
become moral guardians'. We look like the Pharisees in our moral posturing (Luk 18:10-14).
To put it bluntly, we have no business being moral guardians over anyone, because
we are just as guilty if not more so than the very selfsame person we are judging (Rom 2:1-3).
There was only one person in history who stood uniquely capable and qualified
to pass judgment on others. The only sinless person, Jesus Christ, whom all judgment
was given to (John 5:22; John 5:27). So what sort of attitude did Jesus take toward judging others?
He refused to arbitrate private dealings (Luk 12:13-14).
By His own words, He did not come to judge the world. Rather, the world will be
judged based on its response to Him at the end of this age. (John 3:17-21; John 8:15; John 12:48)
Jesus did not come to destroy, but to save. (Luk 9:56)
When He had the opportunity to condemn a woman to death rightfully, and was
the only one with the clean conscience to do so, He refrained (John 8:10-11).
In His teachings, Jesus left us with a concise injunction against waging
this kind of moral guardianship (Luke 6:37; Matt 7:1-5).
In fact in all of His teachings, we see a pure form of equanimity in Jesus
that all too often we fail to see in the modern church.
Perhaps this is why most secular citizens of this country view churchgoing
Christians as behaving far more like Pharisees than Jesus Christ (Barna Research).
Jesus instituted a new law of reciprocity, part of which we will examine
in the next chapter. But this part is what is relevant to the current discussion.
Judge others and your Father will judge you (Matt 7:2).
Don't forgive others, and your Father will not forgive you (Matt 6:14).
Having established what Jesus taught on this topic, let's move on.
What did the apostles, disciples, and witnesses of the early church have
to say about passing judgment or moral guardianship?
We have already seen that Romans 2 has some rather harsh things to say about
judgment. But Paul expands on this statement with his teachings from other
passages and epistles. Later, in Romans 14:4-13, Paul states in no uncertain
terms that each of us stand or fall before the Lord.
Our moral praiseworthiness or blameworthiness is between ourselves and
God, before whom each of us will give an account.
In 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Paul goes further in saying that he does not even judge himself,
rather it is the Lord who examines him and it is the Lord who will bring to light
the motives of the hearts of men; a truly nebulous realm in which we can only entertain
speculation. But God judges the heart. Something which we will never be capable of doing.
The self doubt I spoke of in the last chapter should be the doubt which saves us
from passing swift and inappropriate judgment against our fellow human being.
It is precisely because we can never be certain that we are right, that we should
never engage in this type of moral guardianship.
Only the Lord is always right. Only the Lord holds the power of moral judgment.
Only the Lord will declare judgment in the eschaton. Only the Lord knows
the hearts and minds of men. Therefore, we should leave these matters to His very
capable hands. (Any attempt to render literal readings of 1 Corinthians 6:2 are
ultimately futile, since we cannot know exactly what will transpire during the
final judgment.)
The Difference Between Judgment and Government
Now, before I am misquoted or my words are twisted in a way I never intended,
allow me clarify. I am not saying that those who commit crimes are to be acquitted
without judgment by our legal system.
The laws of the lands are there for a purpose, and God is capable of steering them
in an overarching sense for good.
But our legal system is an ordained aspect of our government.
Our government (no matter how just or good we might think it is) is decidedly
not synonymous with the kingdom of God.
How could it be? Governments and kingdoms of men attain compliance
through force and coercion.
The kingdoms of men are also notoriously guided by dark powers, against which
we as Christians are truly called to battle (1 Jn 5:19; Rev 11:15; John 12:31; John 14:30;
John 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; Eph 6:12; Luk 4:5-7)
Human power never obtains permanent conversion.
But the power of Jesus Christ does; or should (in our daily lives).
If it does not then something is amiss.
Proper Correction in a Christian Context
Secondly, there is a proper context for corrective action to occur in the brotherhood
of Christ. I would argue it is where Christians have voluntarily placed themselves under
the guidance and teaching of a spiritual leader for accountability before the Lord.
In such circumstances, those involved are already aware of what is going on and have
submitted themselves to the influence of another in a servant spirit reminiscent of
the early church.
Another such context, even outside of the church, is intimate relationships.
If I have a friend who has been my steadfast companion for many years, obviously
I am in a position of confidentiality or trust where I may have earned the right (in my friends view)
to gently comment on things I see which may not line up with the pattern of Christ.
Each person has to discern and approach this tender issue from an attitude of humility
and prayer.
Finding Idols in Our Lives
So how can we avoid the idol of false self-worth in our lives?
It can be difficult, because judgmental attitudes conceal themselves so well.
We must locate these attitudes by examining ourselves for any superiority
complexes. We must seek for behavior or activities we engage in that secretly salve
our insecurity and fear in some way.
For relationships with others that we seek only in order to validate
our thoughts, opinions, or actions.
Defensiveness is a dead give-away. I speak for myself, that after engaging
with those who did not share my religious viewpoints, I would often notice
that I was the only one who had 'lost grace' in my speech and demeanor.
This is because, after engaging in honest introspection, I discovered that deep
down inside I was afraid that I might be wrong.
I wanted to be right more than I wanted to attract people to the kingdom of God.
They were wrong. I would prove it. Debate served as the vehicle for me to do so.
I was allaying my own insecurity, fear, and doubt by being overly
adversarial, confrontational, and defensive in my attitude and speech
towards the very people I was trying to draw to Christ.
Any time an Us vs. Them mentality is identified, it almost always
coincides with the idol of judgment and false self-worth.
Nationalism and sectarianism are two of the biggest problems which
have infected the Christian church in modern times.
As stated earlier, our government is not (nor has ever been) synonymous
with the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is to tear down walls, not erect them.
Sectarianism incorporates foolish denominational squabbles over so-called
heretical teaching, oftentimes when the teaching(s) in question have little
to do with core tenants of faith.
We need to comprehend that Jesus was not American. He was also not a Baptist.
He was born a Jew. And it is only because of His efforts in tearing down
nationalistic barriers that the Gospel was ever preached to the gentiles at all!
Inasmuch as the church has become entwined with this sort of Us vs. Them
thinking, Satan is alive and well within the four walls which ought to
keep him at bay.
And he will continue to do terrible damage to our witness to the world
until we acknowledge that we are resident aliens here, not part of an
ethical, national, moral, political or social clique.
If prayer really matters in our schools, why don't we teach our children about
the power of prayer in our home instead of lobbying endlessly?
If abortion really wounds our heart, why don't we take it upon ourselves to provide
support, shelter, care, and financial aid to potential mothers so that they have
viable alternatives to killing a child?
Just because we disagree with homosexuality, why would we withdraw
all of our Christian love, support, aid, or charity from these people?
The same God that desires to save us also desires to save them (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9).
Wouldn't we have a stronger chance of winning them over to the kingdom
of Christ with self-sacrificial love than through hate and isolation?
When we stand on the other side of picket lines, regardless of our affiliation with
the Westboro Baptist Church, we end up looking less like Jesus, praying for the forgiveness
of the very soldiers who were nailing Him to a cross, and more like someone else.
When our lips curl back into savage snarls, rictus grins of amusement; when our
hands wind into clenched fists; when our mouths open wide to hurl hatred and resentment
at our 'enemies', how could it be any more clear that we are disobeying the Master's
commandments?
If this message offends you, perhaps it should. Only you can know and that is between you and God.
I only ask that you remember that Jesus is to the disobedient, a rock of offense (1 Peter 2:4-11;
Matt 11:6).
I can think of no better transition into the following chapter than to be reminded
that our enemy is not the people around us, but the dark spiritual forces which are
assembled and arrayed even now in the midst of the modern church (Eph 6:12).
May God provide us with the spiritual acuity to see our enemy and engage appropriately.
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