Judging First Corinthians
I've been reading through the ever-controversial 1 Corinthians lately (as opposed to the rest of the Bible, which isn't controversial at all, right?) , and something struck me that I'd never really digested before. On the surface, it would seem that Paul is talking out of both sides of his mouth:
1 Cor. 4:5 - "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes."
1 Cor. 5:12 - "Are you not to judge those inside the church?" (implied answer: yes).
On the one hand we're told not to judge, on the other, we're told to judge. Granted, the context of the two verses above is very different. In the first, Paul is speaking about judging himself as a faithful teacher of the gospel; in the second, he speaks about judging an "immoral brother" among the church at Corinth. A deeper look I'm sure could resolve the apparent conflict, but it brought to my mind the deeper issue of judgment in the Bible.
Is there 'bad' judgment and 'good' judgment? The teaching of the Bible seems clear enough that we're not to pass judgment on others; in so doing, we condemn ourselves, because we don't even live to the standard by which we judge others (c.f., Mt. 7:1-5, Rom. 2:1-2). But how does this square with verses like 1 Cor. 5:12?
Perhaps one distinction is that 1 Cor. 5 is dealing with those who call themselves Christians (brothers) in the church. So are we to judge those within but not without? I would venture to guess that the spirit of judgment comes into play here as well: are our judgments done in a spirit of (1) humility, and (2) such as way as to aim for restoration and repentace for the offending brother or sister? (c.f., 1 Cor. 5:5).
Anyway, plenty to write and discuss here, but that should be sufficient fodder to start. The issue of judgment has always been a sticky one for me. In the end, I suppose walking in the Spirit is the only real solution when discerning such matters. Go figure :)
1 Cor. 4:5 - "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes."
1 Cor. 5:12 - "Are you not to judge those inside the church?" (implied answer: yes).
On the one hand we're told not to judge, on the other, we're told to judge. Granted, the context of the two verses above is very different. In the first, Paul is speaking about judging himself as a faithful teacher of the gospel; in the second, he speaks about judging an "immoral brother" among the church at Corinth. A deeper look I'm sure could resolve the apparent conflict, but it brought to my mind the deeper issue of judgment in the Bible.
Is there 'bad' judgment and 'good' judgment? The teaching of the Bible seems clear enough that we're not to pass judgment on others; in so doing, we condemn ourselves, because we don't even live to the standard by which we judge others (c.f., Mt. 7:1-5, Rom. 2:1-2). But how does this square with verses like 1 Cor. 5:12?
Perhaps one distinction is that 1 Cor. 5 is dealing with those who call themselves Christians (brothers) in the church. So are we to judge those within but not without? I would venture to guess that the spirit of judgment comes into play here as well: are our judgments done in a spirit of (1) humility, and (2) such as way as to aim for restoration and repentace for the offending brother or sister? (c.f., 1 Cor. 5:5).
Anyway, plenty to write and discuss here, but that should be sufficient fodder to start. The issue of judgment has always been a sticky one for me. In the end, I suppose walking in the Spirit is the only real solution when discerning such matters. Go figure :)
posted by bmarchio at 9:26 AM
2 Comments:
It's funny you mention walking in the Spirit at the end there, even if it was partially in jest, because Paul, writing in Galatians 6, tells those "who live by the Spirit" or "are spiritual" to restore the one caught in sin. Mind you, the word "judge" or its derivatives don't appear here, but I don't think it's a stretch to take that sense here. They are, after all, seeing that someone is caught up in sin and doing something about it. If we can set aside the negative connotations of the word "judge" for a moment we can see that is really what's meant here.
Going back to 1 Corinthians (and say it "One Corinthians" just like Dr Nichol) for a second, think about who the two "judgees" are (that's recipients of judgments, I couldn't think of a better word). On the one hand we have Paul, who has sacrificed and given his life to build this church in Corinth. On the other hand we have Fornicator Phil, who is sleeping with his stepmom.
Paul's first point is that they are judging his ministry, from which they are beneficiaries, yet they can't truly judge his ministry (especially when they are comparing it to other's) until the proper time. The results can't be seen yet.
Paul's second point is that someone is living in gross sin, which is apparent to most (but unfortunately not all). No one benefits from this, no one gains anything of value. It is truly a completely different situation.
Or let's put it this way. Paul is, it seems, being judged for not bringing the church far enough. He has done some good, but his work could be improved upon. This other guy is sinning within the church. He is making a mockery of the grace of God. Paul's reaction to this whole thing is understandable in this light: they are judging the wrong person.
In order to judge there must be a standard. I heard it put this way once. When you put a level to a wall which is being judged? Once there is a true standard then righteous judgement can be made. Alot of times judgement doesn't even need to be in the form of words. By living your life righteously others are being judged. Living righteously opens the door for Holy Spirit to judge others in relationship to you.
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