Hi guys, perhaps some of you can help me with these two passages from the bible?

From a brief perusal of the context, it looks as if they're speaking to two different audiences. Your first passage is from Matthew 7. Here's the context for that sermon (the Sermon on the Mount) from Matthew 4 and 5:

News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. 1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.

So Jesus was speaking to a wide audience that wasn't necessarily entirely Jewish.

On the other hand, your second passage is taken from one of Paul's letters to a specific audience - those who have confessed and believed in Christ. They've made a commitment to believe and live a certain way, and Paul is giving them guidelines to help them live in that way.

What's the confusion? Jesus didn't say not to judge. He said you will be judged with the same measure you judge others with. Don't be a hypocrite basically.

What Paul was saying to the Corinthians fits that perfectly. Don't judge people outside of the church. That's not your business.

So from these two passages we know 1.) don't be a hypocrite. You will be judged with the same measure you judge others with and 2.) it's not your place to judge those outside the church.

Just my $.02 hope it helps

Commentary from the ESV SB on the passage from Matthew:

Matt. 7:1–12 Jesus moves from personal temptations to interpersonal temptations. He warns against inappropriate judging (vv. 1–5) and commends appropriate evaluation (v. 6). He then looks at God’s guidance as the source of the believer’s stability in relationship to others (vv. 7–12).

Matt. 7:1–2 Judge not forbids pronouncing another person guilty before God. But see note on vv. 3–5. For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged. Undue harshness and a judgmental attitude toward others will result in being treated in much the same way by God.

Matt. 7:3–5 Jesus may have drawn on his background as a carpenter (13:55; Mark 6:3) for his metaphor of a log in your own eye, which of course was hyperbole (intentional overstatement; cf. Matt. 5:29–30). then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Jesus does not forbid all evaluation or even judgment of others, for ultimately the one who feels grieved and humbled over his own sin can help remove the “speck” from others. What Jesus does rule out is pride that views oneself as better than others (cf. Gal. 6:1).

Calvin on 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Hope that helps.

Commentary from Ignatius Catholic Study Bible

Matthew 7:1-6

Jesus' teaching on judgment is two-sided. (1) He condemns judging others faults (7:1-2; Lk 6:37). We are incapable of judging with fairness and accuracy since God alone knows the heart (Prov 21:2; Lk 16:15) (2) However, Jesus commands us to exercise critical discernment (7:6, 15-19; 1 Thess 5:21). Examination is necessary to avoid profaning what is holy (7:6) and embracing what is false (7:15)

Mathew 7:2 you will be judged

i.e., by God (theological passive) We set the standards of our personal judgement by are own conduct toward others.

Corinthians 5

"^9 I wrote to you in an earlier letter". i.e. an earlier letter of Paul to the Corinthians that has not survived. Apparently the Church misunderstood his written instructions because the Corinthians assumed Paul wanted them to keep distant from all sinners without qualification. In fact, the apostle was suggesting they should isolate themselves, not from unbelievers in general, but from immoral Christians whose behavior was decidedly inconsistent with their beliefs. Tolerating their fellowship would only dishonor Christ and hamper their witness to the world.

Corinthians 5:13

An expulsion formula from the Greek version of Deut 17:7 and 19:19. --- Moses made legal provision in Deuteronomy to purge Israel of its most callous and reprehensible sinners. This authorized the nation to enforce the moral standards of Yahweh and so punish serious offenses. Paul extends this prerogative to the Corinthians.

Of course it is very important to know the context of who was speaking, (Jesus, Paul) and who the intended audience is (Worldwide, Christian Corinthians) but that has been discussed already.

Matthew 7 in complete context is talking about hypocritical judgments. The Bible doesn't tell us not to judge, that is a ridiculous statement, it tells us how to judge though. We are supposed to judge in the spirit not in the flesh.

First differentiate the source, the first is Jesus speaking. The second is Paul.

Jesus speaks with more authority and speaks about a more general message of being non-judgemental.

Paul is speaking in a more restrictive context giving practical instructions to a newly forming church in a letter. I think practically he saw that some boundaries where necessary for developing unity in the church. That may have been to much of a compromise relative Jesus' point, but consider what has happened on the church with pedophilia in our age. Do you think the church could have done a better job following Paul's advice?

Here's my two cents -- the word "judge" has a broad range of meanings.

It can mean condemn and put-down, but it also can mean evaluate and discern.

In Matthew Jesus is saying we should not condemn others, put them down, disparage them.

In 1Cor Paul is saying that we are to evaluate those within the church.

They're pretty much talking about the same thing. Paul is saying that people within the church should rebuke the wrong and ungodly actions that the church makes, so that all benefit. Jesus is saying that you should not judge people according to a standard you cannot keep yourself. If you combine them, you get something along the lines of 'don't condemn people in the church who make the same mistakes that you do.' Hope that clears it up!

I've always looked at those passages maybe with a little bit of a different flare. First off I think that Jesus himself was referring to condemnation, do not condemn. Now one reason I look at it this way is partly because of the weight that I feel of the Holy Spirit impressing it upon me, secondly is by the confirmation of the word of GOD, as the word reminds us frequently how we are His children and as His children our very own words have weight.

In one of the epistles I remember reading where we are directed to not lay an accusation against a heavenly being, and we are given an example of an angel saying "The LORD rebuke you." to another angelic being how much more care should we take with our words and the actions that often go along with those words.

I think since we ourselves are eternal, I see there is something deeper and more "magical" as C.S Lewis was oft noted to say about the words of God and therefore I would conjecture- the words of his children. Remember Aslan said "there is a deeper magic still."

As for the second passage you quote, I think that the words (judge) origin in the Greek is something along the lines of "discern' a discernment we as Christs followers are called to pursue in our walk with the LORD. So why is Paul calling for a removal of a person from the church-hypothetically speaking- We are called to walk by faith, yet faith alone is not enough, we are called to live by the very words of Christ.

I have found in my walk with the LORD, that I am drawn closer to him by His compassion, His love for ME, that I myself had failed in my life to minister to others. So I believe that it would only go to figure, that God being so good to us, would show us this narrow road that we are called to walk on, by giving us examples of how our own words may fail, but as we dig deeper our eyes are open to the plethora of ALL things that the LORD was always meaning for us to come to know, and understand about Him through His Word.

The very fact that you are seeking understanding of such difficult passages shows that you are being goaded by the Spirit of God, which is a wonderful thing.

One of my favorite passages is found in the Book of James, where he extols us to remember that mercy shall be shown to the merciful- by saying "Mercy trumps over Judgement."

There is power in those words.. :)

Also, it maybe of some help to remember that in the Greek language, one word we have in our English language can be like 5, or more different words in that language, like the word "Love" do a bible search on that one, its awesome.

I think it is clear by many texts in the bible that our words are powerful, often much more so than we give credence to them, and I believe that is the connection of these passages. To take care, look deeper into things, not with the eyes of our flesh alone, but with the eyes of Christ, His Life, His Love.. Remember We see as through a glass dimly.

Good luck and I hope this helps a little.

I'm in a similar discussion about judging people in a different thread. I try very hard to live by these words...not judging others because I am not in a position to judge. I'm not a saint, and I've made some whopping mistakes in my time. So why should I pass judgement on anyone? Anyway....thanks for putting this out there...it actually helps to clear up some confusion.

Two different authors. Corinthians was written by Paul. Matthew is a patchwork of different early gospel sources. Some from Mark, some from a source it shares in common with Luke, and some of its own material.

They are written by two (or more, in the case of Matthew) different people with different beliefs for different audiences.

If you take the Bible literally, this is a contradiction.

Which one is right? Depends on your perspective. I personally don't like to judge anyone (although, like most, sometimes find myself doing so), especially in terms of their relationship with God, salvation status, etc. Some Christians like Paul believe in correcting those within the church who have sin issues. I personally have issues with this, since everyone, even Christians, struggle with sin daily. If you read Paul's letters in context, he obviously believes differently though (you die to sin, new life in Christ, etc.).

One is speaking "coram Deo", that is, Jesus is to be interpreted as saying that we have no right to say who is righteous versus condemned before God. In short, we cannot preach about how terrible the rich are and pretend that the poor are therefore saints.

Paul is speaking "coram hominibus", that is, that there needs to be public and civil order in the world. Those who are being unproductive and refusing to work with the community receive consequences for those actions and attitudes; this is why Christians can have jails and judicial systems, and why child-abusing clergy can be defrocked.

At least, that's one way of looking at the texts. Hope it helps!

Here is an article

Also: Some people thought they were too holy to associate with sinners or the sin would get to them. They felt their holiness would get them to Heaven and they were better than others. Then Jesus came in and told people that you can't be holy if you do the same things you tell others not to. These people felt offended by Jesus who associated with sinners.

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