Only God Can Judge Me?

Only God can judge me only God. Most of us who grew up on 90s hip-hop remember that popular song from Tupac that says, “Only God can judge me.” This phrase has become popular or rampant even in the church to put up a defense saying that God is the only one who has the authority to judge others including believers.

However, I was listening to the Word of God as I got ready for work today, and came across the scriptures below that give clear instruction on how we are to judge in the body of Christ.

But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister that is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 (NIV)

It appears that the scripture is implying that we as believers are to judge one another simply because we are called to be set apart. We are the ones who are supposed to know better and to act right. Also, God has given us brothers and sisters in Christ to help to keep us in line when we may ignore our conscience. The truth of the matter is it is a good thing to be judged by a mature believer who walks in love. When we tell each other the truth it shows that we love one another.

Another scripture in God’s word that supports the idea of judging our brethren:

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1

The above scripture promotes the idea of judging for the purpose of restoration. It also promotes the idea of judging being done not by people who are immature walking in their flesh, but by those who are mature, learned, and who savor the way of walking in the Spirit. Those are the ones who will judge with the heart of God and God’s purpose in mind.

So, no the idea of believers not judging one another is of the world. We are to judge one another, and not to judge the world because the world naturally sins because they have not subjected themselves to God having not accepted him as Lord just yet. Therefore, God will judge them for not accepting him as Lord when the appropriate time comes.

We don’t want God to judge us; we want our neighbor to judge us so that when we go before God on judgement day, we only hear well done my good and faithful servant. God used Nathan to judge David and to push him toward restoration after he had sinned with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:1-15). The judgement of God through our brothers or sisters in Christ, or through the Holy Spirit leads to repentance.

God doesn’t like hypocritical judgement. That is the judgement referenced in Matthew 7 that says, Judge not lest you be judged, because with the measure that you set, it will be measured back to you again, and it goes on to say that why are you trying to pick a speck out of your brothers eye when you have a huge pole in your own eye?

Many people read only the first part,” judge not”, and say that we are not supposed to judge, but that isn’t what that passage of scripture is referencing. That passage of scripture is referencing our human nature to believe that other people’s #2 stinks , but our own #2s do not stink. It’s human nature to see the negative in others more than ourselves.

This is clearly seen in the fact that when Nathan judged David; he did it in the form of a parable. David did not know that Nathan spoke of him. Therefore David pronounced judgement on the man saying that man shall surely die [i].

Nathan told him you are the man, and David’s reaction changed. He humbled himself saying that he had sinned against God. According to Matthew 7, David should have died because that is the judgement that he pronounced upon himself when he thought that it was for someone else. However, after David humbled himself, Nathan’s response was the below scripture:

The Lord also has put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 2 Samuel 12:13

David was able to obtain mercy against the judgement that he had pronounced upon himself. God’s purpose for sending our brothers and sisters in Christ is to seek an occasion for us to humble ourselves and obtain mercy against the judgement that we should incur for our sin. This is why we ought to maintain humility and examine our own selves when we are judged by our brethren.

Yes, sometimes brothers and sisters in Christ are not right in their judgements nor are they sent by God as Nathan was, but if we take everything to God in prayer we will know the difference.

We don’t want to wait until we get before God on judgement day to say, “You are the only one that can judge me God.” We will receive the greater damnation for knowing what is right to do and not doing it. The Bible says to do so is sin.

It’s God’s love judging us through our friends, trusted prophets, and teachers of the gospel. It is better to get things right now than to go before God on judgement day saying Lord, I rejected your correction and judgement through my brethren because they were not you. That is foolish! So, let’s re-evaluate some of these popular sayings that have made their way into the church. We do not govern our lives as believers based on popular culture, but by the Word of God. Amen!

[i] And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. 2 Samuel 12:5