Love Over Judgement?
Matthew 7 Series - Part 9

This is part 9 of the Matthew 7 Series. These articles are concerned with Matthew 7:13-29 and how the soft-marshmallow approach of the last several decades is failing us. It is past time to stop acting like Pharisees and start to act like Jesus, Paul, John the Baptist and Moses. It is important to read this series in order, especially the first three parts.

A pastor speaking from the stage of a church told the whole congregation that we should choose love over judgment. This pastor was talking about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was stunned that she so easily contradicted both Dr. Martin Luther King and scripture with her statement. I immediately thought of the famous quote from The Princess Bride; "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Inigo Montoya aside, I wanted to ask her what she meant by love and what she meant by judgment. How ironic that in condemning judgment she was making a judgment.

Neither Dr. Martin Luther King nor scripture were quoted by this pastor. However, anyone who has heard Dr. King ought to know that he absolutely was not calling for an end to judgement. He was calling for an end to bad judgment and calling for the use of good judgment. His most famous quote makes this clear. "I have a dream that my children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Judging by superficial things like color of skin, material things, and so on is contemptible and should be condemned. But in order to condemn things like racism, we have to judge that racism is bad. And it is not love to let people sit in their ignorance. It is not love to allow such things to continue. And it doesn't matter which skin color is getting discriminated against, racism is wrong and against scripture.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
John 7:24 "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Scripture is absolutely clear we are to judge. (See the article "Are We To Judge?") If we do not judge our kids and their wrong deeds the Bible is clear we do not love them. You cannot love without judgment. Judgment is required. It does someone no good if you tell them it's OK and you're wonderful as they destroy their own life and lives of those around them. That is the exact opposite of love. If you let somebody destroy themselves with bad decisions and sin, then you do not love them. The Bible is totally clear that is an act of hate against that person. It is the lying secular-pagan-sinful culture that says love means accepting someone and what they do. That is an absolute and utter lie by those who love their sin. The secular-pagan culture does not like judgment because they know they are in the wrong.

Real Christians should embrace judgement. After all, we're all looking forward to judgment day, aren't we? For Christians that is when we judged for what our reward is. The others get judged for punishment. We absolutely should exercise judgment over our own lives. And we should then look to other people and try to help them in the things we have overcome ourselves. That is love. But the secular culture knows it's doing wrong, enjoys doing wrong, and doesn't want to stop doing wrong. So-called Christians who deride judgment are even worse than the pagan culture. They know they are doing things and teaching things that are wrong. That's why they do not like that word. Judgment is the friend of Christian. Judgment is what keeps us from getting squished by a truck when trying to cross the road. Judgment keeps us from falling for the tricks of the devil. People without judgment have disastrous and short lives.

This pastor had issues. On another occasion she expressed fear that there would be terrorist attacks because of the destruction of the Iranian nuclear program. I replied that I wasn't worried as there were terrorist attacks everyday that the "mainstream" news never talks about. It was an irrational and unbiblical fear of death. It was an irrational fear of something less likely to happen to one us than a meteor strike. Paul had a Christian attitude.

Philippians 1:21-24 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

This pastor didn't quote scripture, never showed a scriptural attitude, and repeatedly demonstrated an unbiblical worldview. Her fears and thoughts mirrored the twisted media that is actively against God, scripture, morality, and promotes a sick and twisted view of the world. Her words, actions and attitudes are evidence of not enough time spent in scripture and way, way, way too much time with blatantly anti-Christian sources, especially those that tell easily disproven lies. It is unlikely this will improve as she has not reacted well to someone pointing out the truth to her in the past. She has made herself immune to it.

Psalms 3:11-12 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.

Nobody loves correction. But if we are not being corrected by God we don't belong to Him. If we are not being corrected by scripture either we aren't reading it or we are reading into it what we think instead of being changed by what it actually says. If we don't belong to God we are not on the narrow path that leads to salvation. Nobody likes it to be pointed out that they're wrong. Despite that we should embrace it. Unless we don't care where we're going to end up on judgment day, then we don't need to worry about it. For someone who claims to be a Christian it ought to matter if we are in alignment with God, scripture, and the truth.