Can We Judge Unbelievers? - Christian Doctrine

Can We Judge Unbelievers?

Written by K B NapierWednesday, 04 February 2015 12:34

Before you start to read this article, I can guarantee that many will either misunderstand what Isay, or come to it with preconceptions. Prove me wrong!

I find it very strange indeed. Most Christians think we must not judge another person. This isbad biblical theology, for God Himself commands us to judge those who are saved! Others,afraid to sin, also say we may not ‘judge’ unbelievers, even when what they say or do is wicked.This is a simple matter of ignorance, but it tends to colour the way they approach the matter ofwicked people.

They tend to use 1 Corinthians 5:9 to justify their stance concerning unbelievers. But, theirinterpretation of the text is wanting. I will deal with that later.

The topic of judging those who are saved has been dealt with elsewhere (as in O-011 ), so inthis very short paper we will only look at ‘judging’ the unsaved. Hopefully, I will show that theproblem is one of not knowing the biblical facts, rather than one of rejecting scripture; using theword correctly puts everything in perspective. What I wish to show here is that whilst we maynot judge the unsaved as we do the saved, we nevertheless have a duty to judge them inanother way.

The matter is all the more important because the ‘world’ is literally hounding Christians in thehope of destroying them. They abuse themselves and others in the process, mislead andseduce our children, and are godless in the extreme. We cannot, as believers, allow this tohappen without challenge/judgment, as I hope to show below. And we cannot withholdjudgment just because we have a misperception that owes more to personal preference than tobiblical truth. (‘Judging’ is the act of looking at evidences and coming to a right conclusion).

Unfortunately, most Christians tend to believe whatever they wish. Others are duped by badteaching and wrong interpretation. Today, this kind of activity is found mainly amongstcharismatics and those affected by them. Others prefer to rely on their emotional responsesrather than on actual scripture.

It is also said that judging others is Old Testament, so it does not come into play in the New

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Testament. There is gross misunderstanding here, for they are saying that Old and New areapart and the Old has no value today, or even in the New Testament accounts. Already, then,we have several major biblical errors!

Genesis 19:9

Given the fact that the largest-influence (but small in size) group of atheists in modern days arehomosexuals, it should come as no surprise that we begin this brief study with them. Maraudingcrowds of wicked men and women wanted to sexually assault the angels entering Lot’s house(which, in essence, they now do today in principle), but they hated Lot for standing betweenthem and his guests. To the evil perversely-sex-mad crowd he was “a judge” and they warnedhim to stand aside.

Most Christians misunderstand what ‘judge’ means. The word ‘judge’, shaphat, includes themeaning of ‘discrimination’! How modern is that? But, in this case, the meaning is to plead (toleave the guests alone). Frankly, this scenario is enacted time and again in our day, ashomosexual atheists press forward to do what they please. They hate anyone who stands intheir way, claiming that their critics are shaphat– discriminating. YES, OF COURSE THEY ARE! And rightly so. (See article on discrimination,A/543, which is a proper Christian activity).

Every true parent discriminates every day to protect their children. Every true husbanddiscriminates at time of trouble to protect his dear wife. Every true Christian discriminatesagainst sin, to protect his own faith, his own family, and his own local church, as well as thename of the Lord in the world in general.

Note that it is the offenders who ‘accuse’ Lot of discrimination, not God! When God‘discriminated’ (more correctly, He judged), He brought down showers of hail and brimstone anddestroyed them all! Indeed, He had planned this even before Lot was attacked by the wickedcrowd. So, Lot saying ‘No’ was as nothing by comparison! See how the frenzied crowd said theywould deal harshly with Lot for refusing to comply. Just like today!

I know that many do-good Christians today think Lot was wrong to offer his daughters to thecrowd, rather than let the angels be mauled and probably killed afterwards. This, of course, is ajudgment! They have no idea what it is like to be faced with a bloodthirsty mob, and have noidea how THEY would respond to their demands. Probably, today, they would hand the angels

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over to them just to save their own skin. But, it is quite possible that Lot was afraid for the crowdto attack angels, God’s envoys. Our first concern when judging, always, is God, not us.

Leviticus 19:15

“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, norhonour the person of the mighty: [but] in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”

The verse is preceded by: “fear thy God: I am the Lord.” We must judge our neighbour “inrighteousness”. Our ‘neighbour’, ‘amiyth, is a relation, someone who lives close by, anassociate, or just ‘a fellow’. Thus, a neighbour is anyone with whom we associate, whethersaved or unsaved. In this text shaphat means to act asjudge, to decide controversy, and to apply a penalty. In other words, we must act wisely and seeif what people are doing is against God, or in obedience to Him. If not, we must act accordinglyand not just sit passively by as they destroy everything before us.

The same kinds of judgment, legally, are found throughout scripture. In the Old Testamentjudges sat at the city gates, judging both the faithful and the unfaithful. Note that they did notjudge a man’s eternal state, only what he said and did on this earth. However, where pertinent,they did apply spiritual laws to earthly problems. This is how we must judge today. Only foolsrefuse to judge what is evil.

It is a simple fact that everyone ‘judges’ in their hearts, even if they say nothing. Jesus said thatthe thought is just as powerful and culpable as the action. Therefore, we may as well say whatwe think (within certain boundaries, such as decency, etc).

In Numbers 35:24, the whole ‘congregation’ (Church and nation) must judge “between theslayer and the revenger of blood”. If we did this today, and judged homosexuals with passing onAIDS, how many would dare to be so public? They are just as murderous as first-degree killersin the days of Numbers… who must also be put to death, even today.

Deuteronomy 1:16 commanded all judges to judge righteously between every man and evenstrangers. Both saved and unsaved! Joel 3:12 says “Let the heathen be wakened, and come upto the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.”He judges the heathen! And so should we. If you say only God can judge, then think again, for

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He specifically commands us to judge others. If we do not then we actively condone what thewicked do, and have no compassion for those they act against.

Matthew 5:25

“Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time theadversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be castinto prison.”

The direct meaning applies to those who owe money, but the principle applies to all situations.(And note that there is no indication that the ‘adversary’ in the text is a believer. This is becauseGod set authorities over everyone, both saved and unsaved). It says that others may judge us… which is why we are warned tojudge each other beforethis happens. God scoffs at those who say we must not judge:

“[Ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do notdiscern this time?

Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?“ (Luke 12:54-57)

In context, ‘discern’ is dokimazō, meaning to examine, to prove, to test, to scrutinise (asgenuine or not) and to approve. If we go back two roots, we come to the verb, dokeō...one of its meanings is – to judge! This is linked to proper thinking.

We can judge because we see and hear what wicked men do:

“And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thouknewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did notsow:” (Luke 19:22)

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In this text ‘judge’ is krinō, which is essentially the same kind of word as ‘discern’... to separateto pick out, to select, to approve, to esteem, to come to an opinion – to judge in order to see ifsomeone is right or wrong after examining the facts. Note that it was the ‘wicked man’ to whomthis applies, and NOT the ‘austere man’, who, by implication, is right.

Though the man in the text is not a ‘wicked’ man per se, the same principles apply, as if hewere wicked. Do you think this suggests we can just forget what wicked men do? We knowwhat God says, and that His laws are irreversible and true. So, why do we ignore them andallow the wicked to act and speak without opposition? It is certainly true that God Himself willjudge the wicked at the Day of Judgment, as will all the saved in Jesus Christ. If it is wrong tojudge unbelievers NOW, how can it suddenly become righteous and right when we judge onJudgment Day? Can you see the lack of logic in the ‘do not judge unbelievers’ idea here?

This, however, does not mean we just sit back and let evil wash over us and the world withoutmurmur. Today, for example, homosexuals want to have our children, to teach them perversity,to engage with homosexuals and to enter into untamed sexual situations, which themselves aremade more dangerous by HIV and AIDS. Do we just shut up and say or do nothing? Or, do wejudge them to be wicked and warn others to stop them? If we do not judge them, what do youthink God will think of US?

1 Corinthians 5:9-on

“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:

Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or withidolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be afornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such anone no not to eat.”

This is followed by verses 12 and 13:

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“For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that arewithin?

But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wickedperson.”

The idea that we cannot judge unbelievers is usually based entirely on this single text (verses12 and 13). Paul said he taught that Christians should not become friendly with open sinners,whether they are Christian or not. The word ‘But’ beginning verse 11 is not saying that Paul hasnow changed his mind! Rather, it is the conjunction, de, which can be translated as ‘moreover’,‘and’, or ‘also’, that must be taken into account. Thus, Paul was addingto what he had warned before, expanding his treatise, notreplacing it with something different. In other words, he now asks us to concentrate on brethrenwho act sinfully and to shun them until they repent.

The word starting verse 12, ‘For’, is another conjunction, gar. Like other conjunctions, it is usedto join the previous verse or verses to it, in meaning and content. That is, it contains the samespiritual injunctions as before. The term ‘without’ (Greek=exo, as found in, say, exoskeleton) is a metaphor for the outward man or physical frame, or ‘out ofdoors’. Another example is found in 2 Corinthians 4:16. It does not, then, literally meansomeone who is an unbeliever. Rather, we may use it as such by extension, not as a literaltranslation, but as a further metaphor, indirect.

‘Within’, on the other hand (amongst other meanings), is different because it is a directapplication, and can refer to the inner man or soul/conscience. Because of this reference to theinner man, we may legitimately apply a similar spiritual meaning to ‘without’, but more directly. Ifthis verse did not contain such a reference we would have no reason to suppose it referred toan unbeliever.

What is Paul saying here? Is he saying we may not judge unbelievers? No, he is not, at leastnot in its whole context. He is simply saying that we have our hands full judging ourselves and

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each other, so leave judging of unbelievers to God (verse 13), because the huge majority ofpeople are unsaved. Now comes the conundrum if you think we may not judge unbelievers! ForPaul then says “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person”. Now can yousee what is being taught?

He is saying that we must leave the man to his own devices and to God, so that we can devoteour time to our brethren. But, note the big problem for the notion of ‘do not judge unbelievers’...we must put them out of the local church, because they are wicked! What does that tell you? Ittells you that you must judge what he is saying or doing! How else can you logically, biblically,or otherwise, cast him out? To do so requires thought and decisions... judgment! In those daysmost believers attended synagogues, so any unbelievers amongst them were probablyunfaithful Jews, but could be unfaithful others. As in most churches today, so long as these‘outsiders’ (without) did not present with obvious sins, they were allowed to remain in thecongregation.

So, those who say we must not judge unbelievers, are mixed up, allowing their personalpreferences (emotion and false ‘love’) to change the word of God. They also say that we cannotjudge unbelievers “because they do not benefit” from it. This is sheer humanism, and has nobasis in scripture. God’s word is not about men having benefits, it is about men obeying theAlmighty, whether they benefit or not. This is fundamental teaching. We find similar reasoning inthe treatment of murderers, where untaught Christians claim that we should not apply the deathpenalty “because it does not stop murder”. This is a false argument, for what matters is NOThow the murderer reacts, but that he is put to death according to God’s word, which is absolute.That the killer learns nothing is irrelevant.

(Further note: We all, without exception, judge unbelievers, in our minds and hearts. This is afact we might not like to face, but it exists. Today, unbelievers are doing such wicked acts thatwe cannot ignore them. And there is a growing trend to murder and attack Christians. If youbelieve we do not judge, what is in your mind concerning ISIS murderers? What of serial killers?What of rampant homosexuals who destroy families, children and millions of others with AIDS,and who openly hate God and Christians? Would you not judge if any of these enemiesattacked you personally? What if they attack your family?

As always, Christians can, and do, judge behaviour and words! It is simply not possible forChristians to ignore unbelievers who do us harm! But, to comply with perceived interpretationsin their churches, they pretend to follow the ‘party line’ by saying we cannot judge unbelievers!But, in their heads and hearts, they certainly do! The plain teaching by Paul is this – you mustjudge your brethren (because we are ‘as one’), but do not judge unbelievers. Precisely, he

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meant we cannot judge their spiritual state, but we can and do judge what they say and do.Otherwise, can you explain why you will avoid evil-doers? Why you do not employ a blatantthief? Why you do not want your child to bother with paedophiles? You are using yourGod-given ability to discern! And this is an act of judgment! (To use a modern saying – getreal!).

God does NOT judge so that men can have benefits. When He judges it is usually to theirdiscredit, dishonour and punishment! This is because God is the measure of all things, notmankind. We MUST come to honourable and just decisions (judging is to come to a decisionbased on facts). The thing we CANNOT do is judge a man’s spiritual status, present or future.What we DO judge is what he says and does. And we do this almost automatically, unless weare brain-dead (no, that is not a joke). As the thought is as potent as the act, we judge whetheror not we vocalise it.

If we say we cannot judge an unbeliever in any way, then, by the same principle, this woulddeny the command to preach the Gospel to them. How? Because we preach to those we judgeto be unsaved; we go to the sick not the healthy, as Jesus said. If we cannot judge (animpossibility anyway) then we cannot perceive a man to be unsaved, and so we need notpreach to him.

1 Corinthians 5:12,13

“For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that arewithin?

But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wickedperson.”

Let me repeat from above - those who are unsaved, God will judge… but note the next phrase:“Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” How do you ‘put away’someone who is not even saved? It means to cast out of fellowship. Thus, we have not judgedhis eternal state, but only what he says and does. This also applies to ANYONE who affects thechurches and the saved. And that means to oppose, blame and judge. It is possible that theones Paul refers to (verse 10,11) are brazenly sinful believers. On the other hand, they may beunbelievers within the church. Either way both are ‘without’ in terms of their sins, which causethe local church to cast them from fellowship. Christians can sin in these ways, because their‘inner man’ has not ripped itself from past evils. We have all known professing Christians who

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have fallen head-first into a pit of sin. When in this condition, they are just the same asunbelievers. Therefore, when Paul speaks of those who are ‘without’ who is he referring to?Christians who sin badly, or unbelievers who adopt the persona of Christian faith?

‘Without’ is about those who are ‘out of doors’, ‘out of’. If someone is ‘out of’ it can imply comingout of a Christian church, but if ‘away from’, it might imply never having been a member of thatlocal church (because of unbelief). So, is Paul saying that we have enough on our hands totackle sin within the churches, so cast out those who are exhibiting blatant sin and who will notrepent? Thayer translates this as “emission out of, as separation from, something with whichthere has been close connection”. This suggests that the people who are ‘without’ are thosewhose public sins make it impossible for them to remain ‘within’ the fold of a local church, andso must be handed over to God to change them and to admonish them, after being cast out fora season (believers). (Or, more ominously, to Satan, who will kill them; something that wouldcut short their sins so that their spirits may be untouched).

Note: The root of exō, ek, (upon which exō is founded), suggests a starting point from within!Whereas, aposuggests a starting point from without. Ek is therefore more emphatic than apo. Having saidthat, in many cases the idea of ek meaning ‘out of’ cannot be found. Thayer gives examples ofinstances where ek means ‘from within’, or external to, but he does NOT include the text in 1Corinthians 5. In other words, the root, ek, in this text, probably refers to those believers whohad to be cast out for a season, so that they did not trouble Christians in the local church. Whatthis short explanation proves is that those who oversimplify the text without reference to theoriginal Greek are being superficial.

1 Corinthians 6:2, 3

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you,are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”

We must judge things that “pertain to this life”! And, if not, it is to our shame (verse 5). The textspecifically refers to brethren – but what if we judge, say, an homosexual in a local church, whothen takes us to court? Do we remain silent? Then why should we remain silent when it comesto any homosexual, who sets out to do us harm? There is a failure in logic in the churches!

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Later in the same chapter we are told that certain types of people will not enter Heaven. Thosetypes are listed as examples, and include those who fornicate… which includes homosexuals. (Iuse this as an example because homosexuals are the greatest threat to modern Christians inthe West*). The fact that God will judge evildoers does NOT mean we may not ourselves judgeactions of the unsaved to be wrong. We do so inwardly anyway! (*We can now add Islamists).

Ezekiel 33:8,9

Here we have a potent reason why we MUST warn and oppose the wicked: to allow him time torepent. If we just stay silent, we do not warn him and his blood is on our hands. The words wereabout Israel, who included both ‘saved’ and ‘unsaved’:

“When I say unto the wicked, O wicked [man], thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak towarn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will Irequire at thine hand.

Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way,he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

Then, in verses 14,15:

“Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do thatwhich is lawful and right;

[If] the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life,without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that whichis lawful and right; he shall surely live.”

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Note that we must ‘mention’ his sins to him so that he can turn back to truth and purity. He willnot do so unless we speak out. The very preaching of the Gospel to the unsaved implies, as aprelude, that they are judged, by God and us, to be unbelievers, damned by their sins! And‘mentioning’ their sins must be outright and blunt, not hidden behind false ‘love’ or excuses.

Habakkuk 1:4-7

In these texts we see the terrible result of allowing wicked men to proliferate without murmur.Does it not describe our own modern day?

“Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compassabout the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for [I] will work a work inyour days, [which] ye will not believe, though it be told [you].

For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, [that] bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through thebreadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces [that are] not theirs.

They [are] terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.”

Ephesians 6:16-20

Paul HAD to speak out… is our responsibility any the less? Even preaching the Gospel is ajudgment!!

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts ofthe wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

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Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with allperseverance and supplication for all saints;

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to makeknown the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

So, after wearing the whole armour of God, Paul went out and did verbal battle! How nice(cowardly?) it is for ministers of the Lord (and others) to sit back and say that only the Lord mustdeal with the wicked! No, we must speak boldly! And the moment we open our mouths it mustbe in judgment of what we see, hear and experience!

In the above texts I have shown that we may not judge another man’s eternal state, even if hissins cloud the issue, but we have every reason to judge what he says and does, whether or nothe is saved. If we do not speak out against the wicked, then we are guilty of the samewickedness and therefore will receive penalties. (I could here list any number of examples of notspeaking out, thus allowing great evils to occur and proliferate).

When wickedness arises we MUST speak out righteously, whether or not it is emitting from aChristian or an unbeliever. Or, we bring the wickedness upon our children and children’schildren, allowing them to suffer the evils of the day, under the guise that “God will deal with thewicked”! We thereby allow evil to enter the churches, and to destroy life, allowing the wicked todictate what is true, good and biblical, to our eternal shame and earthly trouble.

1 Timothy 1: 9,10

This text clearly denounces the wicked and their sin:

“Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient,for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers

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of mothers, for manslayers,

For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, forperjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;”

The law is not applied to the saved but to the unbeliever, who is lawless. Saying this very thingis to judge him! (It also applies to faithless Christians whose actions and words reject God’sword... and there are many of these in our churches today).

The Decalogue – Universal for All Time, or Temporary?

Those who say the Old Testament laws no longer apply, inadvertently (?) deny the ongoing,universal application of the Decalogue. It only takes one proof to break a rule. If the OldTestament no longer has a place, then why do the very same critics fondly quote the TenCommandments?

In truth, the Decalogue is for all of this earth’s time. If you check the ten commands you will findeach one of them listed in the New Testament, too. In other words, the list given in the OldTestament carries on through to the New, and beyond. Who does the Decalogue speak to? Itspoke to the Jews primarily, and, secondarily (but equally forcefully) to every other person whois not a Jew, whether Christian or not. This is why we find its various demands preached toChristians and to every man and women ever born. They apply to unbelievers whether or notthey accept them, or ‘benefit’ from them.

This is because God’s commands are greater than human wishes and their fickle desires. Doyou think that because an unbeliever does not wish to subscribe to God, that God says “Ohwell, okay”? Of course not! And Christians know very well that they stand judged by God. Andwe who belong to God must apply the same judgment given by God, otherwise we contradictHim.

Now, if the Decalogue applies to the unbeliever, then its inherent judgments also apply tounbelievers. They have to, to make any sense. To take the matter of only having one God – thisis universally true throughout the ages. Those who do not accept this fact, unbelievers, aretherefore judged for their sin (as well as being judged for the sin they were conceived in). Takethe issue of murder; murder is murder in every age, no matter who commits it. Thus, the penalty

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of death applies to each murderer.

These issues demand that we judge others, even the ungodly unbelievers. This is why we havemagistrates, who we must obey (when they do not oppose God). And so on. Each commandhas its equivalent in the New Testament. In terms of God’s will, unbelievers are not a law untothemselves, nor may we dismiss what they do with the excuse that we cannot judge them. Todo so is blatantly unintellectual and unbiblical! Scripture is not a collection of differing ideas andopposing doctrines. It is unified as a whole, displaying God’s revelation throughout the agesuntil the both Testaments were completed. The New completes the Old, as Jesus said. It is HeWho said He did not come to demolish the Old Testament.

Examine Your Hearts!

This paper is but an introduction. Examine your hearts and attitudes! It is not wrong to judgewhat people do – indeed, we do this anyway, every single day of our lives, if only in our headsand hearts! (2015 Note: Is it not true to say that as you watch what is happening in the MiddleEast today and around the world, the awful murders committed by wicked men of Islam, thatyou judge them for their atrocities? If you do not admit to it, then I call you a liar, or grosslyunable to use your God-given intellect and discernment).

Many Christians agree superficially and smile benevolently, but harbour hatred or anger in theirhearts. They have very definite anger towards the heathen who act against them, but pretend to‘give it all to the Lord’. It is cowardly and hypocritical to pretend one thing and say another.

Also, many who say we must simply ‘hand it over’ to God are safe in their quietude, becausethe enemy has no reason to attack them! Their fortitude, then, is all in the mind. They speak ofbeing soldiers of the Lord, but never go forward into battle! It is true that we must ALWAYS passon these things to God to handle, but, very often, the Lord uses us to act out His commands.Read the Psalms!

Perhaps all this is frightening to those who have never had occasion to oppose evil; I know I aman ‘old war horse’, used to battle, but perhaps others are too afraid to enter the fray (I am oftenafraid, but must conquer fear).

I can only counsel that prayer is effective ONLY when the one praying is righteous before the

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Lord and serving Him boldly. And, even then, God might require him to make a stand publicly.Scripture is replete with examples of this, as is life itself. We can judge words and actions, butnot the eternal state of a man (though we can judge if the actions and words are not consistentwith salvation: this is what discipline is all about and what scripture tells us).

Note on Discernment

Judging involves God-given discernment. Christians who are unable to use this faculty may notbe Christians at all, for God gives every believer this ability. Discernment IS judging. Hebrews5:12-14 tells us this:

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again whichbe the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and notof strong meat.

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use havetheir senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Every day I have contact with Christians who insist on getting spiritual food through milk, notstrong meat, which, in a long-standing Christian, means ‘easy believism’. Such milk-drinkersremain weak and badly formed. I have actually been told by ‘mature’ Christians that they leavestudy to the pastor! These people need to be taught again, as the text says! They are notmature at all.

Being untaught in the deeper aspects of scripture (and being influenced by bad denominationalteaching; which today is mainly charismatic and heretical), these folks are not skilled in theBible, though they think they are. And, sadly, Bible schools are churning out men and womendeficient in truth and the ability to think clearly and biblically, so that they are prejudiced againstgenuine doctrine and poisoned by what is bad. Truly mature Christians, on the other hand,“have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”, whether this good and evil is foundin fellow believers or in unbelievers.

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Discernment does not magically shut off just because the person speaking to you is anunbeliever. And, frankly, on many occasions, we might be unaware that a person is anunbeliever until many words and years later, such is the power of deception by Satan. It isdiscernment that enables us to tell the difference between good and evil, believer andunbeliever. In this context ‘good’ refers to all that should define biblical Christianity.

‘Evil’, kakos, describes what is bad by nature – wicked, wrong, troublesome, what injuresothers, destructive. Therefore, we use discernment to know what is sound and what is sin. Thatis, we judge words and actions! It does not matter who we speak with – saved or unsaved –because discernment tells us what is godly and what is not. Evil is the antithesis of kalos– what is good by its nature – and is mainly found in... unbelievers. By rejecting this need tojudge them you are liable to accept their sins and wrong thinking.

Then, what of Luke 12:56,57?

“Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do notdiscern this time?

Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?”

Jesus calls those who pretend not to judge, ‘hypocrites’! He says that they can easily discern orjudge what the weather will be doing, but they cannot (or will not) discern what is happening intheir own city, or amongst wicked men! Not so! They KNOW what is good and evil but choose topretend to be ignorant, thereby allowing wicked men to proliferate and destroy society and thechurches. Note that in the text both words (discern and judge) are used at the same time, asdescriptions of judging! In the text no distinction is made between saved and unsaved.

The same discernment is used to distinguish who is righteous and who is wicked, in Malachi3:18. To judge, we need to discern what they say and do, and this includes observing thewicked. How else can we avoid them, shun them, or speak against their evils and heresies?

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And in 1 Corinthians 11:29, we see that we need discernment to know when we are acting inholy fashion at the Lord’s table. If this applies to the saved, it especially judges those who areunsaved and yet take communion. Later, in 12:10, we see that we need to judge spirits, to see ifwhat a person says and does is of God. In this text, the word for discerning, diakrisis, refers tothe act of distinguishing... or, judging. This shows us who is saved and who is not, who speakstruth and who does not. If we cannot judge what an unsaved deceiver says, then we are inserious trouble!

It is about time that Christians, or those calling themselves Christians, told the truth! We ALLjudge unbelievers, whether formally or informally, or even in our heads. But, typically, manyChristians, thinking it is wrong to judge, pretend not to judge. They fear admonishment fromtheir peers, for not believing the same things! They are untaught. They do not speak openly.They do not think clearly.

Please take note – we cannot judge an unbeliever’s future state, though we know that, at themoment, he is spiritually dead. In itself this is a judgment, based solidly on what scripture tellsus. What we CANNOT judge is his future. However, when the unbeliever acts abominably andwickedly, we have no option but to judge his words and behaviour, if only for our own safety andspiritual purity.

Remember the words of Paul in Galatians: “there be some that trouble you, and would pervertthe gospel of Christ” (1:7). These troublemakers are even found within the churches, and mighteasily be teachers well-loved by those with itching ears. These are accursed! (v8). Note thatthese men are unsaved, unbelievers! Yet, Paul is judging them. What is he judging? Not theirfinal state, because only God knows that, but what they say and do. Not their thoughts whichcan be slippery or hidden, but things that can be seen and heard.

And what of a definite proof that we MUST judge unbelievers? Try 1 Corinthians 16:22, where,without a shadow of doubt, Paul judges them:

“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.”

The conclusion is plain: we cannot judge a man’s eternal end, but we can, and MUST judgewhat he says and does openly. And, to be precise, when a man claims to be a Christian, but he

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speaks and acts like an unbeliever, we are commanded to treat him AS an unbeliever – warnhim to repent, and if he does not, cast him from fellowship and shun him. How can we do this ifwe pretend not to judge?

I honestly believe that many Christians are misled by their pastors, preachers and teachers,whether in speech or publications. Part of this deception is to say we must not judgeunbelievers... when, every moment of every day, we do just that!

Understand What ‘Judgment’ Is!

‘Judgment’ must be properly understood in both its biblical meaning and its context. It must alsobe realised that judgment is an everyday occurrence, and that it can include the remedy forwhat is wrong – ranging from verbal rebuke to the death penalty, depending on the words oractivity being judged. It is one reason we have magistrates. The fact that we can judgeunbelievers is provable, unless the Christian adheres to unbiblical principles or avoids genuineChristian examination of texts and situations.

So, to ‘judge’ is simply to examine the facts and come to a conclusion. In Christian terms, itmeans to reach a godly conclusion. Nothing in scripture prevents this. True judgment, then, isnot always about rebuke; it is simply about coming to the right conclusions. How urgent it is forall Christians to properly understand the terms they use so flippantly.

Does God’s Law Apply to Unbelievers?

It is argued by some, even Christians, that God’s laws do not apply to unbelievers. This is anincredibly untaught thing to say! God’s word and commands apply to everyone who was, is andwill be born. We see this especially in the matter of salvation. Biblical logic tells us that if God’slaws do not apply to the unbeliever, then there is no point in preaching the Gospel to anyone!After all, EVERY man and woman who is saved, was originally unsaved – unbelievers.Therefore, using the same logic, to be saved, unbelievers need God’s word and command.Rather obvious, really! ALL men are called to repent, to receive salvation, and it is unbelieverswho need this form of repentance, not believers, who have already repented unto salvation!

It is not our concern that many refuse to repent and remain unbelievers. It is simply our duty topreach truth to them. The truth is for them to obey whether they want to or not, whether they areconvicted of sin and are saved, or not. This is because God is supreme and He expectseveryone, saved or not, to obey Him. We are, after all, creatures to be disposed of or given

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benefits as God wills (re The Potter). Again, this is a painfully obvious point to make, yet manyChristians ignore it.

Everyone Is Under the Law

EVERYONE who sins breaks God’s law. This is why EVERYONE comes under that same lawand is accused by it. To say that God’s law does not apply to unbelievers is, then, not justabsurd, but unfathomable. It is amazing to me that so many Christians do not understand thismost basic of teachings.

Daniel spoke about this (9:11) when he said that all Israel transgressed God’s law by notobeying His voice and commands. It is a fact that not all in Israel were of Israel, meaning thatmany within God’s chosen people were unbelievers. Yet, the whole nation was judged by Godbecause of these unbelievers.

The simple fact, is that God’s laws apply to everyone, saved and unsaved. It is unthinkable thatas very few are actually saved, that God would allow the unsaved, the majority, to just run riotand rule His world as they wish. Such an idea is wicked.

The law of God applies to all unbelievers, but Christians are not under the law! Everyone mustobserve the law, but only unbelievers are condemned by it. As everyone is conceived in sin, thelaw MUST apply to everyone in the world, whereas salvation only applies to the very fewelected by God in eternity. This is why, in 2 Corinthians 6:14 we are warned never to beunequally yoked to unbelievers; this is because they will bring believers down with their weightof sin, and their lives would become darker and dimmer.

Many within our churches today (which has always been the case) are unbelieversmasquerading as believers. But, when everyone is resurrected, Jesus will identify them andthrow them into hell. He will say “I never knew you” because they are workers of lawlessness. Inancient Israel unbelievers were to be put to death: “That whosoever would not seek the LORDGod of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.”(2 Chronicles 15:13). These belonged to the chosen people; nationally, they were Israelites.Yet, they were also unbelievers, whom God said should be put to death if they refused theirGod. Does this not tell us in plain terms that God’s word applies to unbelievers?

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The Gospel itself is very relevant to unbelievers, for God sent His Son to save unbelievers whowere elect (John 3:16). Therefore, God’s word applies to unbelievers with immense power andforce. And, in 2 Corinthians 7:12-16 we find that a Christian husband should not divorce hisunbelieving wife, for very compelling reasons. This means unbelievers, though unsaved, areunder God’s law and commands. God does not, however, listen to the prayers of unbelievers –they have no communication link to Him. There are many texts in scripture warning us to steerclear of unbelievers, and we cannot do this unless we know who unbelievers are, what theystand for, and why God still bothers with them.

Note, too, that when Jesus returns He will resurrect both saved and unsaved. All will be judgedby God. So, it is nonsense to say that God’s word has nothing to do with unbelievers.Throughout His earthly days, Jesus had to combat the Pharisees and scribes; if they hadnothing to do with God’s laws, then He would not have bothered!

Let me put all this in simple format:

- God made mankind pure and holy, without sin. - Mankind then trashed the holiness given by God. - This made all of mankind sinners. In post-New Testament parlance – unsaved. - By their own words and actions, unsaved sinners are unbelievers. - The Old Testament commands by God applied to ALL men. We know this, because Israelconsisted of true believers and unbelievers. Yet, they ALL had to comply with God’ssacrificial requirements. - The Gospel came through Jesus Christ, Who came to call ALL Jews to repentance. Thiswas His sole intention. He preached to both unbelieving and believing Jews. - After that Paul and Peter preached to unbelievers. - The churches became infested with unbelievers, who detracted from truth. These werecondemned. But, they were also commanded to repent and be saved.

The above facts show that God’s word applies to all men, including unbelievers. It is illogical tosay otherwise. Also, large tracts of scripture would be meaningless if the above is not true.

© December 2011 (updated in January 2015)

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Documents

Can We Judge Unbelievers? - Christian Doctrine