Carnal Christians and those who do not know the Lord consider judging others as the greatest of sins. The opposite actually holds true. Believers fail when they refuse to judge “righteous judgment.” So often, men judge people and situations simply by what is seen or through an emotional response. Yet, this is completely contrary to the scriptural admonition to judge. Instead, we are to “judge righteous judgment.” How can this be consistently done? First and foremost, we need a righteous standard by which to compare all things. In John 12:48, we learn of that righteous standard when the Lord Jesus said that His words would judge men. The Bible is a perfect Book containing perfect laws and offers a perfect standard for making judgments. Therefore, all judgment should be based upon the infallible standards provided by God within His glorious word. We will never go wrong with judging according to God’s perfect standard.
Searching a modern dictionary for the words temperance or temperate likely yields a definition limiting temperance to self-control or abstinence from alcohol. However, the scripture infers a much broader and deeper definition. Studying the root word temper offers a better biblical definition of the word than today's typical dictionary definition. Temper is an action word that means to mix something. Although the Bible contains only a few uses of the words temperate and temperance, these words mean to be balanced or to have a proper mix. Paul’s message, as he reasoned with Felix, included a message of temperance. Improper balance is one of greatest problems plaguing modern Christianity. It can best be seen in the tendency to lean either toward absolute truth without love or love without seeking the balance of presenting the whole counsel of God.
