His website is http://johnwaynetucker.com.

All things get more complicated as time goes on. When the point of affecting everyone far more than was anticipated is reached, then right judgment is brought into the equation, with greater implications, greater arguments, greater costs.

Personal behavior that affects only those involved is different than personal behavior that steals from or harms others not directly involved.

To whom much is given, much is (or should be) required. As in judging actions of those in positions of trust to oversee the affairs of others.(Think about elected offices, careers, services or such manipulated for personal profit and power..right judgement is there with civil laws and responsibility involved.)

The tangled webs build, and looking back usually reveals that a lot of things could have been avoided if right judgment had been tactfully inserted and quietly resolved.

I think God has given us the capacity to judge, just as He has to speak and think – our responsibility is to be filled with His Spirit, so that we judge correctly, ie righteously, without respect or partiality to man, but in the fear of God, and for the good of the other.

I have been studying this recently. There are so many principles that apply with this. I believe you are absolutely correct that we must judge others righteously with current small matters so that we can later judge in the position of authority we are fortunate enough to be appointed to in the Kingdom by Christ.

1. The spirit behind the judgment should be from a good heart. If we judge to belittle others, or to exalt ourselves, or to drive a wanted outcome for personal gain – we obviously are not judging properly. If we do this, Christ will turn this around on us at His judgment of all believers. Some will be goats who are sent to the outer darkness while the sheep will be aloud into the Kingdom.

2. Whatever standard we use to judge others we must be prepared to have that same standard applied to ourselves. This is the golden rule – “love your neighbor as yourself”. “judge not that you not be judged”. “what you do to the least of my brethren you do also unto me”. “because you did not forgive your servants debts I won’t forgive your debts”. “get the beam out of your own eye before you talk about the twig in someone else’s eye”. In fact, this IS the standard that will be applied to us at the judgment seat of Christ. If we are rich with mercy we will receive much mercy. If we blessed others a lot we will be blessed a lot. If we judged a lot (unrighteously) we will be judged harshly.

3. Judging non-believers. It is important that we do not apply Christian standards to non-believers. The only thing we must articulate to them the gospel and what happens if they reject the gospel. But correcting or judging them for shacking up, being immoral, tax-collecting, boozing, etc. according to biblical standards is wrong because they have not submitted to this standard. Although they are condemned, the mission should be to show them love and good works so that our gospel has weight and they want to emulate us. When they become a Christian they need to “count the cost” and realize that they will need to make major changes in their lifestyle. Some of those changes will happen right away and others God will work on them over the years through His parenting relationship. So it is important that we do not judge unbelievers with biblical standards.

John