Actually the Scripture doesn't teach that Part 1--Christ taught us not to Judge

We have all been guilty at some point and time of propagating beliefs and ideas that we attribute to Scripture which are not. At its best it is intellectual laziness, and Biblical ignorance.  At its worst, we find it easier to propagate what we wish the Bible taught than to deal with its’ truth. The Church itself has bought into the idea of an “easy Gospel.” It has become more important to accumulate members than to lead people to true salvation. There are many things that our culture has added to what Scripture says. Some of the older longer standing has come from our own fathers in the faith, and while they sound like great “proverbs” it does not always mean they are taught in Scripture. John Wesley coined the phrase, “cleanliness is next to Godliness.” We have repeated it so that now the average Christian thinks that this phrase is Scripture. It may be good wisdom but to attribute anything to God which He has not said is dangerous. From time to time we will be taking a look at falsehoods we believe, and blame God for.

# 1 Christ taught us not to Judge others

“Don’t judge me” is probably one of the most used and most dangerous statements in our modern society. Matthew 7:1 has been misused and abused to absolve ourselves of the shame of sin, and too allow us to live as we please without consequences. The first mistake is one all of us enjoy making. We love to quote a part of a passage of Scripture we like and leave off the rest. The “rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say, is the key to proper interpretation. Let’s look at the entire context.

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not judge…” should never be understood to forbid all forms of judgment. If this were true our entire justice system would be at odds with Christianity. In fact we ourselves unwittingly make judgments that pertain to other people almost daily. When we choose who we are willing to do business with, work for, or even be friends with, we are judging their worthiness. Our judgments may be just or unjust, but they are in fact judgments all the same. Matthew 18:15 certainly allows us to judge our brothers behavior, and the following verses do give the church authority in the life of the believer. This phrase, “or you too will be judged”  seems hard to understand since we know that we will certainly will be judged regardless, of our judgments on others. What then can we gain from Jesus’ admonition? First and foremost we can never look into another’s heart to determine salvation or its lack. To say or even suggest that a person is not saved, is never in our authority, It is however perfectly acceptable to say to that same person that a particular behavior is not Christian. We can and must take anything that Scripture identifies as sin and proclaim it to be Un-Christian behavior. Secondly, and to us probably the hardest to observe, is self- examination followed by compassion. Simply put we are never to hold another to a higher standard than we are willing to live up to ourselves. The liquor store owner cannot sit in judgment of the alcoholic.  We must first deal with our own sin, and when we have done that we are by nature more understanding of the sins of others. It is worthy to note that when Jesus was brought the woman taken in adultery (John 7) He did not forbid their judgment, He simply challenged them to deal with their own sin first. We understand that they went away in the shame of their own sin. Could there be more here though? Could it be that in coming to grips with their own sin that some of these people felt a genuine compassion for this woman. When we rightly deal with our own weaknesses we can say like John Bradford, “There but for the grace of God go I.” When this happens we do not cease to judge sinful behavior. We do not even cease confronting the sinner.  When we do this we position ourselves to help them out of their sin instead of condemning them in it.

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Christianity and Capital Punishment

Ohio’s recent execution of Dennis McGuire has caused a firestorm from those who are opposed to the death penalty. McGuire wasn’t a “poster boy” case until the state used an untested mix of drugs and took over twenty minutes to accomplish death. The discussion of whether the procedure constituted cruel and unusual punishment has almost automatically morphed into a discussion about the morality of the death penalty in general. I would concede to the “cruelty” and ask the question; is there really any humane way to kill someone. It would seem that the only humane way to carry out a death sentence is to not tell them when it will happen. I can only imagine that the anticipation of the coming event would itself be excruciating. To sneak up on them at a time when they least expect it and kill them in the quickest imaginable way, is the kindest method. If this sounds insane then think about how insane it is to discuss a humane way to end another person’s life against their will. The death penalty is after all a punishment, and the ultimate one at that. Indeed the discussion does come down to whether we as a society have the right to impose capital punishment.

The debate on the morality of this issue does not fall on the lines drawn between Christian and non-Christian. Many God loving and well-meaning Christians disagree about capital punishment. Many Bible believing people refer to the King James rendering of the sixth commandment, “thou shalt not kill” (Ex. 20:13) as their rationale against the death penalty.  The New International Version translates it, “Thou shall not murder.” This is more accurate because the Hebrew word so translated does not refer to killing in general but to malicious and unlawful killing. Neither accidental killing (Numbers 35:22-25) nor justifiable homicide (Ex. 22:2) is a breaking of the sixth commandment. Neither killing in war nor capital punishment is necessarily forbidden in this commandment since God required both in certain cases (Ex.21:12). So the preferred translation is, “You shall not murder.” It is not enough to conclude that Scripture does not forbid this practice, therefore leaving it up to choice. The Bible does in fact insist that we exercise the death penalty. Long before the Ten Commandments, and the religious ceremonial Law of Moses, God had given commandment “civil law” to Noah when the human race was beginning anew. While the world as we know it was in its inception God said to Noah, “Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6)

It may seem a contradiction of terms but if we as Christians are to uphold the sanctity of human life then we must also uphold capital punishment for those who would destroy life.  If we as Americans are to uphold the right to life, then there must be an accounting innocent blood. The Christian ethic is to protect life, from conception to natural death, as God chooses, and to punish those who would intervene otherwise without just cause.

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