You shall reprove your neighbor,
or you will incur guilt yourself.
Leviticus 19:17
One of the most misapplied pieces of scripture is: “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).
In schools, children are often taught this as a flag-ship principle in the schools. “You’re not allowed to judge anybody,” kids come home from school saying.
And many educators and “leaders” in our culture – who don’t even believe in the Bible – tack on an additional phrase to silence the morality of Christians: “It even says that in the Bible.” Trump card played. And Christian morality has been neutered.
That’s not what this passage means!!!
“Judgment” is a privilege reserved for God – who scripture repeatedly calls righteous, the king, and the judge. And true “judgment” is something that occurs on “judgment day.”
Therefore, to “judge” is to …
pretend we’re king
presume God’s prerogative
terrify or belittle a person as if we knew enough to proclaim their damnation unto hell (as if we had the insight to know or power to do so)
falsely comfort a person by falsely assuring them that they’ll be okay on the Day of Judgment, when we may not truly know their heart (Way too many of us are very guilty of this!!!)
Do you see the point? Surely we all tend to judge some behaviors as godly and others as less godly. We’re often tactless in our perceptions, but at our best, we’re trying to discern God’s call and wisdom for how to live a life in Christ. But judgment is us trying to discern a person’s eternal destination on the basis of those behaviors – when it’s not our works that justify us anyway!
Say goodbye to the permissive trump card.
And say hello to your moral responsibility. Leviticus 19:17 assumes that there are cliffs that our neighbors can fall off of. Sin hurts. It causes a fall. Some cliffs are shallow enough to simply cause the perpetrator pain. Other cliffs – other sins – are steep enough that they can cause an earthly death. Other cliffs are so deep that they distance us from our destiny and separate us from God.
And often this separation from God is progressive. It’s like a mile high cliff with narrow little ledges every ten feet down. Ten feet at a time – and one little compromise at a time – people began to separate themselves from God. They excuse behavior. They justify sin. They choose new priorities and alternative idols. Step-by-step (or mountain-cliff slip-by-slip) they reject God.
Therefore, it’s not being judgmental to “reprove your neighbor.”
Now … let’s be clear: I don’t advise that you go up to stranger and “call them out”! I advise that you develop friendships and when the situation arises, gently point out the cliffs and the dangers. (Love goes much further than legalism!) Nevertheless, remember that the way we live our lives has consequences!
In Christ’s Love
a St. Bernard
(a guy who wants to be a
tail-waggingly joyful part of
the mountain rescue team)
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