Judge not, so that you are not judged. This does not mean that you cannot judge what is evil behavior vs. good; this does not mean that you cannot judge doctrine in error vs. sound doctrine. Rather you are not supposed to criticize someone else in particular because your criticism is passing judgment on someone else. This does not mean that you cannot write or speak about something in general being wrong, a lie, error, or sin; it just means you are not supposed to criticize someone else in particular. When you have sufficient Spirit of God within you, you may be prompted with words from God to pass judgment on someone else in particular; but that would not be you judging, that would be God. Just like Jesus did not judge himself: By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, John 5:30... whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak. John 12:49-50... the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He [the son] is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, John 5:19.
The reason you can't criticize others is because every man has a tangle of problems, and only the Lord knows which problem to address with a man in what order. You may see an obvious problem, but you cannot see the many others that are not apparent; and it is likely that there are other problems that must be addressed and repented from first, before the problem you see can be addressed. Only the Lord knows the order to address these problems in each man, and only the Lord can give the person strength to become different. So until you are prompted by the Spirit of God as to exactly what to say and when, and until the Spirit of God is standing by to impart strength to that person, any criticism is totally ineffective. When you criticize others you are only hardening their hearts from hearing the true judgments of God, and so you incur condemnation in proportion to the problems you cause. From the Voice of the Lord: "Never speak critically of any individual or any organization, no matter how deserving of criticism they are."
You are particularly not to judge someone outside the church; per Paul: For while I have no business judging those who are outside the church.... But those who are outside the church, God judges. 1 Cor 5:12-13.
But as for those inside the church, you are supposed to be careful to not associate with those who exhibit continued lawlessness: But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to anything that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. You must not so much as eat with such a person. 1 Cor 5:11. Now if you are forbidden to even eat with them, how much more worse is fellowshipping with them.
And the Lord tells us how to deal with someone in the church who is sinning: they are supposed to be warned by one person, then warned by two or three, then censured by the whole body of believers - and if they fail to repent of their error, they are supposed to be expelled and shunned. Mat 18:15-17.
2 Don't try to take the spec out of your brother's eye until you remove the log from your own. When you get the log out of your own eye, (by being purified), you can see clearly how to remove the spec from your brother's. So he wants us sinless and purified so we can help our brothers, but until then, we can't even see how to help - and if we think we can, we are more blind than the person we are trying to help - we have a log in our eye, and he only has a spec - who is more blind? Only when Christ has perfected us, can we remove that spec; only then can we preach or teach, after we are readjusted, restored, perfected and set to rights, authorized; then we can help - until then we just harm those we try to correct. To be restored, is to be renewed into the image of God, as was man before the fall in the Garden - which is Christ's job with all of us - to reconcile the whole creation back to God, as it was, even better, than before it fell due to the disobedience of Adam. For we cannot be reconciled back to God in our fallen state, we must be purified, restored, perfected before union can take place - union that is only possible between two like beings.
3 Do not give that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and tear you. What is holy is the understandings that you have received from Christ himself, by his revelations, by his voice, by his visions, by both, or by the deep understanding that surrounds you like you are submerged in it. These understandings will usually directly and seriously contradict the religious culture that is dependent on outward forms of ritual, with no obedience to the inner voice, with no reliance on the voice of God.
In the Old Testament, dogs licked the blood of dead men. Dogs were preachers who fed themselves, never getting enough. Dogs were blind, dumb, ignorant, watchmen (preachers) unable to sound a warning, lying down, asleep. In the New Testament Paul referred to Judiazer dogs who preached circumcision, whose confidence was in works of the flesh. Dogs tear the lambs; they are fleshly men, (still in their sinful natures), who persecute those born of the spirit. Dogs were those who preached the outward form and observations of religion, trying to preserve and justify the man of sin continuing in his selfish, sinful, fleshly nature. So today, dogs would be the preachers and teachers of Christendom. They also could be proponents of Hare Krishna, or Hinduism, or Buddhism. If you tell them your holy understandings, it is a waste of time, because all they want to do is convert you to their way of thinking. So you keep your peace. You don't try to educate the wise or correct those who think they can see, but can't.
Swine, are those who live for their own appetites, whose god is their stomach, who serve their lusts, and who are happy doing so. If you cast your pearls (your understandings, your wisdom, your revelations) in front of these people, they will ridicule them, they will mock and scoff, and their reproach will only hurt you. So, we keep our pearls to ourselves and only pass them on to those who share our commitment in fellowship. And even there, when sharing, we must speak in humility and without pride of having received the understanding, or the understanding will be missed by others and our pride in speaking will damage us.
4 For everyone who asks [persistently] receives; and he who seeks [persistently] finds; and to him who knocks [persistently] it shall be opened. The seeking, knocking, and asking must be long and persistent, with obedience to the word of the Lord heard within. This scripture, taken by itself, illustrates the common error of Christendom, which takes a few scriptures out of context, creating false doctrines such as: to believe that all you have to do is knock, and it is opened; or just ask, and it is granted; or seek and you will find; or anyone who believes is saved; or anyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved, or anyone who says "Jesus is Lord" is saved.
Regarding knocking or calling him Lord: Afterwards the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us to enter.' But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' Mat 25:11-12. Obviously their knocking at the door did no good.
Regarding seeking: seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you. Mat 6:33.
..Seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deu 4:29.
he rewards those who diligently seek him. Heb 11:6. Yes, you will find God if you seek him as the highest priority in your life, if you seek him with all your heart and all your soul, and if you diligently (continually attending to and striving to achieve a goal; laborious; persevering) seek him.
Regarding calling him Lord: Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of heaven; but [only] he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who work iniquity' [sin, lawlessness, or wickedness]. Mat 7:21-23.
Jesus said, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. Mark 7:6.
Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Luke 6:46-49. Obviously, calling Jesus Lord did these believers no good, who in His name had cast out demons and performed many wonderful miracles; they lost everything and were banished from his presence - sent to darkness, sent to Hell.
When you read a contract, don't you look for the qualifying conditions and then the exclusions? Do the same with the promises of God. Don't let the fast talking salesmen (preachers) take your money for something they cannot make good on their promise; you are paying money for bread that is not bread and you labor without satisfaction. Isa 55:2
5 Therefore, in all things, do to others whatever you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Mat 7:12, Rom 13:8-10, Gal 5:14, Lev19:18 - strive to always obey this.
