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1 Corinthians 5:12-13 - “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”
What we say: “Judge not less you be judged,” “the same measure you use to judge others will be used to judge you,” or “take the log out of your own eye.”
What God says: “It certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside of the church who are sinning.”
The mix up: The problem here is understanding of what it means to “judge” someone, and knowing when it is the right time to “judge.” ”Biblical judging” is not murmuring, complaining, gossiping, or pretending to know the motives of others you disagree with. These are all sinful and dangerous behaviors that only reveal the pride of heart of those engage in these habits. We also cannot have people constantly pointing out everything that others do wrong as if they are the designated slow motion reply camera for the Holy Spirit.
WRONG JUDGING – Let’s be clear, there is such thing as being critical and judgmental in a wrong way. This is when someone is not “sinning” (like the example given here in scripture), but judgment and criticism is passed on their motives and intentions without the use of scirpture. It is not your place to pretend to know the secret thoughts and intentions of someone that you don’t like. This is the wrong kind of judging that often leads to gossip, slander, and strife.
CORRECT JUDGING – You cannot fault a blind man for tripping over a chair, or a deaf person for not hearing an alarm clock. In the same way, we cannot be surprised when those who do not have Christ sin. That is why Paul says here it is not his responsibility to judge those outside of the church. On the other hand, believers who venture into the waters of compromise and sin need to be warned before their actions bring harmful consequences to themselves or others. Three ways faith is destroyed when those in compromise or sin are not warned:
- Wrong attitudes and action are learned by new believers, causing them to fall away
- Reproach is brought on the name of Christ in the hearts of outsiders, causing them to reject the faith
- Those living in sin will eventually destroy their own faith if not rescued
When the scripture says, “It certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside of the church who are sinning,” it saying when you see someone living a life in contradiction to scripture, you have a holy obligation to point them in a better way. The key here is when it says, “who are sinning.” This does not release anyone to condemn others, or put them down, but it does empower you to lovingly assist those who are in sin with the authority of scripture (not just your opinion). Just because it is uncomfortable, does not mean that it is wrong or even unnecessary! Do not misunderstand and think that constructive Biblical criticism based on the word of God is not good. We all need it! Confrontation is not easy, but it becomes impossible when we do not understand it is for our own good!