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The Yard Stick of Judgment

Sermonette by Jared M. Ellis

God's saints must carefully distinguish between judging situations and judging people. Matthew 7:1-2 warns that using flawed human judgment will boomerang.

Judging Our Brothers

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Judging according to appearance often leads to flawed conclusions due to the limitations of human perception. In a hypothetical scenario, a man seen staggering out of a tavern and falling might be hastily judged as drunk and arrested, when in reality, he was momentarily blinded by sunlight, tripped on uneven pavement, and was taken to a hospital for a head injury sustained in the fall. This illustrates how many events crucial to righteous judgment occur outside the observer's direct experience, rendering human judgment subjective and conditioned by personal characteristics or experiences. A person's field of perception is too limited and almost entirely subjective to fairly assess another's character. God forbids the passing of judgment against another, which involves handing down a sentence or condemning a person as irredeemable, rather than merely identifying an act as wrong. Such judgment is futile and vain, offering no spiritual value, and is often motivated by a desire to elevate or justify oneself. Even Paul, despite finding no fault in his own conduct, refrained from judging himself, recognizing that salvation comes by grace through faith, not by personal assessment. Many things judged in others are trivial or merely different ways of doing things, often insignificant in the long term, yet people tend to focus on them to the point of condemnation. God's Word cautions against speaking evil of a brother, as it indirectly challenges the law to love one's neighbor as oneself, thereby passing judgment on the Creator who inspired that command. Instead, humility, longsuffering, and love should guide interactions, as urged in Ephesians and Colossians, bearing with one another and forgiving as Christ forgave. Passing judgment is both futile, due to human inadequacy, and dangerous, as it usurps the prerogative of the Father and Christ as Judges. This necessitates a careful study of God's Word to discern proper responsibility and approach toward brothers in Christ when such situations arise.

Judging in the Church

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Human nature is strongly competitive and full of pride, making judgment inherently problematic. Nevertheless, God wants us to learn to judge with equity.

Do Not Judge

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

While we do not have the prerogative of condemning and passing judgment, we do have the responsibility of observing behaviors or inspecting spiritual fruit.

Elements of Judgment (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The last days of the Worldwide Church of God demonstrated a dearth of righteous judgment. God expects us to judge wisely within the parameters of His Law.

Without a Parable

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Christ's judgments are made according to what each person has been given. We need to internalize this practice of evaluating, especially regarding a brother.

Seeing Is Not Believing

'Ready Answer' by Ryan McClure

Our senses can be deceived through distraction and misdirection, which becomes especially critical when determining matters of spiritual importance.

New Covenant Priesthood (Part Eleven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Pride destroys relationships, rendering righteous judgment next to impossible. Self-righteousness (a product of pride) makes an idol out of self.

John (Part Fourteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

The overriding motivation for the individuals bringing to Jesus the woman caught in adultery was to trap Him, impaling Him on the horns of a dilemma.

Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Ten)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Like with the heroes of faith, our testing will be commensurate with the job God has prepared for us. We must make our relationship with God our top priority.

Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Most people have not used the Word of God as their standard of morality and conduct, but instead are allowing society and culture to shape their attitudes.

Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Two): Perspective

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Job's three 'friends,' exemplars of all men, made critical assumptions and judgments about Job on the basis of biased religious and cultural tradition.