DOES THE BIBLE WANT CHRISTIANS JUDGED LIGHTLY?

Jesus in the Bible in Matthew 7 slams some forms of judging.  The rule is that you must not see evil in another that is actually in yourself.  The Bible indicates that the worst form of forbidden judgment is when it is regarding one’s fellow saints in the church. These are the ones we should especially love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) and so be least judgmental about (Matthew 7:1-5).  That is pure discrimination.  It should not matter who commits a murder.  You cannot give them a lighter judgement because they are Christian.

Jesus is clear that you must turn to him and get rid of your sins and then judge for he says you need rid of the beam in your eye to see the mote in the eye of your brother.  He is not banning judgement but hypocritical judgement.

Sinful judgment means judgement that is not interested much in taking a stance against sin. If you judge so that you look better than the person you judge that is an example of sinful judging. It is not about being fair to the other person. Sinful judgement is forbidden in all spheres: family, home, workplace, school, neighbourhood, etc. But in the light of Christian teaching that believers are God's representatives and duty bound to show his love and beauty it follows that sinful judgement of a follower of Jesus is especially forbidden. It is not true that Jesus opposed and condemned judging in the gospels. What he condemned was hypocritical judging.

So we know that the Bible implies that hypocritical and malicious judging of a Christian is worse than directing it against an atheist. It is saying, "Judging out of a bad motive or unfair judgement is always bad but even worse when it is Christians being judged like that." That violates the core humanistic principle that there must be no special treatment awarded to people just because they are believers or members of a religion.

Paul wrote that if God justifies a person and says they are good despite them being sinners that nobody can say he is wrong.  This is not Paul saying a believer in Christ cannot be charged of having being a wrongdoer.  The silly thing about saying that is what he is saying is it ignores the countless times Paul argued with people about them doing wrong.  Paul is talking about the person in terms of God's way of seeing them and is not saying we must treat them like saints like God does.  It is judicial not social.  It is only saying God has the full right to judge for he knows all things but we still have to do it though we might be wrong for we have to do it.  Paul cursed any man who does not love the Lord Jesus. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha."  That is quite a judgement on a person not a sin by the way to call them an utter curse and say they should be!

The Bible say that if a member of the Church suffers all the members of the body of Christ suffer with it (1 Corinthians 12). This indicates that the Church should suffer great pain if a member sins. That implies the Church must judge - the people must judge.