Judging vs Fruit Inspecting

[mastda]

Hello Everyone, I have a question and I hope it was put in the proper forum.

Jesus is quite direct when He tells us not to judge on the Sermon on the Mount. However He also tells us “That a tree shall be judged by its fruit”. So, its not OK to Judge but its OK to fruit inspect. Please explain the difference.

 

[mdzialo1]

Judge yourself, since you are an example for others.

 

[Madia]

The point I think is to judge the sin not the sinner. For example, say two women may be at a pro-choice rally. However, you don’t know the reasons why the women are at a pro-choice rally. Say the first was raised in a good Catholic family home yet simply decided to leave the Church due to their position on pre-marital sex/birth control. The more her family tried to explain the Church’s positon the harder she hardened her heart. For example she at first didn’t believe in abortion at all. Then she believed that it was ok in cases such as rape/incest. Then she eventually believed that a fetus wasn’t a person at all but merely a “lump of tissue” and wouldn’t accept the facts when presented to her. Eventually, we she got pregnant out of marriage she had no problem justifying to herself an abortion.

The second woman’s parents got divorced when she was six. Her mother was a drug addict so she ended up living with her father. Her father had a different woman living with them every week and eventually when she was thirteen her father began to rape her. When she had a child when she was fifteen (by her father) her father forced her to get an abortion. When she was sixteen she ran away to live with her twenty year old boyfriend who also got her pregnant and talked her into an abortion. The pro-life message was never really explained to her and basically she’s never given much thought about the pro-life side due to her past experiences.

Now, you can clearly see that both women are supporting infanticide (bad fruits). However, you cannot judge why a certain person is sinning. So when you see a person sinning or supporting something sinful (bad fruits) you should be aware that that person is in need of help to correct their behavior. However you should not pass judgement on that person for their sinful behavior; for all you know if you experienced the same things that person did in life you might actually be a *worse *sinner.

Basically, when you see someone producing bad fruits you should endeavor to help that person (through prayer or action) but never judge why that person is producing bad fruits. I hope that helps.

 

[Pug]

When I think of fruit inspecting, I think of two things off the top of my head. First I think of how you determine if a prophet or teacher ought to be heeded, and second I think of how I can see what I have been putting into my heart by what comes out of my mouth.

Here is a bible quote for each one:

15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.

There is also that great passage from James 3 about the tongue being a fire, etc. It is kind of long, though, so I didn’t post it.

 

[PraRFLEsEkHm]

HI

For my two cents Judging is saying in your heart “This person is going to hell anyway because they are in the wrong religion/not ‘holy enough’ for the religion they’re in/not going to listen anyway/etc. etc.: so I’m not even going to waste my time talking to them - and/or maybe I’ll get ‘poisoned’ too and end up there with them”. Or something to that effect anyway.

‘Fruit inspecting’ ( like the term) is saying in your heart “This person has the wrong idea about this, or is teaching the wrong message, or is doing something sinful” (Like Peter was when paul rebuked him in Acts) and then doing something about that observation. IN LOVE, and IF Led by the Spirit to do so. But in any case NOT ‘writing them off’ as ‘Lost’.

Fruit inspecting is just that - judging the ‘fruits’ of the person, rather than that persons status with God (“Saved” = ‘worth my time/trouble’ or “Lost” = ‘Not worth my time/trouble’)

Peace

John