JUDGING and DISCIPLINE in God's Church - Roderick C Meredith - August 1958

Roderick C Meredith

What is Christ's way of protecting His church from troublemakers? Is there a way we can "judge" evildoers who creep into local congregations? MILLIONS of sincere but misguided people are mixed-up about the meaning of Jesus' words recorded in Matt. 7:1-5. How often have you heard someone reprimanded for stating his belief that someone else had done wrong by the exclamation, "Judge not, brother. Jesus said we shouldn't judge other people, you know." What about this? Is it wrong, for example, to warn your friends about a certain youth in the neighborhood who is a thief and who you know is a thief because you have caught him in the very act of stealing? The Bible commands us not to bear false witness against another (Exodus 20:10). A talebearer is condemned in God's word (Lev. 19:16; Prov. 18:8). You should always try to help others overcome their sins, and not expose them unnecessarily. But is warning your neighbors about a persistent thief "talebearing"? Of course not! What, then, did Jesus mean when He said, "Judge not, that you be not judged"? - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library