Being Judgmental

Many folks realize that it is judgmental to look upon the weaknesses and failures of others with a harsh, unfeeling scorn, and indeed that is very true. Jesus told us clearly, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Mat. 7:1,2). It is evident that he was speaking of ‘condemning’ others in this passage, warning us that we will reap what we sow in terms of how we view and deal with others who may or may not be at fault in a thing. The apostle Paul echoed the same spiritual sentiment in his letter to the Galatians: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). So we can see by these two passages that being ‘spiritual’ means that we are of a merciful spirit. That doesn’t mean that we overlook someone’s failures, but rather that we keep track of our own, and view theirs with a compassionate spirit, and deal with it in a right kind of spirit when necessary. But I want to take a look at the other side of this judgmental coin today, and show that in fact both sides are the same, though they certainly appear to be quite different. Jesus also said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (Jn. 7:24). Now this is basically saying the same thing that he said in Matthew 7 as quoted above, but I want us to see how that this works in both directions, and how Satan has deceived God’s people into being guilty of both. The holy Ghost revealed to me in 1983 that the earmark of erroneous doctrine is an unmerciful spirit. At that same time the Lord showed me by his Spirit that the earmark of his truth is a merciful spirit, and that it is those two differences that are the main evidence that divide God’s actual truth from the traditions and doctrines of men.

I want to show here that it is the same spirit that erroneously judges someone to be ‘right,’ will also judge someone else to be wrong. When it judges someone to be right, and in reality they are not, it looks so gracious. Yet when it judges someone to be wrong, whether they are wrong or not; it will do so with unfeeling harshness. In other words the spirit of flawed doctrine is NOT ‘the Spirit of truth.’ And the spirit of religious man has taught God’s people AWAY FROM the leading and teaching of his Spirit of truth and love (Jn. 16:13; Rom. 5:5).The religious traditions that are upheld today as being the criteria for being born again are not at all the biblical criteria of being born again. “Getting saved,” “accepting the Lord,” ”confessing Jesus,” etc.; are not what the Bible sets forth as the new birth experience. But rather, receiving God’s Spirit is unequivocally the born again experience in the Bible, and the only way into the one body of Christ (I Cor. 6:11; II Cor. 5:17; I Cor. 12:13; Tit. 3:5). The scriptures are quite consistent in the reality that being baptized with the holy Ghost with the accompanying sign of speaking in tongues is the only way for anyone to receive the Spirit (Jn. 7:38,39; Jn. 16:7; Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:1-6). The sign of speaking in tongues is the balking point for folks who do not want to acknowledge the new birth as cited by the scriptures. There is surely a reason for that. It is clear by the scriptures that God alone knows the hearts of men (I Sam. 16:7; I Kin. 8:39; Acts 15:8). It is also evident in the Bible that God has provided a sign of his own choosing to mark evidence of every covenant that he has established with mankind (Gen. 9:12,13; Gen. 17:10-14; Exd. 4:25,26). The reason for God establishing a sign to mark evidence of his covenants with men is because he alone knows the hearts of men, and he has never left it in the hands of men to ‘confess’ or ‘say’ that God has established a covenant with them, without his own sign being present to confirm it. It keeps everyone knowing who is God and who is not, and who knows God’s covenant and who does not.

Without an established sign from God to mark evidence of his covenant and who is in it, anybody could say anything they want to say about being in covenant with God; and who can know who is mistaken and who is not? So do you really believe that God has exempted this ‘new covenant,’ which has come to us as the result of the suffering and death of his dearly beloved Son, from the rule that he himself has established throughout history? Of course he hasn’t. Speaking in tongues was established as the heavenly sign of the new covenant on the day that the new covenant was established from heaven to earth (Acts 2:1-4). It is the sign of the new covenant remission of sins, which in fact is what the new covenant, or testament, is (Isa. 28:11,12; Mat. 11:28; Acts 3:19; I Cor. 14:21,22; Mat. 26:28; Jn. 6:53:,62,63). To declare one’s self or someone else in covenant with God through the remission of their sins before GOD bares witness of it by his sign, is absolutely judging unrighteous judgment! (Acts 15:8; Acts 10:44-46) And that is exactly what the spirit of Christianity is doing and has done for a long, long time; by means of its false new birth traditions. Those false new birth traditions are not of the Spirit of God, but rather of a ‘judgmental’ spirit that judges people to be RIGHT with God BEFORE God’s sign is present with them. And so it is the same spirit of religious man that judges people to be born again, when in fact they are not; that will also turn right around and judge someone harshly for a fault, or even for what they may deem to be a fault but in fact is not (Isa. 29:20,21; Mat. 12:1-7; Mat. 15:1-9; Lk. 13:11-16). So being judgmental works in both directions, and Christianity today has taught God’s people to be guilty of both by influencing them with the spirit that judges people right with God before they actually are. It plainly and simply is a judgmental and unmerciful spirit my friend, very nicely disguised by a seemingly gracious religious form; and you should flee from everything that pertains to it. Why? Because it is written, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (Jas. 2:13). Amen.