4TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son Of the Father, in truth and love. Amen.

Dear friends in Christ Jesus!

"Be ve therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." Vv. 36,37. That is the way Christ speaks in our today's Gospel.

In our days these words are repeatedly understood to mean that Christ intended to say that absolutely all judging and condemning on the part of man is sinful and unchristian. However, that this is not so is so clear that it seems almost superfluous to offer proof.

I ask you: when Christ says, "Judge not, condemn not," did he deny the government the power to judge its citizens and, if found guilty, to pronounce the sentence of condemnation upon them? Absolutely not! God says to earthly judges in his Word, "Take heed what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment." 2 Chr 19:6. And as far as condemning is concerned, the holy apostle says of the government, "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." Rom 13:4. Yes, even the 9th chapter of Genesis has this to say, "Whoso sheadeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." V. 6.

Again I ask you: When Christ says, "Judge not, condemn not." did he intend to deny to parents and teachers the power to judge the children entrusted to them and to take the rod of punishment from their hand? If the parents or teach* ers want to punish them, dare the son or daughter say to them, Do you not know that Christ has commanded you to be merciful and to forgive? How dare you judge and condemn me? Absolutely not!

Judging and condemning by parents and teachers is not only permitted but is commanded at the risk of God's displeasure and is laid upon them as a holy duty. Solomon says, "He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." Prov 13:24. "Withhold not correction from the child; for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod and shalt deliver his soul from death." Prov 23:13,14. "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." Prov 22:15.

How earnest God is in commanding this we see in the example of the high

priest Eli. Because he did not judge; and condemn his godless sons, God commanded that he be" told: because he knew that his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not, that God has sworn that this iniquity shall not be purged. And what happened? His sons died miserably in war and when Eli received the news, he by God's judgment broke his neck. A powerful warning example for all parents who do not exercise that needed earnest discipline upon their children.

Once again I ask you: When Christ says, "Judge not, condemn not," did he deny to Christians the right to judge a single word or deed of man? did he command them to praise every word, to call all blessed, and to reprimand no sin? Absolutely not!

On the contrary, St. Paul writes to the Corinthians, "He that is spiritual judgeth all things," 2:15; and Christ expressly says in the well-known passage of Matthew 18, "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone.... But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more.... And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican," w.15-17, that is, consider him a heathen, who .is excluded from the kingdom and God's grace.

So it simply is not true that the judging and condemning of sin is denied Christians; really, they are earnestly commanded to exercise this power. And Christians are to do this not only amongst themselves but also over against the children of the world, for Paul writes to the Ephesians, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Eph 5:11. And that no one may think that such a reprimand is against love and is a sign of hate, Moses writes, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him." Lev 19:17.

My friends, from all this you clearly see: when Christ says, "Judge not, condemn not." he could not possibly have forbidden every judgement and sentence of condemnation expressed by man. Well, what does Christ really then forbid? It is most important to learn to know the true meaning of these words, because they are very often misunderstood and therefore also are very often misapplied. Permit me now to show you the misunderstanding and misuse, and the true understanding and the true use of those words.

The text. Luke 6:36-42.

As already mentioned we will now consider the words of Christ:

"JUDGE NOT! CONDEMN NOT!"

I. How These Words are Misunderstood, and

II. How They are to be Understood Correctly.

I.

Christ's words, "Judge not, condemn not." are especially in .our days repeatedly perverted in a truly blasphemous way; one can express it in no other way.

This is the first perversion of these,words: if a minister preaches that all who do not believe, in Christ, the Son of God and Savior of sinners, will certainly be eternally lost, or if a Christian layman testifies this to the world, not .seldom are they told: Have you not read what Christ says, "Judge not, condemn not"? With these words they suppose that they have clearly proven that no one dares to deny salvation to another. They say: Christ came into

the world, in order to teach men that God is a Father of all men and that all men are his dear children, that God is patient with our failings, weaknesses, and sins, and that he can eternally reject and condemn no person. This, however, is a frightful misunderstanding of those words of Christ.

Christ has indeed revealed that God loves all men and that he wants the death and damnation of no person, that, on the other hand, it is his earnest will that all men be saved; but Christ has at the same time revealed that he himself is the only, way and the only door to heaven, that, therefore, all who do not believe in him must be lost. Christ says, "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Jn 3: 18b. Again he says, "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." Jn 8:24. Again he says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mk 16:16.

Anyone who confesses this to the world, in no way does he go against Christ's prohibition, "Judge not, condemn not," for he does not judge and condemn of himself but merely pronounces the judgment and damnation which God has already clearly pronounced. As little as he sets himself up as a despotic, officious judge who says to a murderer, that according to the laws of his land a murderer forfeits his life and has deserved death, so little is he a judge without an inward call who says to an unbeliever, that according to the laws of God's kingdom he has forfeited eternal life and deserved eternal death, that is, eternal damnation, and will certainly go into it if he is not converted. Not only can every Christian layman tell this to the world, but he also should; for since every Christian is obligated in his calling to assist in the conversion and salvation of others, so is he also obligated to tell every unbeliever to his face without pulling any punches that all who do not truly believe in Christ will be lost as certainly as there is a God in heaven and his Word is the truth.

And ministers especially have the duty to tell all those who are riot yet converted, who still live in their sins and do not yet truly believe, that they do not stand in God's grace, that they are under God's wrath and curse, and that they are traveling the broad way which inevitably leads to eternal ruin if they are not converted. The Prophet Ezekiel has a clear proof passage to show this, "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand." Ezek 3:17,18. We see from this that they are not real evangelical preachers who preach judgment and damnation to no one; they are the rather murderers of souls. Scripture cries out to such, "Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! ...Ye strengthen the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way." Ezek 13:18,22.

If, therefore, a minister preaches that all unbelievers and wilful sinners are excluded from salvation, or if he says that to an individual sinners who either admits his unbelief or will not forsake his sin: You are marked for death! it is a godless perversion to say that such a preacher has acted contrary to the passage, "Judge not, condemn not."

All who still believe in the Holy Scriptures will certainly admit that from their heart; but there are not a few who consider the Bible as God's Word and who when not merely sins but also errors are earnestly rebuked and rejected, and manifest, stiff-necked, false teachers are severely attacked, yes, are finally cursed, who then complain about lovelessness and harshness and exclaim: How does

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our gentle Savior speak? Does he not say, "Judge not, condemn not"? They say a preacher should preach God's Word, but that it is against Christian love, to reprimand others who do not explain the Word as he does; a preacher can indeed try to prove his faith and religion but it is loveless to despise and reject the belief and religion of others. A preacher of the Gospel must be a messenger of peace; it is therefore improper when he calls those heterodox, errorists, and heretics who believe differently, and when he reproaches other confessions as being false churches and sects; those who confess that the Bible is God's Word and that Christ is God's Son, who in the main are agreed in the chief teachings of the Scripture, they should also in fairness extend the hand of brotherhood to each other. Even if several depart from, one or the other teaching, one dare not break the bond of peace with them; one dare not be that 3trict; certainly God will not be so particular about a little departure from his Word. In a warning voice Christ says, "Judge not, condemn not."

Though, my friends, nowadays many understand Christ's words as though he intended to forbid judging and pronouncing the sentence of damnation upon such false teachings and teachers, this also is a gross misunderstanding. In God's Word not only sin but also the departure from the Bible is called something worthy of damnation. Thus we read at the close of Scripture, "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out; of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Rev 22:18b. 19.

Can there be a more frightful threat than this one for all who either add something to God's Word or. who take away something from it?. Must not, therefore, every Christian be very exact about it? and is it not, therefore, every Christian's duty to reprimand not only sin but just as earnestly every departure from the Bible? And have not Christ and his apostles given many admonitions to examine the spirits and to be on guard against false prophets? if this were forbidden Christians, how could they judge such teachings and teachers? Does not St.. Paul say, "A man that is an. heretic after the first and second admonition reject"? Tit 3:10; how could Christians do that if they would not dare call a single errorist a heretic?

Now if every Christian is to do this, then a minister of the Gospel is doubly called to do it. A minister is to be a shepherd of Christ's sheep; he, therefore, does his duty only when he not only feeds the sheep with the pure Gospel but also warns them against the wolves. A minister should be like those workers on the temple at Jerusalem; in the one hand they held the trowel and in the other the sword; they not only built but also battled against those, who wanted to prevent their building. Therefore, St. Paul says, "A bishop, must be blameless,...holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For," he adds, "there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not." Tit 1:7,9-11.

Ministers who do not do this, who are not zealous for the pure doctrine and do not rebuke false doctrine, who consider all religions of equal merit and, therefore, accept all heterodox into their brotherhood, they are called lukewarm in God's Word, who are neither hot nor cold, and whom the Lord will spue out of his mouth. We read of them, "The prophets have daubed them with untempered morter... . They seduce my people saying, Peace; and there was no peace," Ezek 22:28; 13:10; yes, the Prophet Isaiah says of them, "They are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber." Is 56:10.

My friends, do not let yourselves be deceived by the spirit of false love

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which today is poured out upon so many. Recall: that shows love to one's neighbor if he does not let him peacefully continue in his error but shows him the danger in which he error hurls him. Remember: Christ was love personified, and yet he pitilessly exposed their false teachings to the hypocritical Pharisees, pronounced woe upon them, and called them children of the devil, hypocrites, and deceivers. Recall: even Paul certainly had a heart full of true Christian love, and yet he cursed all who would preach another Gospel than he preached.' Remember: David was also a man who proved his love of his enemies by his deeds and yet he says, "I hated them that regard lying vanities."' Ps 31:7. "I hate vain thoughts." Ps 119:113. "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?...I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them mine enemies." Ps 139:21,22.

This much is certain: neither the judging and condemning of manifest sins, nor manifest unbelief, nor manifest errors has Christ forbidden with the words, "Judge not, condemn not." But, you will say, what does Christ then forbid? The correct understanding of these words is the second point which we shall ponder.

II.

My friends, if we always take the words of Christ as they read, we can never go wrong nor will we ever get the wrong ideas, for no one speaks more clearly, distinctly, and intelligibly than Christ. However, if we take the words, "Judge not, condemn not." simply as they read, they just can have no other meaning than this: You men have no right to set yourselves up as the judge of someone else; God, alone is the Judge and will not surrender this honor to any creature; every judgment on man's part is, therefore, sinful, unchristian, and a usurpation of God's judgeship when it is something else than God's own judgment.

You see from this: with these words Christ intends, first of all, to rebuke all those who judge and condemn others not according to God's Word but according to their own thoughts. There are men who judge the hearts of others; they see that another person does something which would indeed be wicked if he had evil intentions, but which would be good if he had good intentions; but they assume that their neighbor had evil intentions and explain his action in the, worst possible way. Or they see that their neighbor's deed has the appearance of evil; of course, they do not know definitely whether it is more than an evil appearance or not, and yet they believe the worst. Or they hear an evil report of their neighbor; they do not try to find out first whether the report has any basis of fact; they lend a ready ear to the scandalmonger; they immediately assume that the rumor is an established truth and judge him of whom evil is spoken as though they themselves had seen it. You see, to such Christ cries out in our Gospel, "Judge not, condemn not!" that is, cherish no mistrust, no suspicion against your neighbor in your heart; believe no evil of him until you are compelled to do so because of God's sentence of condemnation in his Word because of some manifest sin; defend your neighbor as long as you can and put the best construction on everything.

It is not unintentional that Christ precedes that warning with, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." V. 36. Here Christ shows that a person sins in judging even if he does so according to God's Word but does not do so in mercy and love. There are people who sternly rebuke sin, unbelief, and error according to God's Word, yet they do not do it out of hatred over against these ungodly things and not out of love to the souls of sinners, to guide the erring back to the true way, and to warn others; but they derive satisfaction from talking about the sins of others; to speak of the failings of others is something sweet; they feel a malicious joy; if the fallen were

their enemies they permit themselves to be guided by jealously and rage it does them good to shame these sinners and cause them to, be disgraced in the eyes of others. They rebuke in anger; in their reprimand they presume that the sinner will not let himself be guided; they not only deny the fallen the state of grace but also call, his entire previous Christian life one of hypocrisy and pretence and do not hope that he will arise again, that he will come to his senses and repent. To such Christ exclaims, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned," Vv. 36,37, that is, let your judging be not only as God's Word has decided but also in love which bears everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything.

At the close of our Gospel Christ gives us a third hint of which judging and condemning he is speaking. He says, "Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master; but every one that is perfect shall be as his master." Vv. 39,40. Here Christ indicates that God is displeased with the judgment of even those who, while they wish to lead others, are themselves blind, who, while they judge the sins of others, forget their own, and while they rebuke others, do not rebuke themselves. Christ therefore continues, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother. Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when you thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Vv. 41,42. Here Christ wants to say: whoever, while condemning another, exalts himself, thinks himself better, and thus says in his heart as did the Pharisee: "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, thieves, robbers, adulterers, fornicators, unrighteous" and the like; to such a person Christ exclaims, "Judge not, condemn not." for while you condemn others and justify yourself, your sin of pride becomes so great that in God's eyes the sin of your neighbor looks only like a mote and yours like a beam.

Would to God that now everyone of us would examine his heart and life; everyone would discover that by nature he is only too much inclined to sinful judging and condemning; would to God that everyone would be moved to humble himself most deeply before God because of this inclination!

Examine yourselves carefully whether this sin has not ruled you in the past. Let each one ask himself: Am I accustomed to judge my neighbor according to my thoughts and not according to God's Word? Do I follow my suspicious heart and always think the worst of him, or is it my way to defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything? And if. I judge as God wants me to, do I judge in heart-felt love and with a truly merciful heart? do I do this in the deepest humility, in the knowledge of my own sinfulness and reprimanding myself before God also? Or do I judge mercilessly, deeming myself better than the fallen?

At the close of our Gospel Christ cries out to you. "Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye," v.42b, that is, perceive that you are a much greater sinner than those whom you have judged heretofore, confess this to God with a broken heart; beg him for forgiveness and a change of your evil heart; God will have mercy upon you; he will take the beam out of your eye; he will pardon you; he will give you his Holy Spirit and change your heart, and then you will no longer judge of yourself but let God judge in his Word; you will no more judge your neighbor lovelessly in self-exaltation but in love and humility try to help him straighten out, and thus you will follow Christ and finally find mercy there in his presence.

Oh that none whom God's Spirit has now reminded of his sin through the Word will resist him, try to forgive his own sin, and thus remain in sin! Oh that everyone would let the words, "Judge not, condemn not," be written into his heart and think,speak, and act accordingly; they will guard him against committing a thousand serious sins here on this world, and then in eternity he will hear the voice: You have not judged, therefore, you also will not be judged; you have not condemned, so you also will not be condemned; where I am there shall also my servant be; enter into the joy of your Lord. Amen.

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