19. Judgment

[Pastor Ralph]

Please share your thoughts on one or more of the questions in this lesson. 

[haar]

1.    Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage? Judgmental Gossip

2.    What do giving and forgiving have in common?  They both attract corresponding reward too (I mean as you do each of them, you also receive and even more of each)

3.    How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous? By encouraging them that they will reap bountifully for their generosity.

4.    What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank? We need to examine ourselves first and ensure that we are right in God's eye before attempting to correct someone else. 

[Irmela]

1. Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage?

Judging of someone and accusing him unfairly by listening to and joining the gossiping that follows without a fair trial i. e., without the person being able to defend himself, is what Jesus is referring to. 

[Irmela]

2. What do giving and forgiving have in common? 

By forgiving someone, you are actually giving that person freedom. (and vice-versa) By giving you are actually setting free, releasing and pardoning that person. 

[Irmela]

3. How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous?

Our generosity must be in such a way that we do not expect it back. It must be full to overflowing. Using the picure .... a measuring instrument, pressed down, shaken together and running over. 

[Irmela]

4. What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank?

We cannot hope to help someone else before we have done some serious self-examination. Whatever it is that we are hoping/intending to help  someone else to overcome, we need to be sure that we have overcome that same sin in our lives. 

 

[hanks]

1. Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage?

When Jesus said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged,” He was telling us we must not judge people’s motives for we cannot read their heart and cannot know why they act the way they do. In the same way, we have no right to judge fellow believers, whether or not they are good followers of Christ – only He has that right to judge. When it comes to judging the way others serve the Lord, we tend to exalt the spectacular and sensational but overlook and/or criticize the ordinary day to day tasks (1 Cor 4:5). Here again it is best left to the Lord who will judge what was done and why it was done. We are all prone to excuse our own faults and magnify the faults of others. The Bible states that God’s ways are not our ways (Isa. 55:8); if we want to live in obedience to Him we must go God’s way, which is usually counter to the ways of the natural man. Jesus also said, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Man’s way is to go easy on himself and to judge others more harshly. God’s way is to be merciful toward others, forgive them, and rather judge our own sins. Since it goes against the flesh, it is something we must constantly work at if we want to please God and experience His blessing. I think back on how I was hopelessly alienated from God, guilty of violating His holy law. I could do nothing in myself to be reconciled with God. No amount of good works would qualify me for heaven, because they could never cancel out my sins. I was dead in my sins, living according to the desires of the flesh, ignorant of God and His holy ways. Then, God because of His great mercy, grace, and love, forgave me my sins – all past, present, and future sins! When you have personally tasted God’s great mercy in Christ, it is very difficult not to forgive others. Also, in general, we must not be hypercritical since a fault-finding spirit violates the law of love. There are certain areas, however, in which Christians must judge. We are to judge between good and evil. Sin must be judged in the home and in the congregation. When Jesus commands us not to judge others, He does not mean that we should not evaluate others’ actions, beliefs, or teachings, which is often carried to ridiculous extremes in our tolerant culture.

[hanks]

2. What do giving and forgiving have in common?

In general, if we are a merciful person, not condemning others for their faults, others will be gracious toward us - if you are quick to forgive, others will be likely to forgive us. In the same way, if we are generous in our giving, others will be generous toward us. Love manifests itself in giving (John 3:16), and those who give generously are rewarded generously. On the other hand, if we condemn people, if we refuse to forgive, if we are stingy/miserly, it will come back to us. In the same way if we judge harshly, and do not forgive, we will receive back harsh criticism. It is a fixed principle in life that we reap what we sow, and that the same measure we use to others is measured back to us. A forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received God's forgiveness. If we are critical rather than compassionate, we will also receive criticism. If we treat others generously, graciously, and compassionately, these qualities will come back to us in full measure. We are to love others, not judge them. To forgive others means to be generous toward them. If we truly are in Christ through faith in His shed blood, there is no eternal condemnation (Rom. 8:1), but, a judgmental person who refuses to forgive others is self-righteous and proud. The Bible says that God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble (1 Pet 5:5). We put ourselves in opposition to God if we condemn and refuse to forgive those who have wronged us.

[hanks]

3. How does Jesus' teaching encourage His disciples to be generous?

God challenges us to be generous because He wants us to receive the blessing that comes from it. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you … For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). God is seeking people who will reflect His character and model His generosity. In our generosity, we are not to expect repayment in kind. Our reward will come from the Lord, in His way and in His time. We are to show generosity even to our enemies: “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great …” (Luke 6:29, 34–35). God is generous, and He expects us to follow His example. God’s generosity is evidenced all around us. God created this planet that is especially suited to sustain us and provide for our needs and pleasures. Above all, God demonstrated His generosity when He offered His Son as a sacrifice to atone for our sin. In the face of such generosity, we can only say, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). The gift of Jesus to sinful mankind was the ultimate act of generosity. As we have been forgiven, we are to forgive (Ephesians 4:32). And as we see God being generous, we are to be generous. Generosity can be manifested in many ways. We can give of our time, our material resources, our hospitality, and our friendship.  

[hanks]

4. What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank?

Jesus was speaking primarily to the disciples He was training to be leaders. Rather than judging others (6:36-38), they must judge themselves or they will be like the blind leading the blind. Resulting in their followers being just like them (6:39-40). It’s a warning to be careful to follow spiritual leaders who confront their own sins and to avoid leaders who are self-righteous. If we follow our Lord Jesus we will over time become more and more like Him.

Therefore, we must take the log out of our own eye before we try to help others with the speck in our eye (6:41-42). As we examine ourselves, we should look at our fruit (6:43-45). If our words are judgmental, bitter, and evil, it indicates that our hearts are evil, but if they are merciful, forgiving, and generous, it indicates that God has truly done a work of grace in our hearts. We are all prone to exaggerate the fault of others and to minimize or even ignore our own glaring faults. We’re quick to blame others, but we’re slow to blame ourselves. We will only begin to grow spiritually and love the other person as we should, when we begin to confront our own sins with God’s Word. We might be thinking we are a pretty loving person until we read Luke 6:27-38 or 1 Corinthians 13. His Word is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, exposing us before God’s holy standards (Heb 4:12-13).

[kreilly]

What do giving and forgiving have in common?

I think they both have a lot to do with holding loosely and letting go.  In the process of giving, we are holding loosely to our possessions and letting go of them easily, because they are not really ours to begin with, but gifts from God that we steward.  In the process of forgiving, we must hold loosely to our anger/desire for revenge, rather than nurse it or hold on to it.  We have to let our anger go easily and trust God to take care of the situation.  

[Bailey]

Bailey Greetings 5/17/21  What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage? When pass judgement or make judgement or a statement against anyone, make sure that it is true.  We must remember most of all our Lord.  We must also remember not to bare false witness against thy neighbor, the jails are full with false statements and testimonies and untruths.  We hold these truths to be self evident.  We live in a world of finger pointers, where is the love we should be showing to one another.  I have never seen so many talk shows, tell all, gossip papers, and lets not forget the twitter and so on.  Does it hold truth, who knows and who really cares.  One should only concern themselves with what did Jesus say and How can I make it to Heaven and bring someone along with me.

2.  What do giving and forgiving have in common?  God says to be a cheerful giver, give and it shall be given unto you, and don't forget to give to the Church.  I read where this giving has been on the decline as well as the growth in the church membership  There is a gospel song that goes " You can't beat God in giving, no matter how hard you try."  Just like you forging others you must forgive as God has done for you. Even now, American's wait for that stimulus check, but as a reminder, don't forget God! and even those who didn't get a check!

[Old Jerry]

Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage?

 

A. I think the judging that Jesus forbids is the moral judgment of others. We don’t know that they are going through and therefore we aren’t to judge them.

 

What do giving and forgiving have in common?

 

A. If you are forgiving then you are giving. You are giving the other person a break.

 

How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous?

 

A. Jesus is telling them that if they give generously then they will reap generously.

 

What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank?

 

A. He is just telling them that you need to remove the sin in your life in order to help the other person remove the sin in their life.

[Nana Karlsson]

1. I think Jesus was refering to judgemental gossip.

2.The point Jesus was making about the speck and the plank is that we need to deal with our own sins first (which could be greater than the sins we see in others) so we can see to help others rather than overreact.

[Godswriter]

1.    Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage? When it comes to judging others, I believe we can't make speculation or jump to conclusions about certain things about people when we don't have all the facts. Sometimes we can act or even say things that are counterintuitive about people. Which will make us look like bad. 

2.    What do giving and forgiving have in common?Giving is the act of giving some portion of your money that God has given you back as as act of obedience. Forgiving is not only commanded of us but also required for as the book of Ephesians stated Forgive just as Christ has forgiven you. What that is saying is simple; what right do we now have to hold any grudge when the Lord Himself did not? For did not He say to His accusers  these words, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do? If He was willing to forgive His accusers then we are to do the same.

3.    How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous? It means that however you sow that is you will reap.

4.    What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank? That means basically to take a look at yourself before you choose to point out someone else's faults.

[pickledilly]

1. Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage?       Jesus speaks here of an attitude that openly criticizes and denounces, that condemns and declares a judicial-type sentence on another person,. It isn’t our rightful place to do that. We are called to use discernment in evaluating the evidence of behaviors and actions we see in others - but not to presume to know their intent or motive, and not to  “sentence” them. That’s only God’s place and right to do because He alone is the perfect Judge with flawless insight, knowledge, wisdom, and authority.

[pickledilly]

2. What do giving and forgiving have in common?

We are commanded to follow the example of Jesus in developing and maintaining the disciplines of being givers and forgivers, always looking for opportunities where we can offer both in a display of God’s character. And both share an amazing promise: that the LORD Himself will return those blessings back to us far more generously than what we are capable of offering to others.

[pickledilly]

3. How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous? These divine promises and the record of the LORD’s faithfulness to His Word are trustworthy encouragement for us to obey.  Even though His call to be generous in giving and forgiving can be costly and painful at times, He has promised that our every act of obedience rooted in faith will be abundantly rewarded!

4. What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank? Pastor Ralph’s comment completely sums it up: “until we take the time to deal with our own sins and weaknesses, we're in no position to help someone else get rid of sin in his own life.”  I can't give meaningful advice to someone else about an issue I have not dealt with in my own life.  My hypocrisy would be even more detrimental to the other person.

[Lottie]

1.Why is the real test of agape love being able to love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really have agape love? Because that is what Jesus did on the cross and what God and Jesus expect us to do. By showing our enemeies love we show them how God feels about them and it n gives us a chance to bring them to Him when they see how we act. This shows that you are a true follower of Jesus. If we fail, it means that we do not fully understand what it is. That we need to surrender our rights and learn to love the way He did. This means we need to be all sold out for the gospel and the kingdom.

2.Do you see "turning the other cheek" and giving your enemy your tunic as literal, figurative, hyperbole, or what? What is the point Jesus is making here? I see it as hyperbole an exaggeration. We need to avoid confrontations and graciously give in. We need to remember how Jesus acted when he was unfairly treated. He did not lash out in anger or retaliate. We are to follow His example. That it does not show favorably for us if we lash back at people then we are no different than they are.

3.Why is loving your enemy so much like divine love? What is the implication of this for our salvation? For our lifestyle? Because it is what Jesus did on the cross. He forgave His enemies on the cross and even through his abuse and whipping. If we really love Jesus and appreciate all He went through for us then we will follow His example and love our enemies. We will choose to forgive others when they hurt us. We will not hold onto grudges or insults. We will show them love and mercy like we were shown and we can only do it through His Spirit within us.

4.What is the difference in effect of stating the Golden Rule as a negative ("Don't do to others, as ..."), as did Rabbi Hillel, rather than a positive ("Do to others, as ..."), as did Jesus?

In the negative it means don't do do others what you don't want them to do to you. In the positive it means treat others like you want them to treat you. This means even our enemies.

 

1. Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage? He means the kind where we judge a person based on their clothing or status in life. Or if the person has tatoos or other things we finf offensive without even getting to know the person. Or judging their actions without knowing the all the facts. We are acting like judge and jury then condemning people unfairly. Gossiping about them to others and slandering them.

2.What do giving and forgiving have in common? They are both positive spiritual traits and Jesus wants us to not only forgive our enemies but also give to them. He wants us to generous in both areeas.

3.How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous? He tells them that if they are generous in their forgiveness and giving that it will come back to them. That we reap what we sow. If we sow sparingly we will reap sparingly.

4.What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank? That a person who has sins in their own lives should take care of them before trying to point your finger at someone elses sins. Deal with your own before you deal with another person's sins. Don't be judgemental or over critical of someone else without looking at yourself first.

 

[George L]

1. Why is the real test of agape love being able to love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really have agape love? The Lords prayer is my guide, one translation includes not only ‘as we forgive those who trespass against us’ but continues with ‘and hold no animosity toward them’. That has indeed proven to be a difficult in practice. Yet with Christ as our example: Heb 12:3  For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.  Are we not willing to forgo earthly satisfaction of holding others acts against them to seek God’s choice of mercy rather than sacrifice. Are we not willing to give time into prayer for them. Time the most precious commodity of earthly life.  Let us all give time to praying for the lost. Who else is there but we who know their great need?

2. Do you see "turning the other cheek" and giving your enemy your tunic as literal, figurative, hyperbole, or what? What is the point Jesus is making here?  Many proverbs there are about strife. If I refuse to engage in a dispute and forgive, then the contender must find new ground to attack me. If he must win, so win. On scriptural matters, Pro 15:1  A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. I find a soft answer and retreat leaves open a future conversation instead of destroying a future opportunity.