Holy Boldness

Chapter 16. J udgment , H onor , D iscretion in the fear of the L ord

The seventh chapter of Matthew begins with one of the most quoted Bible verses of all; “Judge not lest you be judged.” (Matt. 7:1) People quote this verse often without knowing they are quoting Jesus. But in our current culture, there is a huge assumption that says that all judgments are immoral. But this is incorrect at a very core level. Con sider one of the oldest Psalms in the Bible, Psalm 50. “The heavens declare His righteousness, For God himself is judge.” (Psalm 50:6) Judgment is part of the very nature of God. It is as true to Him as His name. Judgment is probably one of the most misunderstood issues in the church today. Many quote the first line of this passage as a proof text that supposedly disallows any judgment in the church. This is NOT! what Jesus was saying. In point of fact, the opposite is true. The entire seventh chapter of Matthew is dedicated to the topic of righteous judg ment. But to understand this, it is necessary to read the entire passage and not just the first line. Before we start on this, let’s just remind ourselves that this entire book is committed to an understanding of Jesus and the fear of the Lord. We have stated that the fear of the Lord was a critical component of Jesus’ own personal relationship with the Father. To have the fear of the Lord is to be oriented to God and to evaluate all things in light of who He is and what He wants. This is core to our understanding of Jesus and His teaching. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pro nounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me

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