PART ONE: TO JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE
When we think of Christ and Salvation there are tons of topics encompassed in these two terms. Grace, mercy, justification, sanctification, and the law to state a few. Well, the covenant of grace can confuse many people and have them believe Christ’s death, burial and resurrection did away with the dos and don’ts of the bible or rather the law. I would like to focus on one of the to do or not to do, that causes many arguments over scripture. Can we judge or not? The big argument really is not over judging, but grace and law. In order to judge there must be a law behind your judgement, but because many believe that grace did away with the law, here lies the problem. Something as simple as being able to judge a person or a group of people causes a big uproar among believers.
Before we can venture into the question can we judge or not, we must first understand a little about grace. There is common grace and saving grace. These are separate from one another. Common grace refers to the grace of God that is common to all humankind. It is “common” because its benefits are experienced by the whole human race without distinction between one person to another, believers or unbelievers. It is “grace” because it is undeserved to mankind and sovereignly bestowed by God (theopedia.com). Common grace began in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve fell into sin. After all Adam lived to be 930 years old. Many of those years were under common grace, because Adam and Eve could have died instantly after eating of the fruit. But because they lived on for many years after the forbidden sin, common grace begins to abound even then.
Saving grace, this is the part of grace that many Christians use as the all-encompassing grace. Saving grace is just that saving grace. This “saving” grace, extends only to those whom God has chosen to redeem (theopedia.com). This is the grace that saves us from the penalty of the law, because no man other than Christ was able to keep the law. By no means did saving grace do away with the law. Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (KJV).
Now that we have a short over view of law and grace and can clearly see that common grace abound in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament along with the law, but saving grace came about only in the New Testament, never ending the law just saving us from the punishment of the law. The punishment for not keeping the law was to spend eternity in hell away from God, but saving grace is us receiving what we do not deserve, which is to spend eternity with the Father because of His son Jesus the Christ.
What does grace have to do with judging?
Please read part two for the answer to that question.