JUDGING We understand that there is coming a day in which Jesus Christ will judge us and the entire world (Acts 17: 30-31).  This judgment will be right and final.  There will be no mistakes and no appeals.   There is no thing hidden from God’s sight.  All things are naked and open to the eyes of God to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:13).  Knowing this awaits us, we must remind ourselves that when we make our “judgment calls,” we must be very careful for we will give account for all the “judgment calls” we make. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus soberly warns those who care to listen to Him, “Judge not, that you be not judged.  For  with  what  judgment  you  judge,  you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).  We all do make “judgment calls.”  The question  is  how  do  we  make    them?  Do we make them   having lost self-control?  Do we allow our   feelings and emotions to manipulate and drive us as we make our “judgment calls?” Do we make our “judgment calls” with prejudice?  Do we make our “judgment calls” not caring about all the facts?  In Matthew 7:1 Jesus teaches such individuals that they should make no “judgment calls.”  You see, in Matthew 7:2 Jesus reminds all who make unreasonable, fault- finding, nit-picking “judgment calls” that they can rightly expect their God to judge them on the Judgment Day by the standard they have used on others.  I don’t know about you, but that is a rather sober and fearful thought to me.  I believe I want to be very careful when I do make my “judgment calls” in life from day to day.  I want my God to be fair and reasonable in dealing with me; and for this to happen I am told that I also must choose to be fair and reasonable in dealing with others.  The   standard of judgment I choose to use on others is exactly and rightly the standard I need to know my God will use in judging me.  This idea also helps me to not want to be permissive but gracious in the dealings that I have with others.  I want God to be gracious to me, and I believe that this is further what He wants me to be in my  dealing with others.  Often it is easy for us to be gracious to family members; but when it comes to others, we often are not as gracious. When I make my “judgment-calls,” I am reminded by my Lord that there is a standard to use, which is both righteous and fair.  “Do not judge according to appearance (superficiality), but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24).    Proverbs 21:3 gives us some further insight here, “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”  The definitions of righteousness and justice don’t come from you or me or from a church or a dictionary but from the word of the Lord Himself.  You and I can know how to make righteous judgments (judgment-calls) by putting forth our very best effort to get into the mind of our God.  He sees, knows, and understands everything perfectly.  We are invited to put forth the effort to grow in our Lord’s perfect mindset.  In Isaiah 56:1 of the Old Covenant, God makes some things clear about His future plans and the righteousness found in His Son.   “Thus says the LORD: ‘keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.’ “ Christians are those who are IN Christ.  To us the person of Christ is wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).      Consider the obvious and reasonable way of making “judgment-calls.”  “You will know them by their fruits.   Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will KNOW them.”   (Matt. 7:16-20).  Here is God’s standard.  Check out the fruits!   We need not be afraid to make “judgment calls.”  The apostle John judged Diotrephes (3 John 9-10).  Paul tells us to judge by rejecting the teachings of a divisive man/heretic (Titus 3:10-11).  The church is commanded by Paul to make a judgment and withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly (2 Thess. 3:6).  Christians are not to be intimidated by those who abuse Matthew 7: 1-2 and want to make Christians powerless.  Christians are to know that they will (are) judge (judging) this world (1 Cor. 6:2).  Christians are authorized by God now to judge even in the smallest of matters.  Remember, it is not our feelings or our church that is the standard of judgment, but rather righteous judgment is that which is found in God’s preserved word revealed and executed through His Saints.  “Judge, with  righteous judgment” (John 7:24). Judging is necessary to maintain the purity of the body of Christ, His church.  Some even in the first-century church were teaching “other doctrines” and were giving heed to fables and genealogies (1 Tim. 1:3-4).  These were to be charged by the evangelist to cease and desist.  That is making a judgment.  The standard is God’s word as compared to everything else out there.  A righteous judgment is made when one shuns profane and idle babblings (2 Tim. 2:16-18).  Saints are commanded to take a stand (make a judgment) to oppose a false message.   Remember church, we are not called to be politically correct. We are as the salt of the earth called to be the representatives of the righteousness of our God as we make our “judgment calls” day by day.