Who are YOU to Judge? (Lent 5-2013)

Have you ever heard someone ask “Who are you to judge?”  Generally someone asking that question is hoping the mere asking will deflect judgment that they don’t want, often over behaviors they don’t want judged.

God won’t and can’t be dissuaded.

He is the one to judge and

He’ll judge by His own standard:  the truth.

If you look at today’s full passage, you’ll see it’s filled with you and it’s filled with judgment and wrath.

Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.  So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? (Romans 2:2-3 NIV)

So does this mean that God doesn’t ever want us to judge anything?  No, we are allowed to judge behaviors because the truth is revealed in His Word.

What we are not allowed to judge are the hearts of other people.  God will take care of that, giving to each of us what we have earned on earth by our actions and our hidden judgments of people’s hearts.

The reason we will not escape God’s judgment is that even though we might not do specific behaviors we see in others, we do plenty of other things that also do damage to the Image of God.  (So, while I am not engaging in the homosexual behaviors listed in the prior passage, what if I dislike political activists trying to change the culture to declare it A-OK when God says it’s not?  The damage done to the Image of God is the same regardless whether it is homosexual expression or disliking activists).  Both use the Image of God to do something God Himself would not do.

All of this is why God sent Jesus.  Ultimately Jesus will judge us for what we’ve done with His Image whether to do good or to selfishly pass judgment on God’s truth and follow evil.

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Give it up for Lent: Passing Judgment on God’s Truth

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For further study, read Romans 2:1-8, Matthew 7:1-5

Questions to think about:

1. While this passage of Scripture’s use of you was referring to Paul’s Jewish readers in Rome, how many ways can you find that you’ve been a hypocrite about sin or taken for granted God’s forgiveness and grace?
2. What secret thoughts reside in your heart about God’s truth and are there ways you might reject it?
3. Jesus says, Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  How does this apply to today’s passage?