Judge Not?

^“If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.”

(2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 ESV)

 

The greatest of modern virtues is that you shall not judge. We’re reminded of this on a daily basis. And even though this belief is completely ripped out of the context in which Scripture presents it, we go along with this in the church.

 

What I mean is that little, if any, correction is offered by the church. Even if we preach the Word of God rightly, we offer little in the way of personal application. We are unwilling to address the sin in which our members live.

 

I’m not suggesting that we should make knowledge of their sin public. Nor am I suggesting that a spectacle be made of their wrongdoing. However, we turn a blind eye to it and ignore it.

 

By our silence, we give our tacit approval to their actions. We tell them that their lifestyle is acceptable before God. And we tell them that no confession, repentance, or forgiveness is necessary.

 

We see, in the passage above, Paul’s instruction for such an occurrence. And we must note that he is not addressing our dealing with unbelievers. He’s addressing our interaction with those who confess faith in Christ.

 

He says that if anyone does not obey the instruction given in this letter, we’re to take note of him. If anyone does not obey the instruction given in this letter, we’re to have nothing to do with him. We are not to associate with him or to have company with him.

 

However, even though we are to use this measure, we’re not to regard him as an enemy. We’re not to consider him as one whom we are against. We’re, rather, to warn him as a brother.

 

In other words, we are seeking not his harm, but his blessing. We are seeking not vengeance, but the salvation of his soul. We are seeking not his punishment, but his repentance.

 

This is not a lone passage where this teaching is presented. We see it throughout Scripture. And not only is it seen in the Old Testament, where we might feel that we can dismiss it as an outdated law. We see it also in the New.

 

We see this, for example, in 1 Corinthians 5:11, which says: “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”

 

There is a right way to go about this, of course. It’s to be done not in a spirit of condemnation, but one of love. However, Scripture is clear that this tool is to be used as we seek the salvation of souls.