This is what happens to us when we make judgements without the Holy Spirit:
Matt 7:2
"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
We find those who possessed the Holy Spirit prior to the day of Pentecost were primarily His Prophets and other GOD ordained agents of the LORD.. as shown in an earlier post. These were men who did have the spirit of GOD like John the baptist that was filled with the spirit in his mothers womb. And you will find countless instances were GOD's judgements were executed as part of the office of these men and women.. BUT...after the day of Pentecost things changed dramatically..
Acts 1:8
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
A Spiritual person.. one filled with the Spirit can and does judge because The Spirit of God judges all things..
1 Cor 6:3 Do you not know also that we [Christians] are to judge the [very] angels and pronounce opinion between right and wrong [for them]? How much more then [as to] matters pertaining to this world and of this life only!
1 Cor 2:15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].
1 Cor 2:16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart
Because the church rarely judges anyone anymore we have actually defied Christ body and therefore we only see limited manifestations of GOD's power if we clean our act up GOD will move freely within HIS church . We know GOD is Holy and will not live in an unclean temple of which many of us have become.. unclean .. meaning we ignore and excuse sin and do not deal with the sin in our lives... and then we ask , where is GOD. We should hold each other to the standard of Holiness and as we have learned without Holiness no man shall see the LORD.
Heb 12:14
Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
Is this not what we all want.. to see Jesus.. after all this shall we now fall short. My brothers and sisters these are serious matters.
Thank the Lord for mercy, lets us no longer live habitually in sin...if we need mercy today it is here!!!
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
If you think we do not need the Holy Spirit please reconsider;
Rom 8:9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God]
So yes, for the sake of Christ's body we are to judge, for our own sake we are to judge and for the sake of others we are to judge. We are equipped for this task through and by the Spirit of the all knowing all merciful living GOD.
Matt 18:18
Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.
All this time many of us thought this scripture was talking about binding principalities and powers, the dark forces of this dark world but, no, this scripture gives us the authority to judge.
