Judge Not?

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:1-5

You've probably heard "judge not!" whenever one considers another's actions to be wrong. It seems right to throw the Bible at someone who's throwing the Bible at others, right? Well, first, don't throw the Bible at others. Some are pretty heavy and painful to the noggin. Second, you need to read the rest of this verse. It's super important.

First let's see what "judge" means in Greek here:

κρίνω - properly, to separate, come to a choice by making a judgment either positive or negative. (Strong's Concordance)

Judging someone else by a certain standard and yourself by another is hypocritical. So, if you're living your life to the same standard ("first take the log out of your own eye"), then it's not hypocritical to "take the speck out of your brother's eye." Please note: you're taking the speck out of your BROTHER'S eye. What is a brother?

ἀδελφός, οῦ, ὁ - from the same womb, brother (whether born of same two parents or only one of the same parent), same national ancestor as in belonging to the same people (countryman), a fellow believer constituting as it were but a single family, an associate in employment or office. (Strong's Concordance)

This isn't even speaking of judging (deciding whether a person's actions are good or bad) an unbeliever! I believe it's speaking of not correcting your family (those you are close to) or fellow believers when you're not even trying to correct yourself. So, it's ok to lovingly redirect your brothers and sisters in Christ as we shouldn't even call ourselves Christians or believers if we are not correctly representing our God. Paul is also great at explaining further how to deal with other children of God, so I recommend reading Galatians, Timothy, or any of his other writings. However, here's something Jesus says:

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17

How do you treat a stubborn Christian who refuses to act Godly? Let him be like an unbeliever to you. In other words, you can't correct him as he's not really a follower of God.

So, what about unbelievers? How do we sway them to good?

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." Matthew 7:6

When you read the section about judging, you think this next verse is a change in subject. It's actually a very relevant statement completely related to the verses before.

You can't expect an unbeliever to act like a Christian. They might under their own fruition, but you can't expect it. They don't believe in your God, and they likely won't act Godly. That's where we are called to be disciples, living our lives as examples of God's love for our neighbors.

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'

'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'

He answered, '‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’'

'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.'

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'

In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'

The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise."" Luke 10:25-37

Go and do likewise.

Faith with Eyes Wide Open

There's a reason Jesus healed the blind: God wants love and faith with eyes wide open.

Occasional doubt is normal. Humans are unused to the greatness and perfection that is God. Nothing like Him exists elsewhere in our experience. Even when others have the best of intentions, they can still, through internal or external circumstances, let us down. So, complete and utter faith is a rarity that is difficult to obtain.

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

'Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward.'

But Abram said, 'Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.' Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:1-6

Introducing Abraham and his wife Sarah, in this verse, Abram expresses his doubt that God can reward him, but by the end of the conversation, he decides to believe Him. However, he wasn't done doubting yet and neither was his wife.

"Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.'" Genesis 16:1-2

She still believes God's power is limited. She's barren and elderly, and she's clearly not thinking God will bless her own body with the ability to conceive. Now, pause. There seems to be a time difference between when God made his promise to Abram (already considered old) and when Sarai made this decision as it states she did this "after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years.(16:3). Then, when Hagar gave birth to his son Ishmael, Abram was eighty-six years old. Fast-forward thirteen more years to when Abram is ninety-nine. God speaks once again.

"No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations... God also said to Abraham, 'As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.' Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?' And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!' Then God said, 'Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.' When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him." Genesis 16:17-22

Abram once again expresses his doubt that his elderly wife will give birth, and she has never had any indication yet that she was indeed the one to bear God's reward. Time is passing, and it's becoming harder and harder to have faith in this already fantastical promise.
Sarah was about ninety years old when she gave birth to Isaac, his name meaning "he will laugh," reflecting the fact both of his parents laughed in disbelief at a miracle child.
One important thing I've gathered from these passages is that God didn't bash anyone for their disbelief or momentary doubt. God gives us a brain to think. He doesn't want blind faith as in sheeple. You can find numerous instances in the Bible where He denounces people being "blind" or how evil people "blind" others into following them. He even states He gave us ears to hear and eyes to see. You may have momentary doubts. Use your head to understand God, try to understand God and not merely fall away.

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding." Proverbs 3:13
We need to grow. Some things will never be understood about God's nature. We need to know that we won't always have the answers for everything, but that doesn't mean we should be blind.
"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:12-14
Even God is evidenced using our senses that God gave us.
"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20

He is the light, and that means He loves understanding, wisdom, and the truth. Seek the truth, and He will guide you. Don't wallow in the doubt but use it to strengthen your faith in a God who will surely always follow through on His promises. Trust in Him because He wants you to know Him, eyes wide open.

Kingdom of the World

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Matthew 6:24

We all end up making something our master, whether it's our family, career dreams, bill collectors, or really anything. Anything can end up being your guide for living in this world, and you follow what it asks from you every day. We've all allowed the world to be our master at some point in time. If we serve the world, we don't serve God.

If you ever wonder what or who actually qualifies as "the world" to God, well the Bible actually answers that.

"Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36

Basically, "the world" is anything or anyone which is not of the kingdom of God. It is of the kingdom of the world. The children of God are citizens of the kingdom of God, which existed yesterday, today, and forever. It's never disappeared, even if humanity hasn't always been a part of it (since we were kicked from Eden). God's kingdom is like Him, immortal. The kingdom of the world is continually dying, eventually fading away to non-existence.

"A voice says, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass." Isaiah 40:6-7

We do live in this kingdom that is "the world," but we do not belong to it. We are made to be immortal as we are in God's image. However, God gives us freewill to choose the path we wish to walk down, whether that is of death or life.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

The kingdom of this world is led by none other than Satan. This is what I've found.

"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:4

When judgment day comes, who is called the "ruler of this world?"

"Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out." John 12:31

I've used this verse in another post, but it's relevant here.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me." John 15:18-21

If the world murdered Jesus, it will treat you no better. You will encounter resistance, argument, anger, and possibly even ostracism. That's while living in a country based on freedom of religion. It's then, you will know you have faced "the world."

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12

However, you have no reason to fear the world or the people who belong to it. They will all be in yesterday soon enough. Fear makes us a servant of the world. Our true master, Yahweh, is loving and immortal, a rock that stands in the midst of a vast, tumultuous ocean.