December 19, 2002 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article)

Recently I received the following question from a reader:

"I have been reading your information and I really enjoy your Way of Life encyclopedia.I am not sure if you answer e-mails but if you do, I have one question. I have tried to explain to my children the difference between 'marking' incorrect doctrine and judging someone.I have not had much luck with it.Can you? I would really be interested in anything you had to say on the idea.Keep up the good work.I understand what you are doing and I thank God that there is someone that will stand at the front and take the abuse you do while trying to direct others away from unstable ground."

REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD:

Hello. I would suggest a different way to approach the matter. The Bible teaches us that there is right judging and wrong judging. Jesus forbade a certain type of judgment in Matthew 7:1, but in other contexts He taught that we are to exercise judgment (John 7:24). By looking at the context of Matthew 7, we see that He was warning about hypocritical judgment. In that same sermon, He taught us to beware of false teachers (Matt. 7:15). To obey that requires the exercise of judgment. Paul taught the churches to judge certain things, such as sinning church members (1 Cor. 5), matters between the brethren (1 Cor. 6:5), preaching (1 Cor. 14:29), and those who teach false doctrine (Rom. 16:17). Paul also taught that we are not to judge in some matters, such as pertaining to things not spoken of in the New Testament (Col. 2:16). Thus, there are judgments that we are not to make and there are judgments that we are to make. Wisdom is knowing the difference.