Matthew 7:1-5 NASB “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. (2) “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. (3) “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (4) “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? (5) “You hypocrite, 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.

Matthew 7:1-5 is the favorite Scripture of those religious individuals who claim immunity from any scrutiny of the moral, legal or doctrinal issues in their lives, because they do not wish to be called to accountability for anything they say or do. It is a Scripture of convenience, used with the intent to intimidate those who would call them to accountability before God and man based on the authority of the Scripture.

Unfortunately, much of the Christian world has fallen for the scheme, and the standard reply to anyone who would expose false doctrines in relation to the Bible or expose the issues of conduct by leadership or the laity, in relation to the commands of God, is to say that no one but God has the right to speak against those teachings or conduct, even when those teachings or conduct are specifically condemned in the Bible itself. In fact, they claim that any judgment by man is based on the personal preference of the person and is therefore void, even when based on a biblical prohibition. The rationale given is that Christians should live at peace with all men, and disagreement, censure or the call to accountability of an individual, even those who teach heretical doctrines, teach a false salvation message and those who live immoral lives and engage in illegal activities, are considered to be unpeaceable, unloving and unkind (a misapplication of Romans 12:18). These individuals claim that those who reveal the issues have a beam in their eye, while the leaders they defend only have a speck in their eye (a misapplication of Matthew 7:3-5), even though the doctrines they teach will condemn their followers to hell and their conduct is a moral offense, even to the secular world.

The difficulty in this view is twofold and obvious:
(1) the attempt to use the Bible to defend teaching or conduct that is specifically condemned or forbidden in the Bible is a serious perversion of the Scripture, and (2) the view is hypocritical, because those defenders do not apply the same criteria to those persons who would steal from their bank accounts, assault them physically, steal their property, give false testimony against them in court or commit any number of other crimes against them personally.

It is only at the point where their false and immoral religious leaders and the heretical doctrines that are being taught come under scrutiny, that they suddenly claim everyone should become peaceable to all men. Claiming a super piosity, that they would never judge the actions of another, these individuals adopt the same approach that they claim to find so reprehensible in others, criticizing those who reveal false teachers, false prophets, and illegal and immoral conduct in their leaders. Claiming others judge without a right to do so, even when the Bible is the
foundation, these people become super judges themselves, claiming their leaders, the doctrines they teach and the immoral lives and illegal activities in which they engage are immune from scrutiny, even by the Scripture, and those who state differently are unloving, unkind, judgmental, not peaceable, sinful, have impure motives and put themselves in the place of God. They make an incredible judgment, not based on the Scripture, but on their own personal application of beliefs which they adopt from their leaders and from secular society. They become the advocates of the “Religiously Correct” Christians who use Scripture in an attempt to escape judgment by their fellow Christians, maintain that only God has a right to judge and that they will submit themselves to the judgment of God rather than that of man, even though they continue in the false teaching and conduct which is not acceptable. By taking that position, they hope to escape the humiliation and consequences of accountability to Christian authority, which they
fear more than condemnation by God. They pretend to submit themselves to the judgment of God, revealing that they do not actually believe God will literally judge them for their actions, which would be much more severe than any human
judgment.

When Scripture is misused in an attempt to cover or insulate false teachers, false prophets, false healers and illegal and immoral behavior from accountability to those things that are specifically condemned and prohibited in the Scripture, then very serious issues are raised, because the Scripture is very specific in revealing the teaching and conduct of those individuals and stating what the consequences of their behavior will be. When the supporters of false teachers, false prophets, false healers and immoral leaders, believe that the Scripture can be used to cover sinful behavior, actions and doctrine on the part of their leaders, and that is considered to be acceptable, then even greater and more serious issues are raised, especially in regards to the sovereignty of God. Who is sovereign; the man who declares immunity from sin by his own self-serving claim and the follower who defends the action of that leader, or the God who established the standard in the Scripture and judges all?

Many Christians who use Matthew 7:1-5, use it indiscriminately, because they use it in the manner of what they would like it to mean rather than what it truly says. If they would actually read and understand the verses, they would find they have condemned themselves rather than those who they attempt to rebuke by hiding behind a Scripture which they inappropriately apply. Matthew 7:1-2 does not argue against discernment or judgment, because the proper application of Matthew 7:2 is noted in the verse itself, stating that if a person uses their own standard of measure, then they will be judged by their own standard, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”
The name of this web site is On Doctrine, and it is the Biblical standard of measure that is used, not a standard that On Doctrine has created. The doctrines taught in the Bible are applied against those teachers and their doctrines, as
discussed on this web site, and the results either confirm or deny the truthfulness of what they say or do. If that approach has created a difficulty for some people, then so be it. However, those who claim that what is said violates the presumed untouchable character of some teacher or preacher, who is considered to be anointed or claims to be anointed, then a case against what was said should be stated, instead of a condemnation based on the misuse of Scripture. No one is immune from examination by the standard of the Scripture, regardless of who they may claim to be. Even the apostle Peter found himself justly criticized and condemned publicly for his behavior, by the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:11-21, and the apostle Paul found that the Bereans subjected his teaching to the standard of the Scripture every day, a procedure of which he highly approved in Acts 17:11.

If a person has a disagreement over the doctrinal issues, discussed on the On Doctrine website, that offend their sensibilities, then the subject of that disagreement should be explained. A person who uses Matthew 7:1-2 and refuses to deal with the reality of the issues presented from the Bible, will be the one who is judged by their own standard as noted in the verses themselves. Personally, I would rather use the biblical standard instead of my own particular favorite affections, since I am most fallible and the Word of God is not. Many Christians are undiscerning in the selection of the preachers and teachers that they choose, because they are unlearned and untaught in what constitutes
true Christianity. They believe that some emotional response to a religious situation or the excitement of some preacher or teacher in a religious service constitutes a right relationship with God, and as a consequence, they deliberately refuse to come under the authority of the Scripture when it is applied to themselves. Sitting under the ministry of a preacher who engages in immoral conduct, or lies, or teaches false doctrine is preferable to facing the reality of what the Scripture teaches in relation to that preacher, because they must also apply what the Scripture teaches in their own lives.

Being discerning is equated with being judgmental in a negative manner, by many Christians, which is an equation based on ignorance of the Scripture. Scripture is its own judge, and it applies to everyone, whether they wish to submit to its authority or not. Failure to follow or defend what the Scripture specifically commands or prohibits is to willfully and deliberately ignore the authority of Scripture, and by definition, willfully and deliberately oppose the God who wrote the Scripture. It is not On Doctrine that claims perfection, but it is the Scripture that is perfect and against which all conduct and belief is to be compared. Those who do not meet the Scriptural standard will be judged, not by On Doctrine which only reveals the deviation, but by God who will assign the sentence based on what He has already judged to be the outcome of the case as revealed in the Scripture.

Those who claim that their teachers and preachers have some special anointing from God or special privilege that removes them from criticism or censure, place themselves in a position where they deceive themselves regarding the teaching of the Scripture and as a consequence it is unavoidable that they will be deceived by the very teachers and preachers that they support. In addition, they claim and assume that those leaders are actually doing God’s work and no one should hinder that work, upon which it is said that God has His hand. Falling into the trap set by their leaders, they adopt as a defense the Scripture in 1 Chronicles 16:22, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
Claiming that they are the “anointed ones”, those teachers maintain that the verse applies to them, and no one is to “touch” them (meaning to speak against them or contradict what they say) regarding their conduct or doctrine.

Undiscerning Christians mimic the same claim in defense of their favorite teachers because they have not read 1 Chronicles 16 and do not understand that the “anointed” in the verse are not their teachers, preachers and prophets, because none of their “prophets” can prophesy and their teachers and preachers do not speak the same words as God. The term to “touch” has nothing to do with speaking against what is being said or done, but is connected with verse 21 and refers to physical oppression in the manner of striking violently. The phrase, “…do my prophets no harm,” also has
nothing to do with speaking against what is being said or done, but is the same as “touch,” referring to physical contact in the manner of bodily injury, death or imprisonment. Apparently these teachers and preachers are presumed to be greater and more “anointed” than the apostle Peter and the apostle Paul, because they are immune from criticism and scrutiny, whereas the apostle Peter and apostle Paul were not. In addition, the prohibition against touching was applied to those who actually were prophets and could prophesy accurately, and those who actually spoke the words of God.

The Scripture in the New Testament defines who the “anointed” are, and they are not a special class of teachers and preachers who are self-proclaimed to have a unique position in relation to God. The anointed are all Christians in concert as stated by the apostle John, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. . . . As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him,” 1 John 2:20, 27 (NAS). False teachers and false prophets even attempt to circumvent that reality by claiming that they are not only anointed like every other Christian, they are doubly anointed, claiming they are twice as significant and important in the eyes of God as their followers, and then they claim that their ministry is anointed also. Perverting the Scripture in order to maintain their self-proclaimed status, they exalt themselves to a position which they do not have, and undiscerning Christians support them in their outrageous claims and in the process submit the Bible to the authority of their teachers instead of demanding that their teachers come under the authority of the Bible. Christians are deceived by their false teachers and preachers, because they willfully ignore what the Scripture says, and as a consequence they deceive themselves, resulting in deception by others.

It is unacceptable to use 1 Chronicles 16:22 as a defense against speaking against teachers and preachers, because of the absurdity of taking that position. The prohibitions in the time of the Old Testament reveal the problem, because
Deuteronomy 18:20 states that false prophets must be put to death, Deuteronomy 13:1-5 states that no one must follow a false prophet and that those false prophets should be put to death. Deuteronomy 13:6-10 states that even family members
who teach false doctrines should be put to death. How is it possible that the prophecies and doctrines of prophets could be revealed to be false, or that they could be condemned to death, unless charges were made against them and their prophecies revealed to be false by a comparison with the Scripture? If no one spoke against the prophets, it could never be said that they were false prophets and no judgment would ever be applied against them, which would have been a direct violation of the command of God. Even prophets are not exempt from the scrutiny of their doctrines and prophecies through a comparison with Scripture.

Many Christians would claim that the only proper response to immoral and illegal conduct, and the false teaching of many Christian leaders, is not to confront it, but only to pray for those individuals. It is well that we should pray for them, but many Christians engage in pointless prayers by constantly seeking guidance, when it is already revealed in the Scripture and their prayers go amiss when they continue to support and accept leadership that is specifically condemned by the Scripture. Many in the Christian world claim that Christians should simply be loving, caring,
accepting and tolerant with no doctrinal differences becoming an issue. They would claim that all deviant actions of their favorite religious leaders should be forgiven and accepted with no punishment applied, even when no true repentance is ever expressed. However, that is a false application of forgiveness. Truly, the heart of the Christian doctrine is forgiveness, but it is forgiveness obtained at a terrible price, that being the death of Jesus Christ on the cross by which he took the punishment for sins committed by humanity. Who pays the price for the actions of false teachers, false prophets and immoral preachers, which Christians are supposed to forgive? It is those false teachers, prophets and immoral preachers who are then allowed to continue in their excesses without accountability and it is those who have been deceived, abused and robbed who pay the price, and will continue to pay the price because the actions will continue.

Even forgiveness by God is predicated on repentance by the forgiven and not forgiveness with continuation in that which is to be forgiven. Is a murderer forgiven only to be allowed to kill again? The apostle Paul addressed the issue
specifically, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1-2 (NAS). What many Christians are advocating is not forgiveness, but sanction without discernment, which is a much different circumstance than forgiveness. Many Christians embrace the standards of the world in relation to responsibility, adopting the “Politically Correct” view that someone else is guilty rather than the perpetrator of the action. This is certainly true in relation to the false doctrines, false prophecies and immoral conduct shown to be part of the lives of many preachers and teachers who are discussed on the On Doctrine website. Many people defend those teachers and preachers, claiming that the problem is not with those who teach false doctrine, give false prophecies and live immoral lives, but it is with those who reveal the obvious hypocrisy and fraudulent claims, because they are said to be unkind, unloving and judgmental to fellow Christians. Willing to accept error rather than truth, false doctrine rather than correct, immorality rather than morality, illegal behavior rather than legal, these Christians defend their favorite teachers against the direct words of God and by doing so, they place themselves in the same position as their teachers, participating by assent in the same sinful actions as those teachers and bringing on themselves the rebuke of God which they do not even see. To accept and defend immorality and false doctrine is the same as participating in it and reveals how far many Christians remove themselves from the true authority of the Scripture in order to place themselves in a position of sovereignty over God and His commands. They adopt a backward theology, that wrong equates to right, and right equates to wrong. Hoping a claim, that others are judgmental and have more guilt than themselves, these undiscerning Christians hope to justify themselves based on self-defined standards of conduct and belief, in relation to others, rather than the standards of God found in the Scripture.

Christians who believe that other Christians have no authority or directive to call other Christians to account for sins committed and false doctrines preached, must deliberately ignore the mandate in the words of Jesus Christ Himself in Matthew 18:15-19, and by that action reveal that they are in rebellion against the authority, not only of the Scripture, but of Jesus Christ. Even undiscerning Christians would condemn their favorite teacher or preacher if that person broke into their home and stole everything. But those same Christians will defend that same teacher or preacher when they steal from the offering plate for their own selfish indulgences, bring reproach on the name of Christ by their immoral behavior, steal truth from God and claim it to be falsehood, steal sovereignty from
God by claiming authority which they do not have, steal the majesty of God by claiming that He said what He did not, and steal the souls of adherents by teaching a false salvation message.

The most heinous sin is that of the false teacher who teaches a false salvation message. But undiscerning Christians support and defend those who put the souls of followers in danger of hell, claiming that they wish to live peaceably with all men rather than stand for the authority of the Scripture and show true love of their fellow brethren by speaking directly to the heresies that are a danger to their souls. They reveal the true lack of love in their character, by allowing those to continue in their false beliefs, by adopting the lowest common denominator that
will allow Christians to live in peace with that which is false; being the support and defense of the false over the true.

To the undiscerning Christian, the question must be asked, “Who do you wish to defend; the self- proclaimed teacher and preacher that you love and adore, or the sovereign God of the universe whose commands and doctrines you deny because you support and defend that which is false, heretical, immoral or illegal?” Scripture specifically prohibits the following items which are part of those criteria with which On Doctrine deals in relation to the persons who are discussed on this website:
Scripture prohibits FALSE DOCTRINE
Titus 1:9, Colossians 3:8, 1 Timothy 4:1-2, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 3:17
Scripture prohibits FALSE PROPHETS
Deuteronomy 18:20-22, Isaiah 9:14-17, Jeremiah 5:31, Jeremiah 14:14-16, Jeremiah
23:16-40, Ezekiel 13:1-23, 2 Peter 2:1
Scripture prohibits LYING PASTORS
1 Timothy 3:8 Titus 1:7, 2 Peter 2:3
Scripture prohibits IMMORAL PASTORS
1 Timothy 3:2, 2 Peter 2:2
Scripture prohibits SELF-WILLED pastors
2 Peter 2:10
Scripture prohibits pastors who DESPISE AUTHORITY
2 Peter 2:10
Scripture prohibits pastors who REVILE*
or REBUKE** ANGELS and SATAN
2 Peter 2:10-11, Jude 8-10
*REVILE: to regard or treat as vile; to use abusive or contemptuous language in
speaking to or about; call bad names.
**REBUKE: to address in sharp and severe disapproval; reprimand.
Scripture prohibits DRUNKEN PASTORS
1 Timothy 3:3,8, Titus 1:7
Scripture prohibits MATERIALISTIC PASTORS
1 Timothy 3:3, Titus 1:7, 2 Peter 2:3
Scripture prohibits THIEVING PASTORS
1 Timothy 3:8