Editorial:
Judgment and Judgmentalism
One of the characteristics of the post-modern society is to reject anything dogmatic. They think nothing is right or wrong, but everything is relative. For the same reason, Bible-believing Christians are often branded as “Judgmental fundamentalists”! The irony is people who claim to be liberals and tolerant become rigid and intolerant to the so-called ‘intolerance’ of believers!
At the same time, believers who follow scripture sincerely and strictly often slip into judgmentalism. In their zeal to uphold the word of God at any cost, they lose their balance and go to extremes. They end up judging and humiliating others for whatever differences they observe in them.
In this context, we have to consider the true meaning of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, "Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matt. 7:1). Taking any extreme is not healthy; a balance needs to be maintained in the interpretation and application of God’s word.
To set the text in the right perspective, we begin with a brief study of the passage (Matthew 7:1–6), examining the context, connotation and communication of these words uttered by our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Brother David Manchala dwells on the backfiring of our judgmental attitude (Matt. 7:2). His seven examples not only affirm God's righteous judgement but warn us, too. Brother Paulson Joshua presents briefly yet in a thought-provoking manner ten things to remember so that we can avoid selfish judgment.
In ‘The Right Form of Judgment,’ Brother John Lee discusses the practical aspect of our theme. Clearly and concisely, he outlines what we should judge and what we should not judge. Brother Vinod Thomas, continuing in the same line, first lists the occasions when judgment is necessary and then explains the reasons why our judgment often goes wrong.
Brother Biju Itty's meditation, ‘Judge Your Judgment,’ calls upon readers to be careful with what they hear and how they respond. Quotations from C. H. Spurgeon, John MacArthur, and even the recently retired Chief Justice of India validate his thoughts. In ‘Divine Judgment,’ Brother Aby Kuruvilla looks at judgment from the gospel perspective, exhorting readers to escape the great Day of Judgment.
A study on ‘Spiritual Discernment’ by this writer will enlighten the reader on the various aspects of discernment according to the word of God. This study will shed light on the right judgment as well.
Finally, we have added an article entitled, ‘Three Aspects of God’s Sovereignty’ which is a continuation from our previous issue. In this article, Brother Dennie Matthews clarifies in simple terms how God’s sovereignty is related to creation, salvation and our daily Christian living.
Once again it is our prayer that by going through these pages our esteemed readers may be blessed spiritually by being enlightened, edified and encouraged.
With regards and prayers,
NTK
