Training God's Righteous Judges in These Last Days

training Gods righteous judges TRAINING GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGES. Recently disputes have broken out in churches over allegations of sexual sin against famous ministers. After each allegation, many Christians have quickly filled social media with speculations and premature judgments.

Instead, we should call for righteous due process for both the accused and alleged victims. And for righteous judges, who are sorely lacking in the Body of Christ. For we will judge the world when the end comes.

“…do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?” (1 Cor 6:2-6)

Instead of rushing to judgment on social media, we should run to God’s word. In Exodus 18, we find the first passage on selecting righteous judges. Jethro tells Moses:

“Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain” (Ex 18:21).

Righteous judges must

hate dishonest gain. Not just refuse it, but hate it. We can tell those who hate dishonest gain by the way they blanch at any suggestion of a bribe or favouritism.
be men of truth. Not only speak the truth, but live the truth.
know “the statutes of God and His laws” (verses 16,20).
fear God. A healthy fear of God will turn us away from any injustice that might offend Him.

Seeing our own sin in God’s light

God taught the Israelites a healthy fear, and His laws, at the same time. In Exodus 20 God gave them His ten commandments. Moreover, they heard His voice through “the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance” (verse 18).

Only Moses knew God’s voice and manifest presence well enough to stand near Him and continue to hear Him. For our highest judge we should select one who lives closest to God.

But thank God, through Christ each of us can also “draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). The closer to God, the better we will see and judge sin in His light.

First, we see the sin closest to us—our own sin. We must fully repent of it. Otherwise, our own sin will block us from seeing others’ sins clearly. So “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Mt. 7:5). Until then, “do not judge so that you will not be judged” (verse 1).

Seeing others’ sin in God’s light

Second, we see the sins of others who are closest to us. If they keep sinning in ways that harm us, themselves or others, we must address it. But too many fear man more than God. We let sin in our midst grow until it becomes widespread scandal. We could avert many public scandals by private counsels.

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother” (Mt. 18:15, NIV).

But “if he will not listen, take one or two others along.” These others must be close enough to him to be able to see the same sin. Accordingly, “‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (verse 16).

The more true witnesses, the more light shines on the sin. And the more the brother sees his sin. Yet the witnesses must have already repented of their own sins, and removed the logs in their own eyes. The brother will more likely repent if his judges are repenting.

But “if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church” (verse 17a). The “church” consists of the people closest to him. They may be just representatives of the church, humble men of truth who fear God and hate dishonest gain.

For involving unrepentant sinners in the process may bring in darkness as well as light. In that darkness the brother may hide and excuse his sin.

Judgment begins in the household of God

Instead, his judges must keep the light on themselves as well as on the brother, in the most loving way that they can. “The one who love his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him” (1 Jn. 2:10).

Yet “if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (Mt. 18:17b). Keep loving him. But let him know that we can’t treat him as a brother any more. The church and the world around him should know that he no longer represents Christ, or shares in our fellowship with Him.

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for… what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14). Because Jesus calls us “the light of the world”. The light that shines from us must also shine in us. Therefore, we can bring unbelievers to repentance only if we too are repentant.

Some say, stop judging sin in the church and focus instead on saving souls. But what are we saving souls from? Sin!

“…he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

So that’s why we need righteous judges. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). That judgment will ultimately separate the true church from the great apostasy.