Matthew 7:1-2 says, “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.
The scriptural passage quoted above is the most misinterpreted and misused scripture by unbelievers, especially by supposed Christians in the Christ fold. Why? Because many Christians and their spiritual leaders have too many hidden secrets and skeletons in their wardrobes.
It is doubtful that someone will see a pilot who is on duty, already intoxicated, and yet, you see him or her with another bottle of alcohol without questioning him or her or reporting such disgraceful acts to the proper authority. Why? So that the said pilot will not wreak havoc in many people’s lives when he taxis. I believe that is a good and sound judgment. The scriptural quotation of “judge not” has been misused, overused, manipulated, and often misinterpreted by unbelievers and many professing Christians as well. Usually, you will hear people saying, “Judge not!” as if Jesus’ followers are spiritually dumb, or maybe Jesus Christ has sworn an oath with them that He will tell those who believe in Him not to make any judgments whatsoever. Nay!
Jesus Christ was not saying believers in Christ are not to judge rightly; He meant everyone should judge righteously, honestly, and carefully. And while judging, we should not fail to be mindful of our character because we are called to manifest and reflect the very character of God. In fact, Jesus Christ calls His Disciples to always be cautious and use discernment in making judgments. Moreover, making sound judgments is part of Christian discipleship and Christ’s kingdom calling.
Matthew 18:15-20 says, “If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him, privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. 16. But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two others, so that every word may be confirmed and upheld by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17. If he pays no attention to them , tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. 18. Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. Let Believers in Christ with Jesus Christ’s mind, please re-read verse 17.
Believers in Christ, if, as believers, we’re allowed to call the attention of another believer to wrongdoing, then what makes us think that we’re not entitled to draw the attention of unbelievers and rebuke the supposed believers who are demonstrating craziness in various supposed Redemption camps business centers? Did such Christians get it wrong somewhere, or what happened? Of course, yes! They got it wrong. Where? Jesus says, “And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector. Undoubtedly, the supposed body of Christ missed it right there, and they are still missing it in the Shiloh and Redemption camps to this day. Jesus was not talking about excommunication.
Matthew 9:9-13. “As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s office; and He said to him, Be My disciple . And he rose and followed Him. And as Jesus reclined at a table in the house, behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat (reclined) with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those sinful? But when Jesus heard it, He replied, those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call, and invite to repentance the righteous, (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners, (the erring ones and all those not free from sin).
In the above passage, we can clearly see that Jesus Christ also accepts and fellowships with sinners (even tax collectors) without lowering His standard. So, tell me, from where did Christians get their excommunication strategies?
What is paganism?
Paganism is an umbrella term covering a wide range of traditional religions and belief systems. While Paganism may be described as a spiritual way of life, its origins are rooted in ancient nature religions. An example of a pagan is a gentile. That is who you and I used to be, or what we represented before we were born again.
What is a tax collector?
A tax collector is an individual who collects unpaid taxes from individuals or corporations. To know more about the tax collectors, look at the ones in charge of collecting taxes in your country.
If I May Ask Again, From Where Did Jesus Christ-Followers Get Their Idea Of Treating Pagans And Tax Collectors As Trash?
Believers in Christ, the ones that called us into His assignment had already given us His template and instructions on how to run His assignment, why do we always bother ourselves about religious myths and fallacies of various Daddy g.o and bishops all around ministers’ conferences, congresses, and seminars notes? What the scripture said, and continually says, is: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24. That is fair enough.
In conclusion, any believer in Christ who cannot do the above successfully is not yet born again in Christ, not to mention being endowed with the Holy Spirit.
