I recently wrote an article on how we can be guilty of stealing from the Scriptures when we only approach Bible verses to discuss what they don’t mean rather than what they do or which argument they refute rather than what idea they promote. I gave a few examples, such as the “saved by grace through faith” passage of Ephesians 2:8-9 and the “confess with your mouth” verses of Romans 10:9-10 along with arguably the most common refutation-only verse today, Matthew 7:1 (“Do not judge, lest you be judged”). One commenter suggested that we take some time to discuss what each of the verses listed actually means in its context, and while we may not get to all of them, over the last week I believe the opportunity has presented itself to do just that with one of those verses.
Chances are pretty good you’ve seen an article (or two or three or forty) about Fifty Shades of Grey in the last couple of weeks. Christian writers have come out in full force against the film adaptation of the filthy pornographic book, and the articles have been posted all over social media. (Dr. Brad Harrub and I offered our commentary here and here, respectively.) I’ve seen two different responses to this, and I think both help clear up our own understanding of how a certain Bible verse has been misused and how our reactionary interpretation of it can hurt us.
First, from the world (and a few who claim the name of Christ, sadly), some have responded with the now-standard “The Bible says you can’t judge” argument. That’s just not what Matthew 7:1 says, both in context and out of context. It says “Do not judge, lest you be judged.” Jesus goes on to explain that what He really meant was that if you cast judgment, you had better be prepared to undergo the same standard of judgment. It’s not wrong to say that a movie like Fifty Shades of Grey violates the Bible’s teachings about sex, marriage, lust, and a number of other issues. That’s not being judgmental, that’s simply stating facts.
On the other hand, the Christian response has been overwhelmingly vocal against the movie, obviously for good reason. However, we have to be careful about not violating Matthew 7:1 in our own way. It seems like every time something like this movie comes into the mainstream (think Magic Mike a few years ago or any of the heavily pro-gay television shows that surface from time to time) the Christian internet community rises up in force, we take a stand against it, and we go back to business as usual. Unfortunately, business as usual includes 70% of Christian men between the ages of 18-30 looking at pornography each month, and 64% between 31-49. Business as usual also means that well over half (61%) of Christian singles don’t object to premarital sex and 56% see no problem with cohabitation.
But for every ten Fifty Shades of Grey articles shared on Facebook, you might see one about the pornography epidemic. We’re afraid of what someone might think if we share the article about having a porn problem. But aren’t we committed to “exposing the deeds of darkness,” or are we just interested in exposing someone else’s deeds of darkness? We can be so quick to shoot down the entertainment choices others are making but have no problem with tolerating the sin of premarital sex committed by couples that sit in our pews each Sunday. That’s what Matthew 7:1 is really talking about. Just because some have perverted it, we can be guilty of leaving it to mean nothing at all, making all judgment just fine. But the true call of Jesus’ teaching on judgment is that we would be far more repulsed by our own sins than by those of others, which is why He painted the picture of us having the log in our own eye and someone else having a speck in theirs (7:3).
This isn’t a call to stop sharing articles about sin-filled movies. Instead, it’s a call to be just as vigilant and vocal against all sins, even – no, especially – those that hit closer to home, the ones that are a problem in our own congregations, homes, and even in our own hearts. We’ve made Matthew 7:1-5 into a license to judge when Jesus meant it as a call to avoid hypocrisy. In judging the sins of others, whether with regard to sexual content or anything else, may we always look inwardly with that same standard.
By Jack Wilkie
Jack Wilkie is the author of “Failure: What Christian Parents Need to Know About American Education” and is the speaker for Focus Press’s “The Lost Generation” seminar. To schedule a seminar at your church, contact jack@tampaseo.expert.
