Our world is filled with sayings that people repeat. Sometimes, the sayings may be right on point, and other times, they may be completely off-point. Many of these sayings are put on plaques or home decorations, and many times, people think these sayings are from Scripture.
- Are there any sayings that you enjoy?
- Are there any sayings that are on the walls of your house today? Be honest!
A quick Google search will reveal to us famous sayings that are not in the Bible. I put the saying, “God helps those who help themselves,” in this category. It sounds spiritual and even motivating. People use this quote to encourage others to help themselves and say that God will help us in whatever we are doing as long as we put the time and effort into it. However, Scripture tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). So, this saying goes against our dependence on God for help, and our efforts are wasted if He is not in the process.
When I helped with the student group (teenagers) through the church, we would use a tool to help kids get to this point. We would include sayings from the Bible and then sayings from Justin Bieber’s songs and ask the question, “Bieber or the Bible?” It was a lot of fun, but sometimes we were surprised by the answers. One saying is, “Who can make my life complete? It’s all about you.” Most kids would guess the Bible, but it is actually a Bieber song.
- Can you think of any sayings that sound like a Bible reference, but maybe they are not in the Bible? Please share your answers.
- There is another category of sayings that are not actually in the Bible but are actually based upon Scripture. Can you share any of those sayings?
Well, in our continued study of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus was teaching, we come upon this section of Scripture in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” I would put this section of Scripture in a category of one of the most misused Bible verses in the entire Bible. Our modern culture wants to take this Scripture and then tell us that we, as Christians, are not supposed to judge others. It is even going so far as to infiltrate the church body itself. They say we cannot tell someone that they are called to live differently. If they are part of the body of Christ, we are called to tell a brother or sister in Christ of their error.
- Can you think of Bible verses that are actually direct quotes but are grossly misinterpreted or misapplied to situations? Please share. (i.e., judge not!)
- Are any of these verses particularly painful, like judge not? The less mature Christians have been misled, and the truth of what was being taught is missed. Please share.
We must remember that when Jesus was teaching here, He had been challenging Israel’s religious leaders, who were great at twisting and misleading the Jewish people under the law of Moses. For them, it had become more of the way it looked than what it actually was. In Matthew 6:1, we read, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” This is an example of how they were being confronted for being hypocrites. He challenged those who help the needy just to be seen doing good. It was those who called attention to themselves when they prayed. He called out those who tried to make themselves look distressed so that their fasting was perceived as a real sacrifice. They were taking it so far that Israel’s worship had become about what it looked like and not what it actually was. One author wrote, “Following that example, the everyday people of Israel learned to perform religious duty for others’ approval, and to belittle those who did differently than they preferred. The result was a false religious experience: pride and fear of judgment instead of humility and graciousness to others.”
- Please share experiences where your worship or the rules for the church were about religious duty and approval of others.
- Have you ever been unfairly judged? If comfortable, please share.
So, this section of Scripture does not teach that we, as Christians, cannot judge between right and wrong. John 7:24 teaches, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” This section of Scripture is a reminder that we need to judge with the right judgment and not be hypocritical as the Jewish religious establishment had done. Do not make the mistake of judging by external appearances, but by what it actually is (not what it looks like). In Galatians 1:8-9, we read, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” It is clear here that we are to judge a false teacher, someone who is preaching another gospel. Galatians 6:1 reveals, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” We are given the command not to be hypocritical, but to call out a transgression and to help our brother or sister, and to do so graciously. However, the warning is for us to be mature and spiritual because this is a delicate task. We are to be Spirit-led, gentle, and humble so that we can avoid being tempted to think too highly of ourselves or be too condemning in this process.
- What are we to base our judgment upon?
- Why do we struggle with judging others?