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"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man" 1 Corinthians 2:15. The truly spiritual Child of God is so far above the wisest people of this world, and even, so far above the mass of Christians with whom he or she comes in contact with regularly, that he can understand THEM, but they can never quite understand HIM. It is a sad fact, however, that in the Body of Christ, today, as in that of the Apostle Paul's day, there are so few, comparatively, who are truly spiritual and truly QUALIFIED to judge. Referring to the senseless and shameful contentions among the Corinthian believers, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul wrote, "I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?" 1 Corinthians 6:5. Here he reprimands them because there is not one man among them who is spiritual enough to reprove the wrong and defend the right.
Indeed, Paul himself, an eminently spiritual man of God, once found it necessary to rebuke Peter publicly, even though Peter had been used of God to bring thousands to the LORD Jesus Christ’s feet before Paul had even been converted.
Now, let’s read that passage carefully, "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles; but when they were come he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the Circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation (hypocrisy). But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou being a Jew, livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" Galatians 2:11-14.
WOW! This must have been embarrassing to the Apostle Peter. BUT, who can deny that the Apostle Paul was absolutely right in thus dealing with this crisis, stepping in immediately to rebuke Peter's hypocrisy in going back on the great truths which God had revealed with regard to the oneness of Jewish and Gentile believers in the Body of Christ. The Apostle Paul's action was not only right; it was necessary lest Peter "build again" the wall of separation between Jewish and Gentile believers which he himself had been used by Christ, to "destroy" (Galatians 2:18 and Acts 15:9-11).
While the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians, deals with judging in the context of spirituality, he is not the first in Scripture to declare that God's people should, when truly qualified, judge others. When the LORD Jesus Christ, Himself was judged by His antagonists, He said, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" John 7:24.
Surely Christ indicated by these words that His hearers should judge fairly and rightly, though "hypocrites" as in Matthew 7:1-5, should take care not to judge at all.
In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, declares that believers, members of the Body of Christ, will one day "judge the world" and will EVEN "judge angels" basing upon this fact his exhortation that they should be able to judge in matters pertaining to this life, 1 Corinthians 6:3, and reproving them for their inability "to judge the smallest matters" 1 Corinthians 6:2. And then in 1 Corinthians 6:5, as we have seen, he speaks to their shame that there is not even one among them who is spiritual enough, and therefore respected enough, to judge between his brethren.
Thus Christ, calls upon His people, not merely to judge others, but to be such as are qualified, morally and spiritually, to judge in matters concerning truth and error or right conduct and wrong.
As the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy and Titus, both truly spiritual men of God, to act in situations in which it is necessary to judge. To Timothy He writes, "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear" 1 Timothy 5:20. And, "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" 2 Timothy 4:2. Then, to Titus He writes, "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I have appointed thee" Titus 1:5. "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision; Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake" Titus 1:10-11.
Not just anyone would be qualified, spiritually and morally, to judge the “wrong-doing” Children of God to whom Timothy and Titus ministered, but these two men of God WERE thus qualified and the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul instructed them to do so firmly.
Ok...This brings us to a most important subject pertaining to us all: Judging Ourselves. Coming next.
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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.
So There You Have it!
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Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.
In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry
Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)
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