Judging Christians

By Perry Brown

1. It is a common theme in our culture – esp. among Christians – to not

be judgmental about the actions and attitudes of others.

2. Where does that conclusion come from, esp. among Christians?

a. Matthew 7:1-5 -- “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For
in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with
the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “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? 4 How 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? 5 You 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.
b. John 8:1-11 – “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first
to throw a stone at her.”

3. So at first glance reserving judgment seems to be both prudent and

biblical.

4. But in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Paul is dismayed – even appalled – that

the church at Corinth had not “judged” one of those who “claimed”
to be a brother in Christ, but was engaged in obvious, persistent,
public sin.

5. What’s the difference there, where Paul clearly expected the

Corinthian church to “judge” a professing Christian?

6. Paul makes it very clear that Christians are to judge fellow Christians
(“Are you not to judge those inside [the church]?... Expel the wicked
person from among you.”), but leave judgment of the world at large
to God (“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the
church?... God will judge those outside.”)

7. This situation in the church had to do with a person associating with

their local church who had been involved in:
a. Sexual immorality: “A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.”
that was public and widely known among the believers there.
Judging Christians
By Perry Brown

b. The offence seems to have been persistent and the offender

unrepentant.
c. This type of sin was recognized and condemned even in society
at large: “…of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate.”

8. Paul’s remedy was simple: separation. Christians “must not associate

with anyone” like the person under scrutiny; “Do not even eat with
such people”; and they must “put out of your fellowship the man
who has been doing this.”

9. But what appalled Paul the most was their attitude toward the sin
and the sinner: toleration that led to pride, not expulsion that led to
mourning. “And you are proud!” and “Your boasting is not good.”

10. Thus when Paul says “Are you not to judge those inside [the
church]?” he is affirming a practice that he fully thought they should
have understood and should have been following.

11.Why is this kind of tolerance so…intolerable? “Don’t you know that a

little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?” Even one isolated
incident like this can have a widespread, misguiding influence on the
rest of the believers in the fellowship. They too might get the idea
that it is ok to tolerate open sin in others…and eventually even
themselves.

12. Unfettered toleration for open, obvious, unrepentant sin became a

kind of badge of honor, it seems. “Just look how gracious and
forgiving we can be, since Christ has forgiven us! Who among us can
cast the first stone, just as our Savior taught!”

13.Perhaps the lesson is this: grace and forgiveness must be abundant

when sin among believers is confronted and confessed. But when sin
is tolerated and even proudly embraced, our Savior can only say “you
should have known better.”