How do Love and Judgement Differ?

IMO, it has to do with attitude and purpose.....

JUDGING is condemned in the Bible. it stems from a "holier-than-thou" attitude that seeks to put down others (and thus make self look better by comparison); it seeks to hurt. This is condemned because it is the anti-thesis of love and because it ignores the reality of our own sinfulness, our own fallen nature.

CORRECTING is mandated in the Bible. We are to apply the Law. But it stems from great humility (for we too are sinners who live and breathe ONLY because of God's mercy, grace and forgiveness) and with the purpose of HELPING our brother, to help them up (not put them down). There's an old Christian saying that goes something like this: "The church is not a country club for those who egotistically CLAIM to be goody-goody but a hospital for those who know they are sick." We're in this together.... and we need the help of each other.... and that involves both Law and Gospel (properly applied).


That's my half cent....


- Josiah

Josiah said:

IMO, it has to do with attitude and purpose.....

JUDGING is condemned in the Bible. it stems from a "holier-than-thou" attitude that seeks to put down others (and thus make self look better by comparison); it seeks to hurt. This is condemned because it is the anti-thesis of love and because it ignores the reality of our own sinfulness, our own fallen nature.

CORRECTING is mandated in the Bible. We are to apply the Law. But it stems from great humility (for we too are sinners who live and breathe ONLY because of God's mercy, grace and forgiveness) and with the purpose of HELPING our brother, to help them up (not put them down). There's an old Christian saying that goes something like this: "The church is not a country club for those who egotistically CLAIM to be goody-goody but a hospital for those who know they are sick." We're in this together.... and we need the help of each other.... and that involves both Law and Gospel (properly applied).


That's my half cent....


- Josiah

Click to expand...

With respect, I think judging is critically important. It's far from condemned in the Bible - what is condemned is unrighteous judgment. Many pull Matt 7:1 out of context and merely quote "judge not, lest ye be judged yourself" but if it's taken in the context of the next few verses it's clear that Jesus isn't telling us not to judge, he's telling us to judge righteously. He condemns those who pick at specks in the eyes of others while they have logs in their own eyes (the unrighteous, or hypocritical, judgment) but goes on to say how we should remove the log from our eye so that we can see clearly to remove the speck in our brother's eye (emphasis mine). There's no sense that we shouldn't be removing the speck, merely that we should remove our own log first.

We cannot correct someone unless we have considered their actions and judged them to be sinful. We cannot reject the teaching of the false christs and false prophets that Jesus warned us about unless we test their teaching against Scripture and judge it to miss the mark.

As you quite rightly say we should do so in love - there's a world of difference between loving correction and being haughtily judgmental.

God is Love. God is also Judge. These attributes work perfectly together.

It would not be a loving judge who did not enforce the law. The judge would be unjust by not enforcing the law. A just judge is a loving judge. Fair and righteous. To allow a law breaker to go free without paying the penalty for the crime would be reprehensible and immoral.

Perfect love and perfect judgment go hand in hand with perfect harmony.

Ruth said:

How do Love and Judgement differ? Can you love and judge, too?

Click to expand...

For people?
Yes Paul judged that it was bad that a guy lived w his dads wife and delivered him over to satan out of love cause later he was saved.

MennoSota said:

God is Love. God is also Judge. These attributes work perfectly together.

It would not be a loving judge who did not enforce the law. The judge would be unjust by not enforcing the law. A just judge is a loving judge. Fair and righteous. To allow a law breaker to go free without paying the penalty for the crime would be reprehensible and immoral.

Perfect love and perfect judgment go hand in hand with perfect harmony.

Click to expand...

Yes but He also hates evil. People sometimes say He only hates the sin, not the sinner, God loves everyone. I cannot believe He loves people who are now in hell like those pharisees He judged quite harshly. He hates the devil.

Ruth said:

How do Love and Judgement differ? Can you love and judge, too?

Click to expand...

I can love some people only by God's strength alone. I think the key is to first focus on loving God and then he grows in us the fruit of the Spirit which is love.

I guess the question is "How can a person both love and condemn another?"

Love does not mean "blind to the other's wicked acts" so clear apprehension of the wicked things done by the other ought to bring condemnation of the wicked things done. Love may mean forgiving the wickedness if it is within the power of the one who condemns to also forgive.