Church and believers are not to judge, God and Christ will judge.

[DFT_Dave]

I found the following on a church's statement of faith: "Christ commands His followers to rebuke and to judge with righteous judgment and to forgive those who repent. One day God will resurrect the dead, punish the unbelievers and reward those whom He has justified with the life of the world to come."

Many believe there is a distinction between judgment and to judge. "Judgment (noun) is the cognitive process of forming an opinion, discernment, or the result of a decision, often based on facts and critical thinking. To judge (verb) is the act of condemning" [verbally not just to punish] and I would add rebuking and possibly shaming. Given these definitions, would you affirm or oppose the given statement of faith? Do you believe it is the role of the church to judge (verb) or not? I will argue the church is not to judge and that the statement of faith is flawed.

 

[Right Divider]

I found the following on a church's statement of faith: "Christ commands His followers to rebuke and to judge with righteous judgment and to forgive those who repent. One day God will resurrect the dead, punish the unbelievers and reward those whom He has justified with the life of the world to come."

Many believe there is a distinction between judgment and to judge. "Judgment (noun) is the cognitive process of forming an opinion, discernment, or the result of a decision, often based on facts and critical thinking. To judge (verb) is the act of condemning" [verbally not just to punish] and I would add rebuking and possibly shaming. Given these definitions, would you affirm or oppose the given statement of faith? Do you believe it is the role of the church to judge (verb) or not? I will argue the church is not to judge and that the statement of faith is flawed.

This church sounds typical of Churchianity today. They do not rightly divide and therefore confuse instructions for Israel with instructions for the body of Christ.

1Co 6:3 (KJV) Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?​

 

[DFT_Dave]

Hi, how are you? I've decided to come back and do some more debating. Now that I'm finally fully retired I will have more time to be here, between naps. : )

Good chapter to start with. The goal as you see is an attempt to distinguish between judgment that God and Christ will do and what we can, or cannot do, through the church. As you see it, what are things we can judge and not judge from I Corinthians 6, and by judge can we as a church impose a penalty or not?

--Dave

 

[Right Divider]

Hi, how are you? I've decided to come back and do some more debating. Now that I'm finally fully retired I will have more time to be here, between naps. : )

Hey Dave, I've been retired for a few years now. Welcome to the club.

Good chapter to start with.

What "chapter" is that?

The goal as you see is an attempt to distinguish between judgment that God and Christ will do and what we can, or cannot do, through the church.

Which church? The church of Israel (to whom Jesus preached for years) or the church which is His body (which started with Paul and was revealed by Christ to Paul)?

As you see it, what are things we can judge and not judge from I Corinthians 6, and by judge can we as a church impose a penalty or not?

--Dave

Once you narrow down what you're talking about, we can begin a discussion.

 

[rstrats]

The goal as you see is an attempt to distinguish between judgment that God and Christ will do and what we can, or cannot do...

--Dave

I thought that the Messiah was God.

 

[Right Divider]

I thought that the Messiah was God.

Stop SPAMMING the forums

 

[rstrats]

Stop SPAMMING the forums

Am I thinking incorrectly? Are you saying that John 1:1 got it wrong?

 

[DFT_Dave]

What "chapter" is that?

Which church? The church of Israel (to whom Jesus preached for years) or the church which is His body (which started with Paul and was revealed by Christ to Paul)?

Once you narrow down what you're talking about, we can begin a discussion.

I Corinthians 6 is the chapter I was referring to so I guess we will talk about Paul.

Is there still a church of Israel today distinct from the church of Paul that you describe as "the church which is his body".

 

[Right Divider]

I Corinthians 6 is the chapter I was referring to so I guess we will talk about Paul.

Thanks for the info.

Is there still a church of Israel today distinct from the church of Paul that you describe as "the church which is his body".

God is not dealing with Israel as "His people" today.

And NO, I don't "describe" it that way. The Bible does.

Col 1:18 (AKJV/PCE)​

(1:18) And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.​

​

Col 1:24 (AKJV/PCE)​

(1:24) Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:​

Paul says that he is the first member of this body, as a pattern:

1Tim 1:16 (AKJV/PCE)​

(1:16) Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. ​

 

[Right Divider]

I think that Gemini explains this chapter pretty well.

I asked it this: "What is Paul talking about in 1 Cor 6 in the KJV?"

That this was its response:

In 1 Corinthians 6 (KJV), the Apostle Paul addresses two primary issues within the Corinthian church: legal disputes between believers and the necessity of moral purity. He argues that the internal behavior of the church should reflect their new identity in Christ.​

The chapter is generally divided into three main sections:​

1. Lawsuits Among Believers (Verses 1–8)​

Paul rebukes the members of the church for taking one another to secular courts to settle "matters pertaining to this life."​

• The Logic: Paul argues that since the "saints shall judge the world" and even "judge angels," they should be more than capable of handling small, earthly disputes among themselves.
• The Shame: He suggests it is a "shame" that there isn't one wise man among them to settle these issues.
• The Solution: Paul tells them it would be better to "take wrong" or "suffer yourselves to be defrauded" than to bring a public reproach upon the church by fighting in front of "the unjust" (unbelievers).

2. The Unrighteous and Transformation (Verses 9–11)​

Paul provides a stern warning about who will inherit the Kingdom of God, listing various sins including fornication, idolatry, adultery, and theft.​

• "And such were some of you": This is a key turning point in the chapter. Paul reminds the Corinthians that while they once lived in these sins, they have been "washed," "sanctified," and "justified" in the name of the Lord Jesus. This serves as the basis for his next argument: because they are changed, they must live differently.

3. Christian Liberty and the Body as a Temple (Verses 12–20)​

Paul addresses a specific slogan the Corinthians seem to have been using: "All things are lawful unto me." He counters this by emphasizing that while a Christian has freedom, they should not be "brought under the power of any" habit or sin.​

• Against Fornication: Paul argues that the body is not meant for sexual immorality but "for the Lord." He explains that unlike other sins which are "without the body," sexual sin is a sin against one's own body.
• The Temple of the Holy Ghost: In verses 19–20, Paul delivers the central theme of the section:
  

  "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."​

---

Summary of Paul’s Message: Paul’s overarching point in this chapter is ownership. Because believers have been "bought with a price" (the blood of Christ), their lives, their legal disputes, and their physical bodies no longer belong to them—they belong to God and should be used to glorify Him.​