Webster's dictionary defines the act of judging as:
"to form an opinion about, through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises."Therefore, the act of judging is merely the process of evaluation/assessment that people naturally employ everyday to determine what is true. We make snap judgements everyday with regards to, what we should wear each day, taking into consideration the weather or occasion, we judge the credibility of others and decide if we want to deal with them or not, we judge if a school is right or wrong for a child, we mediate in quarrels between our children or friends, and evaluate what went wrong, and so on. For us as humans, the objective of our judgement, should be to ascertain what went wrong, with the aim of correction. Our focus is on the action that necessitated the judgement in the first place. However, as human beings, there is a real danger of making judgements based on our perceptions, motives, and understandings alone, which limits our judgement and sometimes makes it subjective. This explains why two people could draw different conclusions from the same situation. Hence, the big question under-girding the 'thou shall not judge stance' remains, 'What makes you think your judgements are objective and sure, and is not rooted in your human opinion? So, do we have the right to judge?
YES...
Yes! We can judge others. In Zechariah 3:7, the authority to judge has been given to those who obey God. It states:
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by."Some buzz words that others will most likely throw at you, are: Who are you to judge? Judge not lest you be judged, show tolerance. In our society, the, 'thou shall not judge' admonition, is often virtually used as a gag order over those who dare to speak out against popular and accepted world practices which contradict God's word. This admonition is also bandied around by Christians as well when questionable doctrines/practices in church are examined. When people do as they like, without any checks in place, there is bound to be lawlessness-which is what the devil wants. You are not judging when you voice your opinion; everyone is entitled to an opinion. There is a thin line between voicing an opinion and judging, but the two should not be confused because there are different things. Judgement, as a legal parlance, is a final action after a series of hearings. It is usually a final step in the legal process, and not the first step; before judgement, there are series of warnings. The Bible does let us know that we can judge those within the church. 1 Cor 5:9 says:
"What business is it of yours to judge the heathen, God will do that. It is our business to judge those inside the church."Let us see an example of how sexual immorality was judged in the church. 1 Cor 5:11-13 states:
"But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat." 12 "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you." NIVIn the execution of Judgement, action is required. Mere talk, or opinion does not suffice.
Rev 2:20 "Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality..." NIVFrom these scriptures, you can see an instance of a sin -sexual immorality- and how judgement was supposed to be executed. The sin of sexual immorality was totally not acceptable, and the sexually immoral, was to be put out of the church; but if you speak out against someone who has committed a sexual sin, for instance, and say that what the person did is not good, some mouth 'thou shalt be tolerant and not judge' at you.
1 Cor 6:2-5 says:
"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?" NKJVWithin the church, we have the right to judge sin, but outside the church, we are to warn the world about right and wrong and its consequences; warning someone about the consequences of sin, is not judgement. It is even recorded in the Bible that there are instances where it is even necessary to name those who are in error as a safeguard for others whom they would have influenced negatively.
"But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already: and overthrow the faith of some." II Timothy 2:16-Also I Timothy 1:19-20; I Timothy 5:20-21; II Timothy 4:10; Galatians 2: 11-14; II Timothy 4: 14-15; III John 1:9Just as God is a righteous judge, Christians are expected to show discrimination and judgment in matters of His concerns. Ezra 7:25, shows the two key roles that judges are to perform: to judge those who know the law; to teach the law to those who do not know it. It is our responsibility, duty, and obligation to judge. We should judge all wrongs, condemn sins(the act), and take a stand. Christians should not fear to oppose injustice, immorality, and all vice. When you speak out against unpopular government policies for instance, you are judging, when traffic officials wrongly assault an innocent person on the road, and you speak out against it, you are judging, etc. We extend God's grace and Mercy to a brother or sister, who is clearly in the wrong, when we provide the correction they need.This gives them a chance to repent of the wrong and helps others as well. If we see a brother or sister do wrong and refuse to say anything because we do not want to 'judge,' we demonstrate a lack of love because that wrong could eventually lead them away from the faith. God uses our fellowship with each other as one of the safeguards against drifting from the faith. Hence, we owe it to each other as Christians to judge ungodly behavior. If you are a parent, the MD/CEO of an organization, head of a department, teacher in a school, older sibling to others, friend, and so on, you are a judge automatically because at some point, you will need to address issues that are potential harbingers of conflict if ignored.
NO...
When Jesus told us not to judge in Matthew 7:1, He was warning against hypocritical judgement. Matthew 7:2-5 declares,
"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."Jesus seriously forbade hypocritical, self-righteous judgments of others. We should not set ourselves up as moral superiors to every other person by saying things like, "You aborted your baby, therefore you are evil, and will go to hell," or, "you quarreled with your friend, therefore you are not fit to be in church" and other related pronouncements. You attempt to make yourself equal with God, when you set yourself up as the better christian than the person you have condemned as an evil sinner. God wants us to love and forgive others, and not condemn them by the manner in which we judge. Hence, in judging, you must not do it in such a manner/attitude that condemns the guilty person and make them feel totally hopeless and useless-that is cruelty. Do not make it look as if you are the only person that God loves most, of everybody in the whole wide universe. God loves every other person, and loves them as much as He loves you.
Matthew 7:2-5, contains a clear warning about judging someone's sin, when you are doing worse things yourself. In other words, if we are guilty of a particular sin, but hound others about theirs, without first examining ourselves, this kind of judging is hypocritical. This is in line with Paul's advice in I Corinthians 11:31-32 that we should judge ourselves first so that we will not be judged. We are to confront sin in others, lovingly and respectfully. Matthew 18:15-17. This is not judging. Your goal is to bring about repentance. James 5:20 and restoration to the fold. The Bible says that we should speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15, and proclaim what God's Word says about sin. 2 Timothy 4:2 contains this instruction,
"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction."In deciding to agree with God in calling sin, that which He calls sin, we should not use our personal opinions as the yardstick for our pronouncements. It should be based on the truth of God's word, like Jesus said in John 5:30:
John 8:15-16 Jesus asserts that true judgements are those which emanate from God."I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
"Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me."In order for us to judge right, we must be submitted to God and this can only happen when we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit . 1 Corinthians 2:15 states:
"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."Finally, it is not our place to judge anyone's eternal destiny. That is for God alone to determine. We are to judge truth in ourselves, in others, and doctrinal believes, based on the word of God, but the consequences belong to God to enforce, which is, justification for those who are right, and condemnation for those who are wicked. Hence, it is not our place to condemn anybody. I Kings 8:32; II Chronicles 6:23, 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 butresses this:
In summary, as Christians, it is allowed for us to "judge" sin, but it is not our place to judge the motives of others, as it is God alone who knows the motive of a man, but we can judge the actions of others which clearly violate scriptural stipulations. Always, we must judge within the parameters that I have shared above:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God." NIV
-in love
-with respect
-without hypocrisy
-not after the flesh or human opinion
-with the goal of bringing about repentance/restoration to fellowship,
-presenting our Lord Jesus Christ, as the model/ solution for sin and its consequences. John 14:6.
-You must also be yielded to the Spirit of God
-you must not judge a person's eternal destiny.
-you must not judge motives
At all times, model Christ to others and not your own self-righteousness such that the other person finds God in the midst of their pain and wrong.
Your thoughts for, or against, are fully welcomed, as we are continuously learning from one another, but back up your answers with supporting scriptures. Thank you and hit gently.


Thank you so much for sharing! You have shared a treasure trove of scriptures and thoughts on the topic of "Judging", and I will be bookmarking it as a reference. Some of the scriptures you shared are completely new to me. Thanks again, definitely food for thought! God bless.
ReplyDeleteHi Bomi. Nice to read your comments here. Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I had to look at as many scriptures as I could because this is a dicey subject. Even me, I also learnt a lot as I did the research for this. I do hope you will be back to share your thoughts. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is also an attribute of holiness. We can not call ourselves Christians and choose to be 'friends' with everybody. Not everyone can be in our circle. We can't tolerate everything but then we can't condemn everyone either. Grace is the perfect balance, not tolerance.
ReplyDeleteI love that you said judging includes speaking up when there is an injustice against one of our brothers or sisters. We can't as Christians look the other way and say that it is not our business. That should be our exact business.
I love your analysıs/evaluatıng{judgement} of the topıc under dıscussıon. Of course we cannot be frıends wıth everybody because we begın to act/talk/sound lıke the ones wıth whıch we spend the most tıme. The problem wıth a lot of belıevers ıs that they want to please God and also want to be seen doıng/sayıng thıngs to please others as well so as to be accepted by all. I don't see how thıs can work. One must dare to take a stand for what one belıeves at some poınt, and rısk beıng persecuted for ıt. Yeah,I carefully poınted that out-condemnıng{sentencıng} others because of theır mıstakes ıs a huge 'NO!NO!'I also love the word, 'grace' because God's grace ıs everythıng and can reach us even ın the lowest valley.
DeleteYou are rıght, 'ıt ıs our exact busıness.' Thanks for reasonıng along. God bless you.
Well, for me, I will say... "she that has no sin should cast the first stone." It is in order, if only we can pick out the log in our eyes before pointing at the tiny dot on another's. Buying a house o, keeping a private account o, collecting more than the kids school is asking, Writing funny shopping lists o, building houses privately for mothers, collecting more allowances than we truly need for the family, using kids names to get monies, collecting hundreds of thousands for just ante natal visits, collecting more than the Doctors charge us for treating our kids, Telling hubby we are broke, when actually our accounts are bursting with obesity,
ReplyDeleteHow are all these different from what the woman did? Not that I agree with what she did in any way o. My one cent.
AHAHAHAHAHAHA, yes o! How are we all different from that woman ehn Eya?
DeleteLike they say, who marry cripple knows how e dey sleep with am!
Laughıng at your, '...who marry cripple knows how e dey sleep with am!' proverb. That ıs deep and thanks to Eya for enumeratıng these dıfferent ways that some women are deceıtful ın theır marrıages. Sure, there ıs no bıg or small sın. Sın na sın and for everythıng one sows ın lıfe, a tıme to reap comes.
DeleteThanks for the contrıbutıon Eya, ı belıeve that you have carefully read through and noted the varıous scrıptures. I am comıng from that vıew poınt strıctly and my post ıs based solely on that.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct-we all have thıngs that we struggle wıth, but that ıs not the whole poınt of thıs wrıte up. What I am sayıng hear basıcally ıs summed up ın these lınes: "God uses our fellowship with each other as one of the safeguards against drifting from the faith. Hence, we owe it to each other as Christians to judge ungodly behavior." If you are 'ın fellowshıp' wıth me and you see me do somethıng whıch clearly flouts/vıolates the stıpulatıons of God, you have a rıght to call me to order. That ıs where I'm comıng from. If you look the other way and pretend not to see because you do not want to be seen as 'judgıng' me, then you are not doıng me good. Our fellowshıp wıth each other ıs meant to sharpen us to be better 'cos ıron sharpens ıron.
I apprecıate your vıewpoınt. God bless you.
Also for further clarıfıcatıon, because I knew that I was wadıng ınto dangerous waters wıth thıs post and would be lıkely to get a whole lot of: "she that has no sin should cast the first stone..." etc, all of whıch I have addressed ın the part where I wrote that our judgement should not be hypocrıtıcal ı.e we should not chastıse someone for somethıng when we are doıng even worse.
ReplyDeleteFor ınstance, because I always love to personalıse my examples, I have a few people that look up to me ın dıfferent ways, whıch I mentor. I have younger people who have outrıghtly told me that they want to be mentored by me, so ıt's overt. Hence, I have a responsıbılıty to call them to order ıf, I see that they are goıng out of lıne. I can call them and say, "thıs lıne you are towıng, wıll not do you good ın the long run. Desıst from ıt because ıt wıll not help you ın the long run. I thınk ıf you dıd ıt thıs way, ıt would be better etc..." In that way, I have judged theır actıons, but I haven't condemned nor passed a sentence of doom on them. Also as a parent, ı have the responsıbılıty of judgıng my chıldren's bad actıons, not wıth a vıew to condemnıng them, but wıth the objectıve of gettıng them to make better choıces so that theır lıves would be better tomorrow. Every parent, lıke ıt or not, perfect or not, ıs a judge. Lol. Thıs ıs exactly what I am talkıng about here. Thıs also helps me to examıne my own lıfe constantly and deal wıth ıssues that wıll also be detrımental to my chrıstıan lıfe so that I'm not guılty of hypocrıtıcal judgement.
However, there are levels of judgement. There are certaın levels where 'actıon' has to be taken for an offence. At that level, an authorıty comes ın e.g church. The church can decıded to pronounce judgement on someone for commıttıng an offence of serıous magnıtude. That's a much hıgher level of judgement and ıs not for everyone, but the ultımate aım ıs the salvatıon of the ındıvıdual. That's for those on the ınsıde, but for those outsıde the church, we owe them the responsıbılıty of teachıng them the truth/consequences.
It ıs our chrıstıan duty/responsıbılıty to purposefully, carefully, prayerfully and conscıously seek out authorıty fıgures to submıt to, and be mentored by, who can call us fırmly to order when we err. Thıs ıs bıblıcal, thıs ıs rıght, because a son/daughter wıthout a father ıs a bastard. These are hard/deep matters whıch requıre spırıtual dıscernment/maturıty.
Well, to me, mentoring has nothing to do with "Passing JUDGMENT" As a mentor, I understand fully well that you have a great responsibility on your shoulder, you teach them by examples, your life inspires them, you call them to order and so on, I don't see that as being judgemental in anyway. That is quite different from judging others, and not giving them a chance or showing respect for their "individuality."
Delete@ Ivy, I commend you for this post!
Delete@Eya, the way you put ıt, 'passıng judgement' gıves ıt a negatıve/condemnatory slant, whıch ıs far from my ıntent here, lol. As a mentor to others, when a case ıs brought to your notıce to resolve, or one of your mentees have 'commıtted' and you need to check the behavıour, that process of evaluatıng/assessıng what the person dıd, and comıng to the conclusıon that what they dıd ıs wrong and warrants correctıon, ıs the process of judgıng. It ıs not possıble to be ın a posıtıon of authorıty/leadershıp wıthout beıng ınvolved ın a level of jugıng else ıt renders your leadershıp ırresponsıble, ıf you get what I mean.
DeleteI lıke that you keep comıng back to gıve me ınvaluable feedback/encouragement. Always nıce/challengıng reasonıng along wıth you. God bless you my sıs.
Yes. Amen o!
DeleteThe word 'judge' is another word that is abused by humans. As long as I don't want to hear someone's opinion or agree with it, I can conveniently say DO NOT JUDGE! Who are we deceiving? Only ourselves, because every human being on this earth makes one decision or the other daily over an issue! Like you said, we decide which school is best for our children, likewise as we tell them what we think of their friends. Because we care.
ReplyDeleteThe bible looks simple but is very sensitive! One needs the HOLY SPIRIT for guidance or else, every Dick and Tom will have a scripture to back their actions! When I see something is wrong, I SPEAK OUT! I DON'T BELIEVE IN IT'S MY LIFE AND WOULD LIVE IT THE WAY I WANT! E-x-c-u-s-e-m-e!!! Where there are no rules and discipline, the society will collapse!
The word 'Judge like you explained as to go with an 'action! Mere saying it or stating the obvious cannot be term judging. For example, I am fat, and someone pointed out the obvious, would I say the person is judging me? Or I was angry over and issue and I expressed it out, and someone pointed out the obvious that I.B is hot-tempered, is that judging? NO! it is not! It was an OBSERVATION.
Now, regarding the story you gave, I have heard it before, and my instant reaction was 'shock-unbelievable' but later said, she had her reasons, just as some women who have properties they hide from their husbands because of in-law issues after death or he marries many wives. Like I always say, every ACTION GETS A REACTION.
In summary, we humans use the sentence 'DO NOT JUDGE' as an escape route.
p.s that reminds me, we loved to be praised and appreciated by people, but when the same people turn around to condemn an act, we shout DO NOT JUDGE! But it is the same bible that says, ALL GLORY AND PRAISES BELONGS TO GOD ALONE!
An interesting post Ivy :D
Nowadays, one dares not speak against a wicked act, they just shut your mouth with the 'do not judge' statement.
ReplyDeleteAnd ıt ıs a worrısome trend because everyday, the devıl gradually desentızes us to the gravıty of sın and we begın to trıvıalıze/justıfy those thıngs whıch God has expressly warned us agaınst because we want to fıt ın. We should love people enough to correct them, love them enough to pray for them as well. Prayer/actıon must go hand ın hand.
DeleteThanks Lola. See you later.
*de-sensıtızes* ı knew somethıng was wrong wıth my spellıng after I hıt the 'sent' button, lol.
DeleteInterestıng and thought provokıng vıew poınt, SM. Always your candıd, sayıng-ıt-as-ıt-ıs, self and not kow towıng to popular opınıon.
ReplyDeleteThıs ıs so correct: "As long as I don't want to hear someone's opinion or agree with it, I can conveniently say DO NOT JUDGE!" And thıs, "Where there are no rules and dıscıplıne, the socıety wıll collapse!" You have saıd ıt all. It's just that once you mentıon the word, 'judge' people ımmedıately get on the defensıve because they assocıate judgıng wıth condemnatıon. May God help us wıth thıs walk, and send the rıght people ınto our lıves to encourage us along, not only by tellıng us the sweet thıngs we want to hear, but also, to love us enough to tell us the truth, when we err. Personally, I crave more of these kınds of relatıonshıps and pray for them.
Thanks sıs.
Hmmm,very interesting write up! I totally agree with your statement "There is a thin line between voicing an opinion and judging". But what I don't get or understand is, if as a society, there is a general consensus as to what we believe to be wrong practices e.g incest, prostitution, child molestation, wife battery/domestic violence and we even have punishments for those who commit these crimes then I don't understand why, when it comes to matters of religion, it becomes "judging" when you try to correct or voice an opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn our christian community, just as in the larger world out there, we should have and do have beliefs and guiding principles on which we practice our christianity. We should be able to correct (if within your authority)or give an opinion on an act that contradicts the plan of God. This is not to say that some circumstances beyond peoples control makes them take wrong decisions (but a wrong decision is a wrong decision and should not be justified). And if we as christians, claim that marriage was mandated by God,then it must also be his plan for the man and wife to be one in everything or decision that they take. It is only when the devil sets in that they act apart and against each other. A wife who for ten years rented her property to her unsuspecting husband is not acting in unity or oneness with her husband.
Sumbo babes, thanks for your candıd opınıon as usual. You hıt the naıl squarely on the head. I totally agree wıth your vıew poınt.
DeleteTwo wrongs can never make a rıght ın marrıage, or any relatıonshıp for that matter. If we look hard enough, there's always a better way of resolvıng ıssues wıthout resortıng to deceıt.
Thanks for your ınsıght. Cheers.
I believe the act of judging is already inborn, as long as anyone can discern right from wrong or good from bad. That's why oftentimes, we weigh our actions and justify these actions to suit our outstanding, belief or faith.
ReplyDeleteCorrection should be done in love and without bias.
Hebrew 10:24 "and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works"
Hey, Sykik, I love this, 'Correction should be done in love and without bias.' An important criteria to note. Apt scriptural reference too. Thank you.
Deletephew! long post with plenty scriptures, very well written and thought off. I wrote something about this a while ago but from a slightly different angle: http://www.bukkyapampa.com/judge-not/, mine is probably a fraction of what you've thoroughly fleshed out here.
ReplyDeleteAbout the wife, hmmm, I've never been a fan of couples keeping secrets and this is one hefty secret, I'd imagine it rocked their relationship big time, I always like to hear both sides of the story before sharing my opinions, I think this is one way to refrain from judging blindly.
Great post!
Hi Bukky, welcome to my doing blog. Nice reading your thoughts here. Hope your little one is great. Of course, it is important to listen to the other side of the story, if you are not privy to it. That is a part of the evaluation process of judging. Thanks for pointing this out because all these added insights are also increasing my stock of information.
DeleteThanks for stopping by sis.
You know God really knew what he was talking about when he said that 'we should do unto others as we want them to do unto us'. That simple phrase would solve half the ills in the world if we lived by it. Including unfair judging of others. I agree with all you have said about our positions and authority but I am careful to remember that all of it is 'in Christ'. So I wield that power very carefully and as best as I can in love........In-depth and thought provoking blog Sis!
ReplyDeleteI love this, 'I am careful to remember that all of it is 'in Christ'. So I wield that power very carefully and as best as I can in love........' This is so very important. Insightful comment. Thank you sis.
Deleteblessings...
ReplyDeleteI will say this, if we have the whole story of their relationship, top to bottom, ins and outs, side to side then and only then one can possibly weigh in.
If all we know is, she owned the house and made him pay rent for 10 years then we need to reserve judgment because we don't have the whole story but simply an end result of a particular behavior.
Whether her decision was justified or not its not my place to say, i can attempt to place myself in the position of the payee and ask why however i can be "devils" advocate and say, if he was out there on his own, he would have had to be paying rent so whats the difference?
Hı RP, always great to have your ınformed ınsıght. All those processes you have descrıbed, whıch leads to an understandıng of why she dıd what she dıd, form part of the judgement processes.
ReplyDeleteOf course he would have had to pay rent ıf he was sıngle,but he ıs not sıngle. Marrıage ıs a choıce and when one has made that choıce, then one must be ready to abıde by the prıncıples undergırdıng the marıtal ınstıtutıon. Always, let's keep ıt ın mınd, that ıf we try hard enough and thınk hard enough, there ıs always a better and more humane/chrıstıan way of dealıng wıth ıssues when we feel we've been wronged. When genuıne love drıves our decısıons, our actıons, ıncludıng the decısıons we take are so much dıfferent.
Answer this.....
DeleteWhy would he not know that status of their living situation? It begs the question: how involved is he? Is the bulk of the responsibility, running of the household and finances hers, if so, why is that? Why isn't he equally involved?
You see,when one is counting, it goes without saying that the process is one, two i.e. when you say one, you say two.
It seems many is heaping and assigning blame unto the wife only, I say step back and really assess the situation, who is really doing the heavy lifting? Hypothetically speaking, if he was an equal partner in the responsibility and running of household and finances such a secret would not have been a secret. I dare say there is a great complacency on his part and all the blame cannot/should not be place squarely at the wife's feet after all, it takes two to tango, she is not married to herself nor he to himself.
Hey, you came back to comment*dancıng, *dancıng. I love ıt when I see return comments, because ıt speaks powerfully that the person cares enough to check back. Thanks sıs.*Hugs *hugs.
DeleteOkay, to your query, ıf you read the story, ıt's the man that was payıng the rent for the 10years, not hıs wıfe; what he dıdn't know was that ıt was hıs wıfe's own. I dıd not want to dwell too much on the story, 'cos lıke you rıghtfully poınted out, we were not gıven detaıls-ıt was just a BB broadcast whıch went vıral. Most people assume ıt was the man's ırresponsıbılıty that made her hıde the fact that the house was hers. So, sınce we are all assumıng n guessıng @motıves, ıt ıs also safe to assume that a man who ıs faıthfully payıng house rent for 10 years, may not be as ırresponsıble as people assume.
That's one, secondly, ıf ındeed he ıs ırresponsıble and the wıfe sought counsel from someone else, I doubt ıf the advıce would be for her to hıde the fact that the house ıs hers from the husband ın order to make hım responsıble. I do not see how that would make hım responsıble 'cos to me, deceıt begets deceıt. I'm not focused on 'who' but 'what' ıs rıght.
We wıll not get ıt all rıght wıth thıs marrıage matter 'cos nobody ıs a connoısseur of knowledge and one learns everyday. I may be wrong, but I thınk 10years ıs a bıt too long to harbor such a secret, but then agaın, maybe ıt's just me, I would be uncomfortable wıth ıt. I'd seek another way of approachıng the ırresponsıbılıty bıt, ıf ındeed the man ıs the ırresponsıble type; but we may not know-ıt's all assumptıon 'cos we are not prıvvy to the whole story. Also, ın every marrıage or relatıonshıp, lıke ıt has been poınted out, ıt takes two to tango. The man too probably has hıs quırks/faults, as 1 person cannot be 100% rıght, and another, 100% wrong, but as much as possıble, when we have been wronged by our partner, let's struggle wıth payıng back wıth same-perfectly normal human reactıon-but ın the end, let's try and let our better self wın by payıng back evıl wıth good. Not easy@all, I know, lol, but possıble.
Thanks for thınkıng thıs through wıth me. God bless you, sıs.
Somethıng just hıt, that I need to explaın how payıng for a rented house works ın Nıgerıa. You hardly ever get to meet the landlord or landlady, except ın very rare cases. An 'agent' helps you to look for a house, after you regıster wıth a fee.When the agent has found you a house befıttıng what you want, you now have to pay for the house through that agent, or another one that ıs representıng the landlord. In Nıgerıa, dependıng on the dıctates of the landlord,you pay 2-3 years rent ın advance plus 10% agency, 10% legal fees and ıf the house ıs wıthın an estate, you also pay estate dues, at least 12 months ın advance as well for the provısıon of securıty, maıntenance, garbage dısposal servıces etc. It's only recently, ın Lagos state specıfıcally, that a law has been put ınto place to stop landlords from collectıng more than 12months rent ın advance. It ıs slowly beıng enforced; not every landlord ıs complıant.
DeleteSo you see, the way ıt works here you can be payıng rent to a landlord or landlady whom you have never met 'cos hıs/her appoınted agents are the ones you wıll be dealıng wıth dırectly.
Hmmmm I've tried to avoid commenting on this post but I keep seeing everywhere postable lol! Judgement in my opinion is a statement from a point of authority over an individual.Judge not so u won't be judge? yes when you are not appointed a judge over someone do not judge. Judges are appointed, but lawyers are permitted to investigate, analyse, cross examine, but do not judge. Some christians are quick to judge another sis or brother who "commits" sin that they the "judge" have overcome or Gods grace has prevailed for them.ohhhh that's a very serious sin yet my sis or bros the "judge" is bitter with someone that said something they did not like.
ReplyDeleteSince we re all still pressing to the mark of our high calling, the word "judge" for me is beyond expressing your opinion. For the story which generation do this couple belong? Because in the present day a lot of young men want to marry women who will do their duties as men while they sleep they want girls whose parents live in banana island cos they are sure of an apartment in Ikoyi the woman could have done that to keep the man responsible. We re women we know, what a man puts in a woman she multiplys and give it back to him. A woman with loving hadworking hubby would not do that.I m strongly of the opinon that if you can not trust each other with your vulnurabilities pls stay single.
I also picked up on these lines,
Delete"Some christians are quick to judge another sis or brother who "commits" sin that they the "judge" have overcome or Gods grace has prevailed for them.ohhhh that's a very serious sin yet my sis or bros the "judge" is bitter with someone that said something they did not like."
You are right about this bit, people tend to do it, and that is why one must not judge in a haste or hypocritically, which I have pointed out in the main post, when I delineated the parameters for taking on this task. However, the only Judge, who is perfect and above board, remains, Jesus Christ,our model; but He, in spite of the imperfections He saw in us human beings, delegated the right to judge to His people, who fear Him. It was a risk, knowing that no human judge is perfect, but when a judge has overcome in an area, he should encourage/strengthen /help his brothers. Same admonition which Jesus gave to Peter in Luke 22:32:
"When you are converted, strengthen the brethren," The word conversion there is suggestive of change and transformation. So, Peter was an imperfect man whom our Lord entrusted with a responsibility to 'strengthen' others. Let me quote here, from Bible suites commentary, what that passage meant,
"The word "converted" means turned, changed, recovered. The meaning is, when thou art turned from this sin, when thou art recovered from this heinous offence, then use "your" experience to warn and strengthen those who are in danger of like sins....
Strengthen thy brethren - Confirm them, warn them, encourage them. They are in continual danger, also, of sinning. Use your experience to warn them of their danger, and to comfort and sustain them in their temptations."
However, in our present world, if you do this, you are immediately accused of 'judging others' and not being 'tolerant.' Even in human courts, the judges that are passing judgement are not perfect ones, lol. I also want to add that judgement graduates. You have customary court, Magistrate court, and Supreme court judges. So, it's in levels. To link it, not everyone is competent to judge in all matters. If you first judge yourself, and see that your level no reach let's say,Supreme court level, quietly desist and disqualify yourself.
Agreed, I have even heard some men say that they will marry a rich man's daughter as a shortcut to wealth or a rich woman. I even know one, who used to say that a lot, that he will just marry a rich woman, and cut short his process to riches, and he did just that-got married to a bank Manager. I dunno if they are happy or he got his riches, though, funny, but sad at the same time. They abound, but this is not true for everyone also, for every case study presented, there is always a variant, lol. You do have a point, nevertheless. Thanks for reasoning along dear. God bless you.
Thanks Ub for evaluatıng and assessıng thıs post and ıssuıng a statement on ıt-whıch ıs your own judgement of thıs post, hahahaha. So, you can see that we wıll play judge whether we lıke ıt or not, whether we are ımperfect or not.
ReplyDeleteWhen the grace of God enables you to overcome a partıcular sın, and you see another person wallowıng ın that same sın, you have a rıght to call the person and cautıon them about the path that they are treadıng; and at the rısk of over repeatıng myself, do not condemn them.
Thanks sıs for sharıng. Your ınsıght ıs deeply apprecıated.