Judging Christians

By Perry Brown
1. It is a common theme in our culture esp. among
Christians to not be judgmental about the actions and
attitudes of others.
2. Where does that conclusion come from, esp. among
Christians?
a. Matthew 7:1-5 -- Do not judge, or you too will be
judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others,
you will be judged, and with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you. Why do you look at
the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and
pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4
How can you say to your brother, Let me take
the speck out of your eye, when all the time there
is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first
take the plank out of your own eye, and then you
will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brothers eye.
b. John 8:1-11 Let any one of you who is without
sin be the first to throw a stone at her.
3. So at first glance reserving judgment seems to be both
prudent and biblical.
4. But in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Paul is dismayed even
appalled that the church at Corinth had not judged
one of those who claimed to be a brother in Christ,
but was engaged in obvious, persistent, public sin.
5. Whats the difference there, where Paul clearly
expected the Corinthian church to judge a professing
Christian?
6. Paul makes it very clear that Christians are to judge
fellow Christians (Are you not to judge those inside
[the church]?... Expel the wicked person from among
you.), but leave judgment of the world at large to God
(What business is it of mine to judge those outside the

Judging Christians
By Perry Brown
church?... God will judge those outside.)
7. This situation in the church had to do with a person
associating with their local church who had been
involved in:
a. Sexual immorality: A man is sleeping with his
fathers wife. that was public and widely known
among the believers there.
b. The offence seems to have been persistent and
the offender unrepentant.
c. This type of sin was recognized and condemned
even in society at large: of a kind that even
pagans do not tolerate.
8. Pauls remedy was simple: separation. Christians must
not associate with anyone like the person under
scrutiny; Do not even eat with such people; and they
must put out of your fellowship the man who has been
doing this.
9. But what appalled Paul the most was their attitude
toward the sin and the sinner: toleration that led to
pride, not expulsion that led to mourning. And you are
proud! and Your boasting is not good.
10.
Thus when Paul says Are you not to judge those
inside [the church]? he is affirming a practice that he
fully thought they should have understood and should
have been following.
11.
Why is this kind of tolerance sointolerable?
Dont you know that a little yeast leavens the whole
batch of dough? Even one isolated incident like this
can have a widespread, misguiding influence on the
rest of the believers in the fellowship. They too might
get the idea that it is ok to tolerate open sin in others
and eventually even themselves.

Judging Christians
By Perry Brown
12.
Unfettered toleration for open, obvious,
unrepentant sin became a kind of badge of honor, it
seems. Just look how gracious and forgiving we can be,
since Christ has forgiven us! Who among us can cast
the first stone, just as our Savior taught!
13.
Perhaps the lesson is this: grace and forgiveness
must be abundant when sin among believers is
confronted and confessed. But when sin is tolerated
and even proudly embraced, our Savior can only say
you should have known better.