Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ~Matthew 7:1-2
This scripture is often interpreted in various ways. "Don't judge others at all because you're just as bad as they are." "Make sure you judge with righteous judgment according to the standard of Christ." "Whatever way you judge, you better be prepared to be judged."
I would say that all of these are parts, but in greater context, the verse can be interpreted this way:
Do not interfere with the Covenanted relationship that another person has with YHWH. Do not trespass upon their Covenant by putting the measure (lines, authority, tenets) of your Covenant upon them. In other words, what's right for you is not necessarily right for others, and if you attempt to put your standards of righteousness--which you and YHWH worked out from the Beginning and walk in and write still--upon them, you may well be hurting them or stopping them from walking in their own righteous paths.
The easiest illustration I can think of is healthy eating. We all know that eating donuts and sucking down milkshakes all day is unhealthy, but eating only plant-based, organic, "healthy" fruits and vegetables and minimally processed foods can also be unhealthy. It's a mental illness called orthorexia. This mental illness basically makes people feel so guilty for eating anything other than a very proscribed list of "healthy" foods, they are in danger of hurting themselves in other ways. Some symptoms of orthorexia include: obsessive concern over what is eaten, anxious and obsessive perusal of ingredients lists, anxiety over food preparation methods, overuse of herbal supplements and probiotics, guilt over any illness that might be food related (such as asthma, allergies, etc), guilt over consumption of any food that doesn't fit a very strict guideline, overthinking food and meal prep, judging others constantly for their own food consumption, etc. If you think orthorexia sounds like anorexia, it does, and some doctors actually consider orthorexia as a type of anorexia.
So, while one person might need to avoid any strict meal planning, diets, calorie (or macro or carb or nutrient) counting, or prescriptive food lists so that they can be healthy and be their best selves with YHWH, another person might thrive planning meals on Sundays for the whole week and only eating whole-food, plant-based diets.
There is no one, right way to eat. We all need certain nutrients, but different people need different nutrients at different times. Some people do very poorly on dairy. Others find it soothes their stomach. I just had some steak tacos because at this time of the month, I crave the extra protein. On the other hand, I went a whole year as a vegetarian once.
So it is in life. What is right for one person is not always right for another and what is right for that one person might not always be right for them. Life is organic, and growth is inherent in life. Put a box around it and set up some rigid lines of right and wrong that never shift and you've got religion and theology instead of life and relationship with YHWH.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ~John 14:6
But wait! There is only One True Way! Absolutely there is. His Name is Yahshua and He is all Way, all Truth, all Life. Just because His relationship with you and His relationship with another person don't look the same doesn't mean either of you are wrong. It is simply individual. I know YHWH will reach each person as they need, individually and perfectly in His time.
But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ~1 Corinthians 2:15
Ultimately we are each responsible only for our own lives. We can share our perspectives and facets of YHWH with each other. We can confirm what is already in one another's Covenants. We can do life together. We can always, always love each other. Yet the consequences of imposing our perspectives on YHWH upon another person as the only right way will be pain, broken Covenants, and broken trust. Religion is when someone tries to tell you what's right and what's wrong. Relationship is when someone offers you their facet of YHWH and allows you and YHWH to judge it for yourself and how it fits (or does not fit) within your Covenant.
And relationship is the anchor of creation.
This scripture is often interpreted in various ways. "Don't judge others at all because you're just as bad as they are." "Make sure you judge with righteous judgment according to the standard of Christ." "Whatever way you judge, you better be prepared to be judged."
I would say that all of these are parts, but in greater context, the verse can be interpreted this way:
Do not interfere with the Covenanted relationship that another person has with YHWH. Do not trespass upon their Covenant by putting the measure (lines, authority, tenets) of your Covenant upon them. In other words, what's right for you is not necessarily right for others, and if you attempt to put your standards of righteousness--which you and YHWH worked out from the Beginning and walk in and write still--upon them, you may well be hurting them or stopping them from walking in their own righteous paths.
The easiest illustration I can think of is healthy eating. We all know that eating donuts and sucking down milkshakes all day is unhealthy, but eating only plant-based, organic, "healthy" fruits and vegetables and minimally processed foods can also be unhealthy. It's a mental illness called orthorexia. This mental illness basically makes people feel so guilty for eating anything other than a very proscribed list of "healthy" foods, they are in danger of hurting themselves in other ways. Some symptoms of orthorexia include: obsessive concern over what is eaten, anxious and obsessive perusal of ingredients lists, anxiety over food preparation methods, overuse of herbal supplements and probiotics, guilt over any illness that might be food related (such as asthma, allergies, etc), guilt over consumption of any food that doesn't fit a very strict guideline, overthinking food and meal prep, judging others constantly for their own food consumption, etc. If you think orthorexia sounds like anorexia, it does, and some doctors actually consider orthorexia as a type of anorexia.
So, while one person might need to avoid any strict meal planning, diets, calorie (or macro or carb or nutrient) counting, or prescriptive food lists so that they can be healthy and be their best selves with YHWH, another person might thrive planning meals on Sundays for the whole week and only eating whole-food, plant-based diets.
There is no one, right way to eat. We all need certain nutrients, but different people need different nutrients at different times. Some people do very poorly on dairy. Others find it soothes their stomach. I just had some steak tacos because at this time of the month, I crave the extra protein. On the other hand, I went a whole year as a vegetarian once.
So it is in life. What is right for one person is not always right for another and what is right for that one person might not always be right for them. Life is organic, and growth is inherent in life. Put a box around it and set up some rigid lines of right and wrong that never shift and you've got religion and theology instead of life and relationship with YHWH.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ~John 14:6
But wait! There is only One True Way! Absolutely there is. His Name is Yahshua and He is all Way, all Truth, all Life. Just because His relationship with you and His relationship with another person don't look the same doesn't mean either of you are wrong. It is simply individual. I know YHWH will reach each person as they need, individually and perfectly in His time.
But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ~1 Corinthians 2:15
Ultimately we are each responsible only for our own lives. We can share our perspectives and facets of YHWH with each other. We can confirm what is already in one another's Covenants. We can do life together. We can always, always love each other. Yet the consequences of imposing our perspectives on YHWH upon another person as the only right way will be pain, broken Covenants, and broken trust. Religion is when someone tries to tell you what's right and what's wrong. Relationship is when someone offers you their facet of YHWH and allows you and YHWH to judge it for yourself and how it fits (or does not fit) within your Covenant.
And relationship is the anchor of creation.
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