How Not To Read The Bible: Misusing Judge Not James 5:9 In Order To Avoid Christian Responsibility

(Note: after you read this see part II: How Not To Read The Bible: When The Wheat And The Tares SHOULD NOT Grow Together)

f course, there are going to be times when honest Christians who love God and are dedicated to His Word will have sincere disagreements. Some of the things in the Bible are mysteries by design, and then you have competing Bible translations interpreted through different traditions and cultures. And I am fine with that. After all, if we were perfect and knew everything, why would we need God? What purpose would there be for faith? Still, there are certain undisputable foundational doctrines and principles on which Christianity is based. Because of the hardness of our hearts and rebellious nature, a great many consciously choose to reject them, and to follow after and fellowship with those who have rejected them. And when the error is brought to light, two common excuses are made. The first is “we should not judge.” That is true; the Bible says that only God can judge, and only God knows the content of a man’s heart. That principle was established with the woman caught in adultery brought before Jesus Christ. Though she sinned, she called Him Lord, and by virtue of her believing upon Him, she was eligible for 1 John 1:9, for God to be faithful and just to forgive her sins. Though her accusers were not caught in any transgression of the law, they could not benefit from 1 John 1:9 because they rejected the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the true nature of God when it was revealed to them. But though we cannot truly judge, let alone try to take corrective action inappropriately (see Romans 12:19) what we can do is apply a plain contextual interpretation of the Bible to people and situations. This should be done responsibly, honestly, and motivated by love for God, the body of Christ, and the accused transgressor, but make no mistake: it should be done. In these instances, you are not judging, but rather forthtelling; giving what the Bible says about people, actions, and situations, with the goal being to convict sin rather than to condemn sinners. Rather than seeking someone’s punishment or destruction, it is done to A) inform the transgressor of the error of his ways in order to give him a chance to change and B) to warn others from following after his path. The Bible is clear: if you see someone doing something to his own hurt and do not warn him and he falls, on judgment day his blood will be required at your hand. Ezekiel 3:20 says it explicitly: Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. It is repeated even more clearly in Ezekiel 33:6 and Ezekiel 33:8 : But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

So you see, acting in this manner is very serious. 1) You fail to correct your brother when he is wrong and allow him to continue in sin. 2) You fail to inform others who would emulate him of sinful behavior and enable their sin. 3) God will hold you personally accountable for those you allow to be destroyed through 1) and 2). 4) You are committing blasphemy. How? Blasphemy is dishonoring or disrespecting God and/or using in vain (i.e. misusing) His Name. Well, the Bible is the Word of God, and Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1:1-14). So, when you use the Bible in contradiction and opposition to itself, against its actual intent, purpose and meaning, you blaspheme. Continual misuse and abuse of the Word of God in order to justify error will result in a Christian – or even someone who has come into knowledge of Truth but rejected it – becoming reprobate. Christianity is not a game, and it is not recreation or a diversion. It is 100% serious with the eternal fates of not only ourselves but all of mankind at stake before a God that is so holy and righteous that He cannot even look upon sin, and we need to act accordingly. It is not as if we have not been warned.

Now, you might say, “What if I am not sure? What if the Bible or my understanding of it is conflicting, contradictory, or incomplete? What if I am not in possession of all the facts; of mitigating circumstances?” First of all, pray and seek God’s Holy Spirit for guidance. (As a matter of fact, you should do that anyway with all things!) But in those instances, yes, it is a good thing to fear the Lord and not risk bringing a false accusation against someone (or even making a correct accusation in the wrong spirit; a railing or angry accusation) and holding your peace. Trust God, and when the Holy Spirit moves you to speak in such a matter, speak only according to what the Holy Spirit puts in your mouth. Otherwise, it is actually wise to hold your tongue. It is best to speak in situations where you have to do virtually no “editorializing”, when you are able to let the person’s actions speak for themselves. Just report what they did and supply the relevant scripture. If anyone objects, what will they be objecting to? If they have a problem with the actions of the person they should take it up with the person, and if they have a problem with the scripture then that is between them and God. Either way, if you have acted according to righteousness, sound judgment, and discretion (which the Bible commands even when God uses you to correct someone) then you are blameless before both God and men.

Ultimately, we must concede that there is a great bit of hypocrisy regarding this issue. When it is a matter after the flesh, we have no problem “judging.” If you witness someone robbing, raping, or killing someone else, you would have no problem telling the police, the news media, your friends and neighbors, even total strangers what you saw. You may even intervene to prevent the wrong! No one references James 5:9 if they see a man with a knife attempting to cut the throat of an innocent pregnant woman! No, you would rise up to try to prevent such an atrocity from taking place, and if intervention is unsuccessful you would advocate for that criminal to be tried to the fullest extent of the law, and you would castigate any scenario in which he goes unpunished, especially if he is a threat to victimize someone else! So then, why are we so fearful when it comes to doing the same regarding spiritual things? The reason is because we can SEE the natural things of the flesh. You can SEE a man cutting a woman’s throat. But spiritual things, such as the effects that false doctrine has on people spiritually, you cannot see. Well, let me inform you: where a criminal with a knife has the ability to end the temporary life of a person in this world, a false preacher or teacher can contribute to hundreds, even thousands departing from the narrow path and the strait gate to their destruction for eternity! You will rise up against those wielding knives and guns in the natural world, but cower behind misinterpreted scripture when it comes to people using nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction in the spiritual one. That, fellow servants of Christ, is not the way of God, and is not what He called us to do.