Dear People who Keep Company with God,
As a young believer I was blessed to sit under the ministry of Arthur Burt for several years as he was a regular guest at our church. In many ways Arthur is a spiritual father to me as some of the truths he imparted into my life are a foundational part of who I am in Christ. Arthur’s primary revelation has to do with the glory of God. In many colorful ways and examples he would show how God would not share His glory, meaning the credit due Him with another. Arthur’s ministry could be summarized in this statement he made some time ago.
“When the Spirit of God reveals to me that the enemy of God’s Glory is my own glory, or pride or ego or whatever other title you want to call self exaltation, I realize that God becomes my adversary! God gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud.” Arthur Burt
As a part of his revelation on the glory of God, Arthur taught that one of the sure signs that pride is at work in our hearts is when we take God’s place in judging others. I have found this to be such an important truth as this is one of the sins that so easily besets us yet it has such huge consequences. During this season of spiritual transition it becomes even more imperative that all such obstacles be removed from our lives in order to fully walk in all that God has for us in the coming days.
Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? James 4:11-12
Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” Matthew 7:1. There is an old saying that goes something like this: “Our present judgments of others are the seeds of our future sins.” Does this mean we are never to judge? It cannot mean that, because Jesus also said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” John 7:24. So there is a righteous judgment and unrighteous judgment and the Bible is explicitly clear on what we can and cannot judge. Here are a few things the Bible tells us we should never judge:
1. We are not to judge according to outward appearance (see John 7:24). This means that we cannot judge on the basis of insufficient information, lack of true knowledge or unsubstantiated suspicions. Righteous judgment must be based on conclusive evidence.
2. We are not to judge someone for something we do ourselves. “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” Romans 2:3.
3. We are not to judge in matters of opinion. “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions” Romans 14:1.
What may be totally acceptable for one person may be forbidden by the Holy Spirit to another.
Once, after hearing Arthur teach on unrighteous judgment I approached him with somewhat of a bewildered attitude because I realized I was consumed with unrighteous judging of others. I asked Arthur what I should do as I felt the impending doom of my error coming my way. I will never forget his response; “brother, just judge your judgments.” What he meant was that I was to judge all my unrighteous judgments of others as sin, repent, acknowledge the pride in my heart and humble myself before the Lord. God surely forgives the repentant and gives grace to the humble.
Since those days I have found a truth which will keep you from falling into unrighteous judgment. It is the compassion of Christ. “But if you had known what this means, ‘ I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent” Matthew 12:7. If we will allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate the compassion of Christ in our hearts then we will be protected from unrighteous judgment and condemnation of others.
Many Blessings, BW