Christmas time again

[Basileos Leandros I]

Festive cheer!

[Akar]

The Bible on many occasions states that believers must contend for the Scriptures so if someone says something against them, we judge them by echoing what they actually say and correcting it.

[Citation needed]

Which verse of the bible encourages believers to judge others?

[Prodromos]

You know there's a whole book of the Bible entitled "Judges."

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

[Akar]

You know there's a whole book of the Bible entitled "Judges."

Hurr durr great comeback. What does that have to with what I asked?

All of those verses are encouraging believers not to judge others...

[basics]

Happy New Year to one and all.

[Sir Adrian]

You know there's a whole book of the Bible entitled "Judges."

Jesus said: "Judge no lest you be judged yourself". The duty of a Christian is to be humble and loving, not to judge. Judgement implies pride and pride is the source of evil.

[Prodromos]

Hurr durr great comeback. What does that have to with what I asked?

All of those verses are encouraging believers not to judge others...

Jesus said: "Judge no lest you be judged yourself". The duty of a Christian is to be humble and loving, not to judge. Judgement implies pride and pride is the source of evil.

You've quoted Matthew 7:1, but here's the verse in context:

1“Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Read in context, this is a warning against hypocritical judgement, not all judgement. If you take judgement to mean making negative assessments about people, doctrine and deeds; warning non-believers of God's wrath and calling them to repentance; and expelling unrepentant sinners from the congregation, then Christians are commanded to pass judgement -- albeit rightly and fairly, not wrongly or hypocritically -- and to refuse to do so is to disobey the clear teaching of Scripture. If all judgement is necessarily sinful, I'd be interested to learn how you can square that with 1 Corinthians 5, particularly verses 2-3 and 12-13. Is Paul commanding us to sin?

[basics]

[Citation needed]

Which verse of the bible encourages believers to judge others?

Akar,

Jude 1:3 tells us to contend for the faith among others.

[Akar]

What does contending for the faith have to do with judging people?

[Sir Adrian]

You've quoted Matthew 7:1, but here's the verse in context:



Read in context, this is a warning against hypocritical judgement, not all judgement.

Except that nobody is without fault so all judgment is hypocritical.

[Prodromos]

Except that nobody is without fault so all judgment is hypocritical.

Paul described himself as the "worst of sinners" yet in 1 Corinthians 5 he passes judgement on a man living in sin and faults the church for not judging him. That seems hard to square with the idea that sinners (i.e. people) are forbidden to pass judgement on anyone.

[Akar]

Only if you assume Paul is infallible and not, you know, a ing hypocrite

[Prodromos]

You asked:

Which verse of the bible encourages believers to judge others?

Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians is part of the Bible.

[basics]

What does contending for the faith have to do with judging people?

Akar,

Well in respect of judging Jesus was pointing to people who said one thing and yet did another specifically pointing to the leaders of Israel. So, what He did was point out their hypocrisy by contending with them for what they should actually be doing and all that in accordance with what is written in their Scriptures. Therefore by contending with them He was judging them and rightly so. That said whilst talking in the general sense we all have this capacity to judge others even in the simplest of everyday things and so the same principle applies to us all about clearing our own minds before accusing anyone else of anything. In other words judge yourself before judging your neighbour.

[Sir Adrian]

Paul described himself as the "worst of sinners" yet in 1 Corinthians 5 he passes judgement on a man living in sin and faults the church for not judging him. That seems hard to square with the idea that sinners (i.e. people) are forbidden to pass judgement on anyone.

Paul is a man, not God, and therefore fallible. You should not deify his actions, especially when they so clearly go against the teachings of God.

[Prodromos]

Paul is a man, not God, and therefore fallible. You should not deify his actions, especially when they so clearly go against the teachings of God.

The problem with trying to pit Paul against God is that Paul was personally commissioned by Christ to be an apostle for him and his epistles were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so while Paul was a fallible sinner, the Scriptures themselves are infallible because they have God as their author. Ultimately, to reject the Word of God is to reject God himself.

[Akar]

Paul was chosen by God according to Paul.

Very Koreshian.

[Lord Thesaurian]

As always, it’s important to actually read the Bible before making claims about it:

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

Quite directly and literally chosen by Jesus.

[Sir Adrian]

The problem with trying to pit Paul against God is that Paul was personally commissioned by Christ to be an apostle for him and his epistles were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so while Paul was a fallible sinner, the Scriptures themselves are infallible because they have God as their author. Ultimately, to reject the Word of God is to reject God himself.

There is no measure of infallibility for a book. The Bible is NOT the word of God. The Bible CONTAINS the word of God. It is but a minuscule part of the teachings of Christ and of the path towards salvation. As such the bible is inerrant ONLY and ONLY when read within the wider body of the unwritten tradition, and nowhere else. The Bible is never infallible for it is the work of man, of Orthodox Christian priests and bishops to be precise.

[Lord Thesaurian]

This is what the Bible says:

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

The book of Acts here records that claims must be tested against Scripture.

4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Here Paul warns Christians to rely on Scripture, lest we be divided by the teachings of men. If only we had listened.

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Here Jesus himself is challenged by religious leaders seeking to assert their authority by virtue of priestly tradition. Jesus condemned that assertion in the strongest of terms.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Here Paul encourages Timothy to continue to study Scripture as the foundation of correct doctrine.