Purpose Driven or Scripture Driven? - Way of Life Literature

Paul is not saying that believers should judge nothing at alland should leave all judgment to God. This would becontrary to many other passages in the same epistle (i.e., 1Cor. 2:15; 5:3, 12; 6:2-3; 14:29).He is saying, rather, that believers are not to judgeministers by their own human thinking as to what a ministershould be and how he should teach and act, but they are tojudge righteous judgment according to God’s Word. He istalking about being judged by “man’s judgment” (1 Cor. 4:3).It is not required that a minister suit men and bend to theirthinking; it is required that he be faithful to God, and this isthe only proper standard by which he can be judged.Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is also sayingthat ultimate and final judgment belongs only to the Lord;therefore, we must be humble and cautious in our judgmentsin this present time (1 Cor. 4:4-5). Even though we have theWord of God and we are obliged to judge everything on thebasis of God’s Word, we must not think that we are infallible.We have to walk in the light that we have and live our livesand exercise our ministries on that basis, but our knowledgeis very imperfect in this present world.We can know if a man’s teaching is false and we can knowenough, therefore, to mark his error and to avoid it, but wedo not know the secrets of men’s hearts and we do not knowall of the things that will be brought to bear and come intoplay when God judges men in that perfect light of a comingday.JAMES 4:11-12 -- “Speak not evil one of another,brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, andjudgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeththe law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of129