Judging Sin and Saying So

by Terry Wane Benton Jesus commanded us to “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24) and to not judge unfairly or hypocritically (Matthew 7:1-3), but to address our own sins “first” and then help others with their need to remove sin also. The church at Corinth was rebuked for failing to judge the need to judge and…

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Some Observations on Judging

by George Bosworth Some observations about judging, from I Corinthians 4:3-5: “I (Paul) am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me. So don’t judge anything prematurely before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness, and…

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Am I being judgmental?

Question: I had a dear friend who used to preach in the Lord’s Church. When his daughter was married, he had an open bar at the reception. I was so upset and shocked. I was told I was judging. Is this something we should warn those we love about? The appearance of evil? Answer: “Do…

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Are All Men Created Equal?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Are-All-Men-Created-Equal.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 17:21-31   I.         Many people are familiar with the stirring words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty…

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Let’s Revisit “Judge Not”

by Terry Wane Benton Each time we speak or write on an issue of sin, we have told what God has said about that sin. When we do that, we are relaying God’s judgment (what He has said and the necessary implications of what He said). We are not making up things and trying to use…

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Finding a Home

by Joanne Beckley Thinking back on Sunday, worshiping at Tshiredzheni (South Africa), I couldn’t help but reflect on the trend I see in our increasingly desired larger congregations in America, with their well-dressed worshippers in their beautiful buildings — and making comparisons . . . Here I was sitting in a building, being built little…

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Going Before and Following After

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Going-Before-and-Following-After.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 5:21-25   I.         The phrase “lay hands upon” in I Timothy 5:22 deals giving your blessing to another person             A.        Such as when Jacob blessed his grandchildren – Genesis 48:14             B.        Such as when someone is appointed to a duty – Acts 6:6; 13:2-3             C.        It can also be a sign…

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When is judging a sin?

Question: I have a question about when judging people becomes a sin. I was thinking about how my friends take the Lord’s name in vain sometimes. And I was thinking to myself well if they don’t confess then they might not end up where they expect (when they die). Then I thought well they might…

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Prove What Is Acceptable

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Prove-What-Is-Acceptable.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Thessalonians 5:16-24   I.         I doubt it has escaped your notice, but there are people around us who don’t always do what is right             A.        How do you know who to trust?             B.        People claim to be Christians, but we know people can and do lie             C.        For that matter, how do…

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Could you explain what was meant in “Can We Judge?”

Question: Good day, “We have a saying that we should not judge a book by its cover. We cannot judge a man’s heart or his motives unless by some means that is revealed. But we can judge sinful behavior.” This is an extract from one of your lessons. I’m not sure I understand. Can you…

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Measuring Acceptability

by Whit Sasser In II Corinthians 8:12 we read, “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” This principle of God’s word is to be respected, as well as all others. Sadly, there seem to be many areas…

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Why Don’t We Just Kill Him?

by Edward W. Pagan Sentry Magazine, March 2001 The title of this article comes from one of the first movies that Tom Hanks made called The Man with One Red Shoe. It describes the infighting that goes on between two rivals within the CIA and their efforts to ruin each other’s careers. The line, in…

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It Is a Small Thing that I Am Judged by You

by Whit and Irma Sasser Sentry Magazine, June 2001 We read the following from I Corinthians 4:3-4, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet l…

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Guilty by Association

by Whit Sasser Sentry Magazine, December 2001 Was Jesus sinning when He ate with unfaithful Jewish brethren? Evidently, some thought so (Matthew 11:19), but you and I know it wasn’t true; for Jesus did not sin in anything He did while on the earth (Hebrews 4:15). Did Jesus sin when He ate the “Lord’s Supper”…

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Rhetoric in the Propaganda Wars

by Terry Wane Benton It is interesting how the rhetoric used in truth vs. propaganda often turns to prejudicial phrases. Elijah was called a “troubler” in Israel, by the wicked king (I Kings 18:17). Who really was the troubler? Was it not those who grew to accept immorality and idolatry? But Ahab used the word…

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Can We Judge?

by Jefferson David Tant One of the most well-known and most abused passages in the entire Bible is Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” So many times, if any criticism is offered concerning any religious practice that does not measure up to what the Bible says, the retort comes,…

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The Adulterous Woman

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/AdulterousWoman.mp3 Text: John 8:2-11   I.         People rarely want their sins pointed out.             A.        It should be understandable. We want to think well of ourselves and have others think well of us also.             B.        The common response to rebuke is to attack the messenger – Proverbs 15:32             C.        You’ll hear people inappropriately quote, “Judge not …” – Matthew 7:1…

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You’re Judging Another Person’s Salvation

By Joe R. Price May we examine a person’s personal belief about their salvation without “judging” them? More specifically, is it possible to identify an unbiblical view a person has about their salvation? Can we use the Scriptures to explain to a lost person he or she is lost? Or, are we judging that person…

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Careful How You Judge

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Careful-How-You-Judge.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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The Ignorance of the World Around Me

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IgnoranceOfTheWorldAroundMe.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 14:4-13   I.         I started to drive home the other night and the radio happened to be tuned to the show of a commentator whom I really can’t stand. He has a nasally, whiny voice that gets on my nerves, but the irritation is nothing compared to his views.…

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Be Careful Assigning God’s Judgments

by Doy Moyer A hurricane just demolished a town; it must be the judgment of God. Sickness took the life of this person; God must be judging. Some really bad things happened it seemed all at once; surely God is judging. Not so fast. We are not in a position to make such sweeping pronouncements.…

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How to Judge

by Matthew W. Bassford If there is any verse in the Bible that our society knows, it’s Matthew 7:1. Even people who have never cracked open a Bible in their lives are able to quote from the King James Version, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” I’m not sure that they know what a ye is,…

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Jumping to Conclusions

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/JumpingToConclusions.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Joshua 22:9-34   I.         While we all wish to do what is right, at times our actions or our statements may mislead others who see us.             A.        The 2 ½ tribes on the east side of the Jordan wanted a memorial to remind both their descendants and the descendants on the…

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How can Jesus not judge those who believe if we are all judged?

Question: Why is it that, even though we are supposed to do God’s will to be saved supposedly, why does Jesus say that those who believe will not be judged, even though you were saying we are all judged? In that case, then it’s like a paradox because everyone is judged even those who are…

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Sin, Repentance, and Judging Others

by Doy Moyer Some discussions just seem odd to me. One such oddity goes along these lines (and it seems to happen over and over, especially on social media, so this is not a reference to one particular discussion): Person A: “People who engage in this activity are in sin and need to repent.” (What…

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Because of your answers, I’m going to follow Satan

Question: I’d like you to stay with me to the end, please. I’d like to thank you for helping me make up my mind about something. After seeing how a man of faith such as yourself can be so unfeeling toward the plight of others, I have decided to follow Samael aka Lucifer or Satan.…

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Jamaica Patois Wisdom – Examine

by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…

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Withdrawing is too judgmental

Question: You said, “Because he is persisting in his sin, he must be withdrawn from. For a church not to do so is to given permission to sin,” in A man now attends church as a transgender female. Should he be withdrawn from? I think that is way off. That seems judgmental to me. God…

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I appreciate your article on judgment

Question: I was looking up “judgment” this morning. I very much appreciated your article on it, especially that you put in the Bible references. Thank you again, your brother in the gospel Answer: I’m glad to hear that you’ve found the website useful in your studies.

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Did my mother die in sin?

Question: I want to make clear why this is so important for me. It would be either way when it comes to a mother, but given how much I owe her, it is especially concerning for me. I apologize if it’s a bit long. I was born in Texas (raised there too). My mom raised…

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Hate the Sin, But Not the Sinner?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/HateTheSin.mp3 Text: II Peter 3   I.         It is common to face criticism when a strong stand is taken             A.        I noticed in the papers many years ago , that the Methodists and Episcopals were in a quandary.                         1.         The majority wanted strong stands against homosexuality, but a large element objected                         2.         The objection was that if you take…

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The Church Ain’t Doing Nothing

by Raymond Elliott How often have we heard that statement from a brother in Christ? And it is to be admitted that we often fail in fulfilling the many obligations that God has given us. But there are some pertinent observations that need to be made relative to this broad statement. First of all, we…

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Know with Certainty

by Doy Moyer “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience”…

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He That is Without Sin Among You

by Bob Waldron One time the Pharisees brought a woman who had been taken in adultery to Jesus and asked Him what to do about her. Should she be stoned as the law said? They were not really interested in the law, nor right and wrong, nor the woman. They were trying Jesus “that they…

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Your answer doesn’t appeal to young people

Question: I read an article on your website from a Muslim man who was asking you for advice. In my opinion, you come off as very harsh. Had it not been someone who was very open-minded to your opinion, you may have chased him away from Christ by having such a judgmental tone. “You are a…

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Please Judge Me

by Bryan Gibson That’s right, it’s time we flipped the script on the overused and misused slogan of so many — “don’t judge me.” Me personally, I want to know when I’m wrong — in any area of my spiritual life. I do “examine (my) own work” (Galatians 6:2); I do “judge” myself (I Corinthians 11:31), but…

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Some questions about judgments

Question: Please forgive me for taking up your time, but I became so excited when I came across this site! I understand that ignorance is not an excuse, and that transgression of God’s laws is sin. However, this is my question:  What if my brother who was just taught the gospel of Christ a few…

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