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Jack Hyles on Justice

by Dr. Jack Hyles

This book was scanned and digitized by Brother Tom Black

Part One of Two

Chapter One

HAVE MERCY ON ME

A young man had committed a misdemeanor and was appearing before a judge for the first time. He was fidgety and nervous. The judge, in an effort to settle him down, said, "Son, don't be nervous. I'll see to it that you get justice." The young man nervously replied, "Yes, sir, Mr. Judge. That's what I'm afraid of, but please, could you throw a little mercy in on the side."

This is a book on justice. Its author pleads with the reader to please throw a little mercy in on the side.

Now why do I plead for your mercy? Because this book is different. This, like my books on prayer, the Holy Spirit and others, comes from a series of Bible studies that I have taught to the membership of the First Baptist Church of Hammond on Wednesday nights. My custom has been to take the outlines from which I taught and spend many hours dictating them for transcription and publication. Such is not the case in this book. I simply did not have the time, for many reasons. There were more demands on my time than ever. Because of that, I have simply had the Bible studies on Wednesday night transcribed, edited, proofread and prepared for publication. As you read, please consider yourself sitting in the auditorium of our church, listening to a Bible study. I think you will find it easier to forgive me for the repetition of statements and even illustrations.

I do not claim to be an author; I simply want to leave all that I can for the following generation. At this printing, I am 65 years of age, which means that I'm old enough for Social Security. I have been preaching for over 46 years and pastoring for 44 of those. During these years of pastoring hundreds of thousands of people, preaching over 51,000 sermons and having a personal acquaintance with thousands of preachers, I have seen thousands of justices and injustices. One of the main injustices that I have noticed is the injustice of misinterpreting Bible verses concerning justice.

Please be lenient with me as you read. Have mercy on me by avoiding the position of critique, and as you give me justice, please, Judge, throw a little mercy in on the side.

Dr. Jack Hyles

Chapter Two

AREAS OF JUDGING

"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth:for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth orfalleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Romans 14:1-6, 10

"How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and yourst nfe? Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. And ye answered me, and said, The thin which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him." Deuteronomy 1:12-16

Moses had too heavy a load, so God told Moses to choose judges in the land. Some men were capable of judging thousands of people. Some men could not judge thousands, but they could judge hundreds of people. Some men could not judge hundreds of people, but they could judge fifty people. Some men could not judge fifty people, but they could judge groups of ten people. Each judge was limited by his ability to judge. If a man had fifty people to judge, he was not to judge anybody in one of the other groups. That has always been God's plan, and that is still God's plan! Judges are to judge only in their own particular areas.

Every one of you adults has some area over which you are responsible. You are to judge in that area and not in any other area. A school teacher judges in his classroom, but not in the classroom next door. A principal judges in his school, but not in the school down the street. A pastor judges in his church, but not in the church across town. A father judges in his home, but not in the home next door.

Not only are you not to take any action about things outside your own area, but you are not to make mental judgments outside your own area. Each of us has some area or areas where we are supposed to judge. I want to show you a few of those areas.

1. The husband is to judge the household. Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." The household is the first area of judgment, and that is the husband's area.

2. Parents are to judge in the home. Ephesians 6:1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord:for this is right." This is another area of judgment. If God has given you children, He has given you that area to judge. If you have children, it is your job to judge in your family. It is not my job to judge in your family, because I am not in charge of that area.

3. The employer is to judge at work. Ephesians 6:5, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ." That means if you run a business, God has given you that business to judge. That is your area of judgment. If someone else has a business, you are not supposed to judge in his business. You are supposed to judge only in your area.

4. The pastor is to judge in the church. Hebrews 13:7 says, 'Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with gri ef for that is unprofitable for you." There is a responsibility for the pastor to judge in the church. That does not mean the pastor is the dictator of the church. That means he is the leader. "Ruler" means "leader," and a leader has followers. If you don't have followers, you are not a leader. As pastor, I am to rule (lead), and my followers or members are to follow.

5. Rulers are to judge in areas of government. Romans 13:1, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." This is talking about the government, because it speaks of paying taxes a little later in the passage. We will just call them rulers.

So far we have five who have areas of judging \97 husbands, parents, employers, pastors and rulers. Each one of these has his own area. None is to go into anybody else's area. It is not the ruler's business to judge in the church, because that is not his area. It is not my business to judge in Washington, D. C. because that is not my area. When those in government talk about the separation of church and state, they are talking about the church not meddling with the state; they are not talking about the state not meddling with the church! But, God says everybody is to have his own area of judgment, and nobody is to interfere with anybody else's area.

Every problem we have in our churches and homes, is a result of someone wanting to judge in an area that has not been given to him. There are other areas that the Bible does not specifically mention, and that is why it speaks of "higher powers." Higher powers are those given to lead in certain areas.

Ephesians 5:21 says, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." This is one of the most important verses in the study of justice. The first area of judging we discussed is that of husbands. Yes, the wife is to submit herself to the husband, but then it says to submit yourselves one to another. What does that mean?

That means that the wife should submit herself to her own husband. The husband, knowing that he will have the final decision, can then submit himself to the advice or counsel of his wife.

In any area of responsibility, when a leader has responsibility and the follower has submitted himself to the decision of the leader, the leader can then seek advice from the follower in making a decision. Whether it be a father, a mother, an employer, a pastor, or a husband, once the follower has submitted himself to the final decision of the leader, the leader has the liberty to submit to his follower's counsel or advice.

There are people who are under someone in one area and over that same person in another area. For example, your son may be your employer. Let me use Attorney David Gibbs, Jr. as an example. David Gibbs' father has some authority over David Gibbs as his father, but the father works for his son, so when they go to work, David Gibbs has the authority to judge, because that is his area. They submit themselves one to another.

That is what a good church is. It is God's people submitting themselves one to another, because in one area you will be over somebody, and in another area that person will be over you.

I was my mother's pastor. As her son, I respected her advice and honored her as my mother, but when she came to church, I was over my mother. So, we submitted ourselves one to another. Sometimes a pastor has to work secularly besides receiving a salary at church. He may work for a member of his church, so when the pastor goes to work, he is under the member's judgment. When the member goes to church, he is under the authority or judging of the pastor. They submit themselves one to another.

In Garland, Texas, the city manager almost ran the city. The mayor was more of a figurehead, and the city manager ran the town. One of the deacons in our church was the city manager of Garland. As a citizen of Garland, he was the judge over me, but as pastor of the church, I was the judge over him.

This is the source of many of our problems. We get accustomed to being over somebody in certain areas, and we don't want to submit to authority in an area when we do not have the right to judge. A person who has many areas of responsibilities and judging given to him by God will find it more difficult when he comes to a place where he is to follow. Every fundamentalist church in America that is having trouble has this trouble because somebody does not want the pastor to have the authority that God has given to him as the pastor! Usually it is caused by somebody who is wealthy or powerful and leads almost everything else that he is in. He comes to church but cannot take it, for he is to submit himself to the pastor at church. There are certain areas where you have the judging responsibilities and somebody submits to you. Then, there are areas where others have the responsibility and you, in turn, submit yourself to them.

I will give you an example. Brother Roy Moffitt is in charge of the "A" bus ministry in our church. Brother Jim Jorgensen is Vice-President of Hyles-Anderson College. Brother Moffitt teaches part-time in Hyles-Anderson College, so when he goes to the college, he is under Brother Jorgensen, because Brother Jorgensen has been given that area to judge. When Brother Jorgensen comes to the church and attends a bus meeting, he is under Brother Moffitt. What are they doing? Brother Moffitt is submitting himself to Brother Jorgensen, and Brother Jorgensen is submitting himself to Brother Moffitt.

A church can have perfect harmony if the people will go according to God's plan. A home can have perfect harmony if the family will go according to God's plan. A nation can have perfect harmony if the rulers go according to God's plan. It is not your job to figure out what the pastor ought to do in areas of his responsibilities. You are to judge only in your God-given areas.

A perfect example of this is found in Romans 14:1-3. "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things; another, who is weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him." We had a young man in our college who decided to pass out literature in the college on how to eat. He let everyone know that if they did not eat the way he did, they were of the Devil. He had not been given the area of telling students how to eat! That was out of his area! God is saying not to judge in any place that is not your area to judge.

Romans 14:4a asks, "Who art thou that judgest another man servant?" If a man judging back in the Old Testament had ten people whom he was responsible to judge, it was none of his business what a man who had 100 to judge was doing. That was not his area of judgment. It was none of his business to judge in his heart, mind or actions those who were not in a constituted area given to him by God Almighty.

Keep your nose out of someone else's area. This would solve almost every problem that you have. God has chosen different people for different areas.

Chapter Three

JUSTICE BETWEEN PEOPLE

"And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter." Isaiah 59:14

There is no way that you can execute justice unless you know the truth. There are injustices being done between parents and children. There are injustices being done between teachers and pupils. There are injustices being done between administrators and employees. These injustices almost always revolve around the fact that we do not know the truth before we decide to execute a sentence.

All of us must judge. Parents are judges. Teachers judge in the classroom. Administrators judge those who are under them. Al-most all of us are in some way judges whether we like it or not. I judge many times a week with thousands of judges judging my judgments. Probably at least 100 times a week I must make some judgment about someone, and it has a profound affect on each life. That means that many times a week people can get upset with me because I do not judge like they think I should judge.

I judge only when I have jurisdiction over somebody. I do not try to figure out what the sentence should be, what the crime is or what the judgment should be in someone else's area. I have too much to be concerned about in my own areas of jurisdiction. I never allow myself to draw an opinion about a judgment case unless I have jurisdiction.

[am the Pastor of the First Baptist Church and the Chancellor of Hyles-Anderson College. If there is a judgment to be made between two staff members, I must make that judgment because it is within my jurisdiction. There are many situations in which I must make judgments over these institutions because they are within my God-given jurisdiction.

It would change your life if you would never consider what you would do if you were judging in someone else's jurisdiction. You would be a happier person and would maintain a better spirit. This is called "keeping your nose in your own business." It would solve a great many problems if all people quit judging where they have no jurisdiction.

What is judgment? Judgment can be broken down to three basic areas. If you handle each of these three areas properly, you will be a just judge.

1. Judgment is the right assessment of guilt. It is not justice to punish without knowing the crime. That is never just. Before you can make a judgment, you must have all the facts of what the crime actually is. Let me break this down into several principles dealing with the assessment of guilt. (1) You cannot make a judgment based on what it looks like someone did; (2) You cannot make a judgment based on what you think someone did; (3) You cannot make ajudgment based on what someone is accused of doing; and (4) You can make a judgment based only on what you know someone did! Now, let me illustrate these principles.

One night at Hyles-Anderson College someone forgot to lock a classroom door. A faculty member found a dating couple alone in that darkened classroom! This couple was not caught doing anything wrong together. In fact, they claimed that they were only praying together! Suddenly, I was placed in a position of making a judgment.

Now, what would most people think they were doing? Most of us would think that they were misbehaving. What did it appear like they were doing? It appeared like they were doing wrong. Should they be judged on what we think they were doing? No, that would not be just. Should they be judged for what it appeared they were doing? No, that also would not be just. They can be judged only for what I know they were doing. Could Ijudge them for appearing to be doing something wrong? Only if a rule already existed stating that they could not appear to be doing wrong.

What do I know this couple did? I know that they went in a dark room alone together. That is all I know they did. Now, that does happen to be against the rules at Hyles-Anderson College. My first impulse was to punish them for what I thought they were doing, but in order to be just, I could not do what I wanted to do. Others perhaps felt that I should punish them for what it appeared they were doing, but once again, in order to be just, I could not do what others wanted me to do. They were punished for being in a dark room together.

People should not be punished for what we think they did, nor for what they even appear to be doing. We are also not to judge them for what someone accuses them of doing. Teachers and administrators must not be careless in judging a student merely because of the accusation of another teacher. Sometimes people see things differently than the way they really happened. As a result, a student can be punished unfairly because we assume he is guilty. Justice must properly assess the guilt. I refuse to punish somebody for a crime I do not know he committed or for breaking a rule I do not know he broke. I will not use circumstantial evidence because that would not be just.

2. Judgment is the right sentencing of the guilty. The punishment of a crime must be equal to the crime that was committed. A scale or balance is the symbol of justice. Punishment is to balance out the weight of a crime. If there is no punishment, there is no justice. If there is too much punishment, there is no justice. The weight of the punishment must exactly balance the weight of the crime.

Now let's break this down into several principles that will explain how to be just in the sentencing of guilt.

First, punishment should be predetermined. I do not like to make judgment calls. The Old Testament laws not only stated the wrong but also established the punishment that accompanied the doing of that wrong. Justice cannot stand many judgment calls. Sometimes we feel good, and sometimes we feel bad. Therefore, we will not always execute the same sentence for the same crime. So, in order to be just, the sentence should be predetermined.

That is why Christian schools often have problems. The leader makes judgment calls which can be scrutinized by everyone. That is the reason many years ago I met with the deacon board of the First Baptist Church and spent hours listing every possible crime a student could commit in one of our schools and determining what the punishment would be for committing each crime. That is justice. It also removes the blame from the judge.

God uses that system throughout the Bible. That is what He was doing in Romans 6:23 when He said, "For the wages of sin is death...." God was establishing the punishment for the crime.

Secondly, the knowledge of the rule should be considered. A person should know the rule and its consequences. That is why in our schools we give out a handbook that gives both the rules and the consequences for breaking each rule. It is possible that at times we are delinquent in getting out the word of a rule. This is the reason the Bible tells us that it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than it will be for Tyre and Sidon. Sodom and Gomorrha did not have the Old Testament, whereas Tyre and Sidon did. They knew more; hence, their consequences were more severe.

The Bible says that "the times of this ignorance God winked at." (Acts 17:30a) People have asked me why it is wrong now to have more than one wife but it was not wrong in the Old Testament. It was wrong then to have more than one wife, but it is even more wrong now because we have been given greater knowledge of the law. It is critically important in any area of our jurisdiction that we make it clear to those under us what both the rules and consequences are.

Thirdly, consider any precedent. Before administering judgment, it is important to consider what has been done before for the same infraction. When dealing with the administrators of our schools, I often ask if there is any precedent on a matter. It is so that we will not punish someone differently than we punished someone else in the past for the very same infraction.

When establishing the punishments for children, it is a good idea for the punishment to be in the same area as the crime. For example, if a teenager uses the car without permission, the punishment could be taking away his use of the car for a period of time.

3. Judgment is the right treatment after the sentence. Punishment for a wrong deed is the same as a payment for a debt. Once the debt has been paid, it is forgiven! No more reminders need to be sent. It is not just to continue adding sentencing after the punishment has been paid. Do not continue mentioning it.

In this matter of justice there are several principles that we must constantly remember. Without these we are destined to have problems. These are the principles by which I have tried to live for many years.

Basic Principles of Justice

1. Only One has perfect justice. God is always just, and only His justice is always perfect.

2. No two people will always agree on what is just. Good people can differ on some things.

Many years ago Dr. John R. Rice and the Sword of the Lord published my book, The Hyles Sunday School Manual. I was so excited and proud about that book that I took it with me to the barbershop to read it while I was getting my hair cut.

As I was reading the book in the barbershop, I came to a place where several pages were missing! Quickly I looked through the book, and I found those pages misplaced later in the book. I rushed out of the barbershop and went to a pay phone to call Dr. Rice and inform him of the problem. When he answered the phone, I said, "Dr. Rice, you are going to be disappointed to find out that 20 pages of The Hyles Sunday School Manual are not in correct order." There was silence on the other end of the phone! I said, "Dr. Rice, what are we going to do about it?"

Dr. Rice finally spoke, and he said, "Dr. Hyles, we will print a sticker to be placed on the inside cover of the book telling the reader where to find those pages."

I said, "But, Dr. Rice, that is not fair."

He said, "I think it is fair."

I did not think that Dr. Rice was making a just decision. I felt that he should reprint the book, but Dr. Rice felt we should put a sticker on the inside cover. I was sincere. So was Dr. Rice. Yet we differed. This did not hurt our relationship at all. It simply shows that two people, regardless of how sincere, do not always agree on justice.

3. I must not require you to reconcile your justice with mine. If I do require you to agree with me, then I am acting as God. I always think that my judgment is right, but good people can disagree. In any instance, I could be wrong and the other person could be right. That is one reason we all should limit our judging to our own areas of judgment.

Dr. Rice and I disagreed on what was just, butl decided manyyears before, "Dr. Rice is a good man." Although as a man he could be wrong on some things, I never required him to agree with me because I also am human and could be wrong. Consequently, I must not require others to reconcile their concept of justice to what I think is justice.

4. I must decide if you are sincere. If you are sincerely trying to be just, I must not get upset if you disagree with me on what is just. If only God is always just, then sometimes I will be sincerely wrong. So will you. If we disagree on what is just, I must take into account the possibility that this is a case where I could be wrong. Dr. Rice was sincere. Even though I disagreed with him, the possibility remained that I was wrong.

5. Because you are sincere, I must allow you to disagree.

6. I will not put you on trial every day. Folks, decide once and for all if someone is sincere, and then stop putting him on trial every day. The reason we do not get along with others is because we are constantly putting them on trial. Decide once and for all that a person is sincere, and then you will not struggle with him when you disagree on what is just. Others will not do things the way you want them done, but do not put them on trial for your disagreements.

There is a statement made in the Bible three times with exactly the same wording, and a fourth time in a slightly different way. Romans 1.~1 7, "... The just shall live by faith." Galatians 3.~11, "... The just shall live by faith." Hebrews 10:38, "...the just shall live by faith." Habakkuk 2:4 says, "...the just shall by his faith."

What does this mean? Romans 1:17 says we live 'from faith to faith." It means that we live by our confidence in the justice of God. That is also how we treat each other and get along with each other. We have confidence in one another, not because any one of us has perfect justice, but because we are sincere and seek to be just. We must accept the fact that even in our sincerity all of us are sometimes wrong. We should not put each other on trial nor condemn each other if we think the other person is not being just. If we do, we become God because we think we are the only one who is right.

This truth could change your life! It could keep you from destroying your marriage, your business, your friendships and even your relationship with other leaders. Someone must be in charge of every situation. Do not be another's judge. Do not make him agree with your judgments. Allow others to disagree by accepting that they are sincere. Do not put them on trial every day. You may be right and they may be wrong, but they may be right and you may be wrong. Since you are not God, do not play God!

Chapter Four

RESPONSE TO JUSTICE

"He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Micah 6:8

When the Bible answers the question, "What does the Lord require of thee?" the first thing mentioned is "to do justly." The most important thing in the Christian life is to be just. Justice is the balancing of the scale. It is punishing an individual equivalent to the crime that was committed. It is rewarding an individual equivalent to the deed performed.

Justice is more than the sentencing of a judge in a courtroom, a teacher in a classroom or a parent in a home. It is also the sentencing within our hearts toward others. A just person has justice in the heart.

This chapter will be built upon the foundation of the basic principles of justice discussed in the previous chapter: (1) Oniy God has perfect justice; (2) No two people will always agree on what is just; (3) I must not require you to reconcile your justice with mine; (4) I must decide if you are sincere; (5) Because you are sincere, I must allow you to disagree; and (6) I will not put you on trial every day.

"To do justly" means that we are only to punish when we know that a crime has been committed and when we punish according to the degree of the crime. If money is missing from your wallet or purse and you suspect that your child took it, it is not just to punish that child until you are positive that he took it. It is tragic that often we punish someone before we have all the facts. Suppose you punish the child and then later discover that your husband or wife borrowed it. You have treated the child unjustly because you made your judgment based on suspicion rather than on fact.

Doing justly means that you never punish somebody who should not be punished. That is the first thing the Lord requires of you. In whatever area you have been given to judge, you are first to make certain that you are just. The first responsibility of a Christian parent is to do justly. The first responsibility of a school teacher or principal isto do justly. The first responsibility of every person in a position of leadership is to do justly. Those under our leadership have a right to be treated justly.

It is wrong to jump to conclusions and administer punishment before we have examined all the facts. Suspicion is not a basis for punishment. Accusation is not a basis for punishment. Fact is the only basis for punishment. The greatest perversion taking place in America among Christians today is their perversion of justice. We hear preaching about what is required to be a good Christian; yet we virtually ignore what the Bible says. So, what does the Lord require of you?

1. "To do justly." That is God's top priority. Pastors, be just to your members. Teachers, be just to your students. Parents, be just to your children. Employers, be just to your employees. God requires it. Punish only when you know a crime has been committed.

2. "To love mercy." This is a big part of doing justly. Mercy is not believing something unless you know it is true. It means not jumping to conclusions and not punishing until you have all of the facts. It means giving an individual the benefit of the doubt if you do not know he is guilty.

At First Baptist Church we have a rule stating that deacons must not smoke cigarettes. Several years ago two of our deacons were accused of smoking. I met privately with each of the two men to ask them whether or not it was true. I still did not believe it because I did not yet have their side of the story.

One of the deacons admitted that he was having a difficult time quitting his smoking, and he resigned the deacon board. The other man denied ever having smoked a cigarette. I did not have enough proof to convict him, so I gladly accepted his word. That is mercy. I would rather show mercy and be wrong than to condemn someone without knowing that he is guilty. Tragically, most Christians are more interested in execution than in mercy; yet the Lord requires it of us to show mercy. We preach what we require and ignore what God requires.

3. "To walk humbly with thy God." Again, this is still an extension of the first requirement of doing justly. We are not to think of ourselves more highly than those we are investigating, nor are we to prejudge them in our minds. We are not to follow our assumptions and judge without facts.

Oftentimes we have evidence but no proof, so we go ahead and pronounce guilt without knowing the individual is guilty. I refuse to punish someone based on my opinion or anyone else's opinion. To do so is pride, because it is elevating your opinion to the level of the law. A person is innocent until proven guilty. We Christians are the worst in this matter of judging someone because we think he is guilty. Our intuition is not always right. Never are we to judge an individual until we know he is guilty.

There is a way we are to respond tojustice. We need to understand this in order to be just. Romans 12:19 and 20, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals offire on his head." Those instructions tell us what we are to do when we feel that we have been treated unjustly.

"Avenge" and "vengeance" are words that deal with justice. They deal with the way we respond to justice when we think it is wrong. The word "avenge" means our response to authority when justice has been performed. It is our response to justice. It is not dealing with how people treat you, but rather your response to justice when it is extended.

For example, your child's school teacher disciplines your child, and you do not agree with his decision. You are not to respond improperly by trying to slap the hand of authority. That is God's responsibility, and we are to allow Him to respond. The word "vengeance" means "out of justice." We are not to respond improperly to the justice somebody else makes. Authority is to stick with authority and allow God to straighten out the mistakes and injustices.

When I was a boy and I received a spanking at school, I automatically received another one when I got home. My mother automatically accepted the judgment of my teacher. Today, parents attack the teacher's judgment. The Bible says that we are not to settle the account with others in authority when we think they have judged wrongly. We are not to be avengers of injustice. God will settle the account in His perfect judgment.

All of us are human. Not one of us knows perfect justice, so none of us will always execute perfect justice. We are going to make mistakes. Therefore, we are to allow others in positions of authority to execute justice as they see it without our interference. God ordains and chooses authority to make judgments, and we are to subject ourselves to their decisions without our efforts to avenge verdicts with which we disagree.

Vengeance is anarchy. It is every man deciding what he thinks is right and trying to enforce it outside of proper authority. I may think you are wrong, but since I could be wrong, I must leave the final verdict to God. He will balance the scales.

A parent came to me and told me that his son was kicked out of a children's choir, and he did not feel that it was right. He argued that I did not know all that happened; yet, neither did this parent. He had based his opinion on the story his son told him and not on all the facts. I trusted the judgment of the authority. That is what the Bible teaches us to do.

God has chosen people for positions of leadership. We are to allow them to be in charge without our interference and scrutiny. If they carry out something that is not just, God says that He will see to it that the scales are balanced and justice is done. If the teacher wrongly disciplines your child, God will intervene and bring about justice. That is His job, not yours. God has given us the authority to judge, but not the authority to judge other judges. The correction within justice is up to God.

This is why Christians should not take other Christians to court. I Corinthians 6:1, 2, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" I Corinthians 6:6-8, "But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly afault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren."

In these passages we are told that we ought to take care of our own problems without taking them to court. It is wrong for a Christian to take another Christian to court. God's Word says that we are to allow ourselves to be defrauded or cheated rather than take a Christian to court. You have no rights other than to obey God's Word and allow God to balance the scales of justice. It is NOT our responsibility to enforce justice, except in our designated areas.

A church is an intricate thing. Leadership overlaps and often places someone over you who, in another situation, is under you. For example, I am the authority over our Christian school teachers; yet my children were under their authority when they were in school. I did not judge the way those teachers judged my kids and then avenge my kids if a teacher was wrong in my opinion. Sometimes I did not like the way they handled my child; yet, I left it to God to avenge the injustice.

God will avenge all injustices. Vengeance is up to Him. All of us occasionally feel that we have been mistreated or that someone in our family has been mistreated. Once judgment has been executed by proper authority, we are not to try to correct the situation in the way we think it should have been done. That is anarchy, and it is disobedient to the Bible. That person is the authority in that situation and has the right to judge in the way he sees fit.

Vengeance is taking matters into your own hands and attempting to correct injustice. That is God's place, not ours. You judge th area that God has given to you and defend the right of others t judge their area as they see fit. This will solve many of ou problems and help us to keep peace with others. Let God be th avenger!

Chapter Five

JUDGING ANOTHER

MASTER'S SERVANT

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?" James 4:8-12

This chapter is going to be built around ten statements. Most of what I will cover will be new, but some will overlap things in a previous chapter.

1. Originally each man judged and protected himself, his own family, his own property and his own freedom.

2. As the population centralized, we chose people from among us to protect the rest of us.

3. We have groups, and appointed people lead each group. For example, we chose pastors to lead the churches, a ruler to lead a nation, a governor to lead a state, a mayor to lead a city and a principal to lead a school. Each has his own area where he is to judge.

4. The body politic does not judge. It is not the responsibility of a judge in one area to judge in another area that is someone else's area to judge.

5. The body politic chooses the one to lead or judge, and the one chosen does the judging or leading. For example, our nation does not vote on how to punish every crime. We choose some to do the judging, and they are responsible for judging those who commit crimes. The same is true in a school or in a business. There are delegated authorities whose responsibility it is to judge for the rest. That is God's plan, and it has always been God's plan.

Christians desperately need to learn this. We judge each other, criticize each other, slander each other, and spread bad about each other, and in so doing, we despise the law! We are entering into an area where we have appointed people to do that for us.

6. We vote about the lawmakers, but not about the law. The lawmakers are chosen to create the laws by which we live. It is not our job to decide the laws. If we do not like the laws they make, we can choose new lawmakers. I may not like all of their laws, but they make the laws.

7. If we take it upon ourselves to enforce the law, we despise the law and go against those whom we chose. Parents who go to their child's teacher to complain every time their child gets in trouble are despising the law. The rules were already established by those who were delegated by us to set them and are to be enforced by those who were delegated by us to enforce them.

8. Most of us have an area in which we are to judge. We have been chosen to judge in that area.

9. No one is to enter our area, and we are not to enter anyone else's area. Romans 14:4, "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand."

Who are you to judge someone else's classroom? Who are you to judge someone else's church? Who are you to judge someone else's family? You have no right to interfere in the judgment of another's area. The master of that area is to decide; no one else is to do so! We are not to sit in judgment of anyone who is outside of our jurisdiction to judge.

A few years ago I submitted an ad to The Sword of the Lord. Dr. Hutson sent it back to me and said that he could not run the ad. That is his business, so I had no right to tell him how to run his paper. That is his area. Every organization has to have a leader, and that leader is responsible to judge that area. No one else is to interfere with that judgment. The chosen authority must run the organization, and authority needs to be supportive of other authority, lest all authority becomes weakened.

You cannot succeed without this principle. A family will fail without this. A country will fail without this. A church will fail without this. A business will fail without this. Somebody must be given the responsibility by the rest of us to rule and allowed to do so without the rest of us interfering. This is why so many of our churches are having trouble. We call a pastor to lead us, and then we want to tell that pastor how to lead. We judge him for the way he leads. When he doesn't do things the way we think he should, we cause trouble or leave the church.

10. We are not to speak evil or judge outside of our area. This is what we read in James 4:11 and 12. James says we are not to speak evil of our brother. The words, "speak evil," in the Greek are "katalaleo," which means "to speak evil based on hearsay." James goes on to say not to judge our brother. The word "judge" in the Greek is "krino," which means "to judge based on facts." James was saying that we are not to make judgments of each other based on hearsay or on facts, unless it is within our area of judging. To do so, James says, is actually to speak evil and judge the law.

The Bible is telling us not to go into the other person's area of judgment and criticize, even if we know the facts concerning a situation. You are not actually criticizing or judging that individual; you are criticizing and judging the law, and this is anarchy. Judging by hearsay and judging by fact are both wrong if it is outside of your area. This is the only way you can have law and order!

Chapter Six

JUDGE NOT

"The L ORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. (The LORD God of you fathers make you a thousand times so many more asye are, and bles you, as he hath promised you!) How can I myself alone bear you cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? Take you wise men and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him." Deuteronomy 1:10-16

Moses looked out and saw the multitudes of Israelites and realized that he could not adequately judge them all. He knew he needed help. No man could make all the judgments that needed to be made, so Moses chose men according to their ability to help him judge.

What does the Bible mean when it says that we are not to judge? Does that mean that we are never to judge an individual in any situation? In this chapter I am going to explain what the Bible means when it says, "Judge not."

In Deuteronomy God through Moses gave men areas ofjudgment. There were three restrictions given to these men or judges.

1. The judges were not allowed to rule or judge in another area. Romans 14:4, "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth orfalleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." God has given us each an area where we are supposed to judge. If we go outside that area, it is called "judging" and that is wrong! Each of us is to judge inside our areas, but we are not to make judgments in another's area.

We live in a society of critiquing. Everyone thinks he has a right to critique everybody else. Our universities teach students how to critique each other. Even in some Christian colleges in homiletics classes the students are often taught to critique preaching.

A teacher in a classroom must judge his students. That is not wrong. If that teacher judges the students in another classroom, that is judging, and it is wrong. It is up to the person who has been given the responsibility of judgment to decide what should be done. The Bible asks who we think we are to interfere. It's none of our business! Matthew 7:1, 2, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

Nobody can run anything with the whole world trying to help him run it. In your areas of judgment everyone would not always agree with the way you judge, but it is not their business to interfere. Likewise, it is not your business to interfere with the areas of others. If we judge areas that are not our responsibility, we have no power to make changes in those areas. As a result, there are three things that would begin happening to us. These are the three things that happen to all who judge outside their own area:

(1) It brings anger. When you judge outside of your area and it is not done the way you think it should be done, you get angry because you have no power to change it. The best thing for you is to not even know what is happening in another man's area. Keep yourself focused on that which is in your area and on the judgments that you must make.

People get angry because they want their way and they do not get it. There is no need for you to have a way if you do not judge, and there is no way for you to judge if you just mind your own business.

(2) It brings frustration. The human mind is so constructed that it needs to complete what is starts. No one is as frustrated as the person who starts something and does not finish it. When you judge something that is not in your area, you cannot complete the cycle; therefore, you are going to be frustrated. Much of the mental illness people have comes from the frustration of judging what other people do without the ability to change it.

(3) It brings pride. When a person begins to judge outside his own area, before he realizes it, he thinks he can judge everything. I have to be careful all the time because people all across America call or write and ask me what to do. If I am not very careful, I will begin to think that I am always right, and I will want to tell other preachers how to run their church or ministry. It is easy for a judge over much to think he has the ability to judge better than the judge over little. It would be easy for me to have an opinion on how one of our college graduates should run his church. I am not to have an opinion or judgment unless he asks me for my advice.

One reason it was wrong for the Pharisees who caught the woman in the act of adultery to judge her was that it was not their area of judgment. God had set up certain powers for the judgment of the woman. Anything else is anarchy.

2. The judges could not even consider a situation without two witnesses. Just like the Supreme Court, they were not allowed to even take the case unless two witnesses came forward at the same time. Two witnesses brought about a cause to investigate but not a verdict of guilt!

We are to abstain from the appearance of evil as Christians. However, if someone does not abstain from the appearance of evil, we are not to make a judgment on that appearance. We are never to judge according to the appearance. John 7:24, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." We are to judge according to the fact. Never convict people because it appears that they have done something wrong. This is what causes much of the trouble in churches.

This is called mercy. Mercy is not judging without truth. Truth is what you judge. Justice is when you punish for what you know has been done. Mercy never judges by appearance. Proverbs 28:20, 'Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy."

Let me give you five statements that relate to this truth: (1) We must have righteous judgment; (2) None is righteous, as we read inRomans 3:10, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one"; (3) So we cannot judge the inside. I Samuel 15:7 says that God looks on the heart. Man cannot look upon the heart, so man cannot judge the heart. That means that man cannot judge motives. It is time for us to quit judging people's motives; (4) God is the final judge; and (5) We can judge only what we know, and that is not the inside!

Over and over again the Bible says that man is justified by faith, but James comes along and says that man is justified by works. People have argued this point for years, yet both are true because there are two forms of justification. Paul was talking about being justified in the sight of God. James was talking about being justified in the sight of man. God alone can judge the heart of man. Man can judge only what he sees. Man's judgment is limited by actions, not motives.

3. The judges were not allowed to seek for witnesses in an attempt to find guilt. Sometimes people "get it in" for someone and begin looking for something wrong in that person. When they find something, they rejoice over it. That is not justice. There is nothing as awful as a person who spends his life looking for something to justify the condemnation he already feels for someone. That is a miserable man.

For the sake of your friends, your family, your church, your class, your school and your life, do not judge outside of your area. You can enjoy the peace of going to bed at night knowing you are just.

I refuse to allow myself to form opinions in areas for which I am not responsible. If all Christians practiced these principles, there would never be another church split. We are so prone to judge.

Chapter Seven

SUBMITTING ONE

TO ANOTHER

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:18-22

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ." Ephesians 6:1, 5

There are ten points I am going to cover in this chapter. Some will be repetitious from previous chapters, but I will be building upon them to get across this particular lesson.

1. God has given different areas of judgment.

2. These different areas are as much a part of the law as the law itself. The choosing of individuals to carry out God's law is as much a part of God's law as the laws they are judging.

3. God has given us several different areas of judgment today. The home has been given a father and husband. The church has been given a pastor. A business is given employers. Almost everyone has been given at least one area over which they are to judge. It may be a Sunday school class, a bus route, or a school room. Wherever you are placed as the leader, that is your given area to judge. You are to judge only in that area, not in someone else's area. You are not even to make mental judgments in areas that are not your responsibility. Anytime you judge outside of the area God has given to you, the Bible calls that "judging." Itis wrong to judge outside of your area. Most of our problems come when we violate that principle.

4. No leader of an area is over the other except for the three purposes of the state. The state has been given the responsibility to protect (1) our person, (2) our property, and (3) our freedom. That is what government is to do. That is all the government is to do. Other than that, no one is to interfere in the business of the other. The government is not to interfere with the church outside of those three things. Each entity is to be operated without interference of any other.

When I first became Pastor of the First Baptist Church, a very powerful and influential man in Hammond attended our church. He owned the largest department store in the city and was extremely wealthy. He was the type of man who was accustomed to being in charge of everything in which he was involved.

One evening Mrs. Hyles and I had dinner in his home. It was an extravagant meal in a very elegant setting. During the dinner his wife asked me if I planned toj oin the area's ministerial association. Trying to be diplomatic, I told her that I had not yet decided. She pressed me to state my decision right then and there. I told her that I would join if it were fundamental. She informed me that it was not fundamental and persisted to ask me if I planned to join. Her husband began to push me for an answer as well. These were not bad people, but they were accustomed to being in charge of so many things that they were trying to be in charge of me. Finally, I told him that I would not tell him how to run his store unless he asked me for advice, and that if I ever wanted his advice as to how to pastor the church, I would ask him as well. I informed him that unless I asked for his advice, I expected him to mind his own business. We were asked to leave. His problem was that he did not know how to submit himself to the leadership of someone in an area of which he was not in charge.

You have an area over which you have been placed by God to judge. You are to judge that area only. Most of the people who get angry and leave churches do so because they did not get their way in an area that was not their business to judge. Pray for others who are in charge, but do not try to make judgments for them.

5. When I judge outside of my area, I am breaking the law. The law includes how it is to be enforced. Your city has speed laws. Police officers are assigned to enforce those laws. It is not your responsibility to enforce those laws, and if you do, you are breaking the law. That is just as much a part of the law as the law itself. James 4:10-1 2 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?"

I carry in my wallet a pass that admits me past the security guards at Hyles-Anderson College. Without a pass, no one is allowed into the college. Even though I am the founder and Chancellor of the college, I submit myself to those who are in charge of security. I must humble myself so that I will do so. That is submission to authority. God's Word even says that if you do not submit, you are violating the law. If you make judgments against another leader, you are speaking evil of the law.

There is a difference between a lawgiver and a law enforcer. Congress makes laws but does not enforce those laws. God is the giver of the law, and He places people in the position of enforcer of those laws. When you speak evil of that person, you are speaking evil of God because God put them there. God is the lawgiver. When you judge another man's area of responsibility, you put yourself above God, and you become guilty of idolatry.

Unless we submit ourselves to God's system of laws and enforcement, our society will crumble. Not one of us is perfect; therefore, we must even submit ourselves to the imperfect judgment of man within the perfect system of God. Authority is authority even when it is wrong.

6. When I judge outside my area and therefore break the law, I then put myself above the law of all other areas. In reality I am putting myself above God because I have placed myself above His appointed authority.

7. I have then become a judge when not appointed.

8. In areas outside of those over which I am in charge, I am simply to obey. Ephesians 5 and 6 speak of being filled with the Spirit and the characteristics that accompany that Spirit-fullness. A part of the evidence of being filled with the Spirit is submitting to other authority. If you do not submit, it is a sign that you are not Spirit-filled. Sometimes that means that we must submit to the authority of someone over whom we have authority in another area. That is submitting one to another. This is God's plan and is a part of His divine law as much as the law itself.

When I go to the campus of our college, I submit to the authority of the security guards by driving the speed limit. It is arrogance if I think that I am above the law, even though I am the boss of those security guards. I must submit to their given authority just as much as I expect them to submit to me as their employer. Too many Christians are haughty and are unwilling to submit to other authority.

9. The only two ways to get out from underneath a law are to die or to leave that area. God has placed me where I am. In some areas I am the judge and in other areas I am not. In those areas where I am not the judge, I am to submit myself to those who are. As long as God leaves me in that place, I must obey those who are over me.

10. We are to be humble in those areas outside our own authority. A church has many, many areas with many different leaders in charge. If any of those leaders refuse to humble themselves and submit to someone in charge of another area, trouble starts! It is amazing how easy it is to judge another's area rather than simply judging our own.

You are not a Spirit-filled Christian unless you are willing to submit to others who have been given authority over you.

Chapter Eight

JUSTICE BEFORE THE

TRANSGRESSION

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with son; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Hebrews 12:5-7, 11

We have already determined that there are three phases of justice, and in each of these three phases we must make certain that we are judging justly: (1) We must be just in determining the judgment; (2) We must be just in executing the judgment; and (3) We must be just following the judgment. So, it could be said that Justice must be followed before, during and after judgment.

In this chapter I am going to deal with justice before the transgression. This is before anybody has sinned. Many people are unjust because they judge improperly. Let me give you eight principles to follow preceding judgment that will prevent you from treading a path of injustice.

1. Before there can be a judgment, there must be a law. I cannot punish someone if there is no law for what he has done. To do so is unjust. There must be a law or a rule. Occasionally, someone will do something in one of our ministries that the leader of that ministry does not like. Although there is no law against what the person did, the leader is suggesting that the person be punished. What he is suggesting is that we get a vigilante group to punish that person, but that would be unjust because there was no law regarding what that person did.

Romans 3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

There is no doubt that Adam and Eve did things that were wrong in the Garden of Eden, but they did not know they were wrong, for they had not yet eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their eyes had not yet been opened to know good from evil. So, if there is no law, there is no knowledge of sin.

Romans 4:14, "Because the law worketh wrath:for where no law is, there is no transgression."

The Bible tells us clearly that if there is no law, there is no transgression. Over the years I have had people who got mad at me and left the church because they expected me to punish a person for a law that was not even made. I am not going to do that because there must be a rule before I can justly punish a person. People must know beforehand that what they did was wrong.

Romans 7. 7-13, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which was good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful." Paul said that unless the Bible had told him, he otherwise would not have known that lust was wrong. Through Paul, God is telling us in this passage that before there can be a transgression, there must be a law. So, you have no right to punish anyone unless there is a rule that he has broken. You may not like what he did, and you may not even like the person, but if there is no law, there is no transgression. You may want to punish him, but you cannot, for no law has been broken.

2. Punishment must not be retroactive. It is wrong for me to make a law today and then punish you because you broke it yesterday. If there was no law yesterday, you did not break the law yesterday. If there was no rule yesterday, you broke no rule yesterday. Far too often, we judge according to our passion and our anger. We also often judge according to the level of discomfort something has given to us. We even judge according to whether or not we like somebody. That is not justice. God is more concerned about justice than He is about any other matter. Justice is His most important quality. God will not execute injustice.

Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden, but then something happened. They sinned. When man sinned, he turned his back on God. God said that sin would bring forth death, so God had to turn His back on man also. God wanted man back, but He could not accept man back until His justice was satisfied.

God conceived a plan to come to earth, become flesh, live a sinless life, fulfill the law, go to Calvary to pay for the sins of mankind, charging them to His own record, and after 72 hours, rise from the dead for man's justification. As a result, God can again turn to man and receive man back into fellowship.

Although Christ did die for man, the main reason He died was for God! He died to satisfy God's justice so that God could take man back to fellowship with Himself. If Christ had not died on the cross, God could not have taken man back because that would have been unjust! If God took man back into fellowship because man joined a church, God would not be just. If God took man back because man got baptized, that would be unjust. If God took man back because man confessed his sins to a priest, God would will do something in one of our ministries that the leader of that ministry does not like. Although there is no law against what the person did, the leader is suggesting that the person be punished. What he is suggesting is that we get a vigilante group to punish that person, but that would be unjust because there was no law regarding what that person did.

Romans 3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge ofsin."

Romans 4:14, "Because the law worketh wrath:for where no law is, there is no transgression."

Romans 7:7-13, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which was good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful." Paul said that unless the Bible had told him, he otherwise would not have known that lust was wrong. Through Paul, God is telling us in this passage that before there can be a transgression, there must be a law. So, you have no right to punish anyone unless there is a rule that he has broken. You may not like what he did, and you may not even like the person, but if there is no law, there is no transgression. You may want to punish him, but you cannot, for no law has been broken.

Although Christ did die for man, the main reason He died was for God! He died to satisfy God's justice so that God could take man back to fellowship with Himself. If Christ had not died on the cross, God could not have taken man back because that would have been unjust! If God took man back into fellowship because man joined a church, God would not be just. If God took man back because man got baptized, that would be unjust. If God took man back because man confessed his sins to a priest, God would not be just. If God took man back because he took communion or the sacraments, God would not be just!

The only thing that allowed God to accept man back into fellowship was that His justice had been satisfied. When Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, the justice of Almighty God was satisfied, and God could turn to man and receive man back if he put his faith in Christ. God's justice had to be satisfied!

If you want to be like God, you must be just. God's justice will not be superseded by anything, including His love, mercy and grace. We too must make justice foremost in our Christian lives.

If a child in our Christian grade school does something wrong for which there is no rule, that child cannot be punished. I went to our deacons one night and told them that I no longer wanted our school principals to make judgment calls. I no longer wanted the principals or administrators to have to decide whether or not a student was expelled. We decided instead to let the rules expel the student. That was one of the greatest days in the history of our school system!

I listed everything that I could think of that a student could do wrong. I took a list of 29 things to the deacons and told them that we were going to decide the punishment for each one of those things. When a student did something, we would already have decided what the punishment would be. For example, one rule explains that students can be in the building only during specified hours. The penalty for violating that rule is five demerits. No longer could a teacher or principal make a ruling of his own judgment, for now the law was given, stating both the rule and the punishment for violating that rule. We did the same thing for every rule. If we make a new rule today, we cannot justly enforce that rule on somebody who broke that rule yesterday. I refuse to be unjust, even if it costs me church members. I have a responsibility before God to be just.

3. The law must be made known. The divine law of God has always existed. The laws as given in the books of Moses are eternal. There was never a time when those laws did not exist. Every word in the Bible always was, so every law in the Bible always was. Men did not know the law because the law had not yet been given to man until the time of Moses. God did not punish man for what man did not know. Likewise, it is our responsibility to make known the law before we should punish.

4. Punishment should be made known as a part of the law. Deuteronomy 19:15-17, "One witness shall not ris e up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days."

Here we have an example of the Bible giving not only the transgression but also the punishment. God reveals to us the three parts of the law: (1) the law, (2) the punishment for breaking that law, and (3) the person responsible for enforcing that law.

It is wrong for a judge to make a judgment call concerning the penalty a transgressor receives. That is one of the things wrong with the criminal justice system in America today.

When our children were small I made a list of the things they could do wrong, and I taught them the penalty for breaking each rule. Most of us determine punishment on the basis of the inconvenience we experience. No wonder we have a society that knows nothing about justice! They have never seen justice in our homes. Unfortunately most people do not care enough about their children to take the time to make rules and determine what the punishment will be. I always tried to punish consistently, and I tried to make the predetermined punishment a greater sacrifice than the enjoyment they received in breaking the rule.

If you do not do this, you will punish according to your moods. One time when the child breaks the rule you will be in a good mood, so you will simply tell the child not to do it anymore. The next time he does the very same thing, you may be in a bad mood, so you severely spank him. The child learns that he has a chance of getting away with breaking the rules, depending on what type of mood you are in. If you are just, the punishment will not depend upon your mood but upon the law and the predetermined punishment for breaking that law.

5. The judge must not have a will in the matter. The most important thing in a jury trial is the selection of the jury. Attorneys avoid choosing juries with preconceived ideas about the case. First Baptist Church had a trial about a building we accidently tore down. The trial was moved to another area because the attorneys felt a fair trial could not be held in Hammond. It was felt that a judge would have no bias somewhere else like a judge who lived in Hammond might have.

6. There must be no respect of persons. Deuteronomy 1:16, 17, "And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man;for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it."

The Bible says that we must be fair with the person being judged. Everyone must be judged the same way. I always ask our school administrators if we have any precedent in a matter set before us for judgment, so that we can be fair to everybody. We try to treat everyone the same.

The Bible also says that we ought not to be influenced by those who are watching us judge. If you judge out of respect of the person you are judging, that is wrong. It is equally wrong if you are influenced by the opinions of those who are around you and watching you as you judge. I will not be influenced by anyone when it comes to judging the way I feel is right.

People sometimes leave our church over this, but they will just have to leave. It is my area to judge, and I refuse to alter my judgment based on anyone's opinion, regardless of his standing in the church. I must judge as I feel is right and fair in my areas of judgment, and you must do the same in yours.

This entire society of ours is built on critique, but the truth is, no one is to critique somebody else's area of judgment. In your area, judge the deed, not the person. Judge by principle, not by popular opinion.

7. Punishment must be for the right motive. Nobody should ever punish anyone for punitive purposes. Hebrews 12:11, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward ityieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Every time you punish your child, the purpose should be to make him behave properly, not simply to "get back" at him. That is the purpose of it all.

When Mrs. Hyles and I got married, we lived a while at her parents' home. We were in college at the time right after my discharge from the army. Her mother had a black cat. In the bathroom there was a little white heater. That black cat liked to sit on that heater and watch me shave. Then one chilly morning I began to shave, and the little cat jumped on that heater. It was so hot that the cat almost leaped to the ceiling! That cat never again jumped up on that heater to watch me shave!

Justice means that every time you punish, it inflicts a discomfort with a purpose of correction, not just to make the person feel bad. That is what the word "chastening" means.

8. Punishment should be given according to maturity. Luke 12:48, "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."

You have been given an area where you are to judge. Outside of that area, you are not even to judge in your mind. You are to occupy yourself with judging your own area. When I go hear a preacher preach, I do not judge his sermon. I search for a blessing. God has not given me the responsibility of judging his preaching.

Establish the ground rules for the area God has given to you. Use these eight principles to set up those ground rules before an infraction is committed. That is justice!

Chapter Nine

ADMINISTERING

THE JUSTICE

"The cloke that I left at Troas with Carp us, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: Ipray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." II Timothy 4:13-17 7

We have decided the proper punishment. We are inside our own area of judgment, and it is now time to administer our judgment. How we administer that judgment is very critical. Let me give you four things we ought to do in the administration of the punishment. Some of these thoughts will perhaps surprise you.

1. Usually punishment should be given with dignity, propriety and courtesy. This should be the case most of the time.

2. Harsh treatment is usually reserved for a time when it is needed as a part of thejudgment. There are times when as a part of your child's punishment you ought to get angry. This should never be because you are mad. You should show anger only because the child needs you to do so never because you lost your temper. Anger is a tool which sometimes needs to be used as a part of the punishment of the transgression.

II Samuel 14:28, "So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face." David had a son named Ammon, who raped his sister, Tamar. Absalom, another of David's sons, plotted and killed his brother Ammon as revenge for the raping of Tamar. David punished Absalom by not allowing him to see his father for two years. We also must sometimes use aloofness, anger or harshness as a part of punishment.

3. We should use the harshest treatment for the judgers. Unless harsh treatment is a part of the actual punishment for the person who has done the wrong, we would be wise to treat no one harshly except, of course, those who are guilty of the wicked sin of judging.

What the Bible Says About Judging

1. Judging is inexcusable. Romans 2:1, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, 0 man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things."

Who is inexcusable? The drunkard? No! The harlot? No! The whoremonger? No! The thief? No! The murderer? No! Who is inexcusable? "Whosoever thou art that judgest." This means you are not to judge outside of your own area. If a man is given an area of judgment, but judges outside his own area, the Bible says that is inexcusable.

Look at all the sins listed here inRomans 1:24-32, "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, god gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Look at all these wicked sins listed here; yet, who is inexcusable? Those who judge those who commit these sins yet who are outside their area of judgment. The judger, the gossiper, the slanderer, the critic, the tattler and the babbler are inexcusable. It is the only sin which is inexcusable!

Inside your jurisdiction, it is proper to judge these people; but to judge outside your jurisdiction is inexcusable! God will judge them. It is our responsibility to judge those things only if they are in our area of jurisdiction.

2. Judging is the only sin that will get you punished for another.

Deuteronomy 19:15-19 explains that a false witness was to receive the same punishment as would have been inflicted upon the accused if he had been proven guilty. Haman accused Mordecai of a capital crime punishable by death on the gallows. Haman ended up dying on those gallows intended for Mordecai. Esther 7:10, "So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified." The harshest treatment mentioned in the Bible was given to those who judged. No other sin demands such harsh retribution as does false accusation.

3. Judging is the first step down. Once a person starts judging people who are not in his area of jurisdiction, he is on his way down a terrible path.

4. Judging is the only sin that warrants public rebuke. I Timothy 5:17-20, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And the labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all that others also may fear."

The only sin mentioned here is false accusation. God is not instructing us to rebuke publicly everybody in the church who commits a sin, nor is He giving us permission to do so. That is foolishness! You could never do it, for everyone sins every day. In reality, the only sin spoken of here is the sin of false accusation.

5. Judging is a sin Paul rebukes someone for committing. We read in I Timothy 1:20, "Of whom is Hymenceus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme." II Timothy 2:17, "And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenceus and Philetus."

In I Corinthians 5:1 there is the mention of a man who was committing adultery with his stepmother. Paul never mentions the man's name. He does, however, openly rebuke the blasphemers and slanderers. The destroying of someone's reputation was considered worse by Paul than many other sins. I wonder how many lives have been destroyed by judgers. I wonder how many homes have been ruined by them. I wonder how many ministries and churches have been destroyed. That is why it is so wicked.

II Timothy 4:14, 15, 'Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words." Alexander, the coppersmith, was named in Scripture for his resistance to Paul. Yet, we do not know the names of those who were guilty of adultery or other various sins. We do know the names of judgers and slanderers. God lets us know in His Word.

6. Judgers are the main people beloved John rebuked. III John 9, 10, "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrophes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." Diotrophes was guilty of slander, or as John described it, "prating against us with malicious words."

If you saw a deacon in your church drunk, or if you saw a deacon with a harlot, what would you do? Most people would expose him. If you had a deacon come up to you and slander someone, what would you do? Would you listen? Or would you treat him harshly like John did?

Have you ever considered that the Devil's main sin is that of accusing? Satan is called the "accuser of the brethren." What does it really take to be as wicked as the Devil? Accusing the brethren! I am not trying to minimize any sin, but I am trying to put the emphasis where God does.

7. Make it your goal to salvage wrongdoers. I do not understand preachers who do not want to salvage their people. If one of my people falls into any type of sin, I want to salvage him. I do not condone the sin of King David, but I do want to remind you that he wrote some of his greatest Psalms after his sin. God is in the salvaging business!

Abraham did wrong when he got the Egyptian maid pregnant. I certainly am not condoning what he did; yet, after that sin, God still performed the miracle of giving Abraham a son when he was 100 years old.

Jacob was away from the will of God for 20 years. I am not condoning that, but it was after that that he was called a prince.

Moses killed a man, and that was a terrible wrong! I am not condoning murder, but it was after that sin, that God used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

If you ever want to get like God, then start looking at sin like God does. Hate it because of what it does to those you love!

In my ministry I have been accused of not hating sin. That is a filthy lie. I do hate sin. I hate the liquor that destroyed my dad. I hate sin because of what it does to the people Ilove, but I still want to salvage those people. With these thoughts in minds, let me give you four principles by which I always try to live.

Four Principles By Which I Try to Live

1. I always defend the accused (unless it concerns a broken civil law). I do not know whether or not the accused person did that which he is accused of doing, but I do know that the accuser is doing what the Devil does. He is accusing the brethren. The Devil is not a false accuser. He is a true accuser. If you accuse someone to me, I am the witness to your sin of accusing.

A dear friend of mine who had been a preacher for many years called me one day. Years ago he quit the ministry, but I never knew why. He assumed I knew, so he started to tell me about it. I stopped him and said to him, "I do not want to know what bad you did. Ijust want to know about all the good you did." He began to cry and said to me, "You are the only real friend I know I have."

I would rather someone say that to me than to be known as one who spreads garbage about people. What real pleasure is there in that?

2. I try never to believe criticism. You do not have to believe or disbelieve something that is said to you. If someone comes to me accusing someone else of doing something wrong, I do not believe it. I am not saying that the accuser is a liar because I am not saying that the accused person did not do it; I merely refuse to believe it is true until it is proven to be true!

3. I never investigate outside my own area ofjudgment. I do not want to know what someone did that was wrong. I do not want to know what a fellow pastor did or was accused of doing. If it is in my area to judge, then I must investigate. Otherwise, I do not want to know!

4. I do not spread accusations even if they prove to be true. I do not want anyone to know what someone has been accused of doing even if it is true. I get weary of the Pharisees who say someone 15 covering sin merely because they do not want to destroy someone's reputation. Jesus showed the most compassion on those who had fallen into sin. He showed the least compassion toward those who spread it.

It is time for Christians to live like Christians in the way we treat sinners. If people have sinned, we ought to discipline them with dignity, courtesy and love, unless we feel that harshness will help them.

When I was a little boy, my mother and I would go downtown to shop. There was a large "ten cent" store there called Grand and Silvers that sold everything, including the best malted milk I ever drank! Back them they cost only a nickel. We were so poor that we could never afford to buy one, but I would go over and watch the people drink their malted milks. Sometimes someone would leave a little in the bottom of their glass and I would sip what was left!

I loved to look around in that store, and I didn't stay by Mama very well. My mother would call me back to her, but soon I would wander away again. Finally, she would hide from me so that I could not find her! She could still see me, but I could not see her. I would become very frightened because my mother was separating herself from me. That was the punishment. It was harsh, but it was meant to teach me a lesson. When it was over, she always lovingly made up to me because I had learned the lesson. Harshness was a part of her judgment.

Most of the time our harshness should be reserved for those who are harsh. Judgment should be harshest on those who are judges.

If I damage your name, it is a greater crime than robbing you of your possessions. The Bible says in Proverbs 22:la, 'A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches."

I refuse to steal someone's good name, because if I do so, the harshest judgment is reserved for me. I do not ever want to be inexcusable!

Chapter Ten

JUSTICE AFTER

THE JUDGMENT

We are going to find out what to do after the judging has been done. A transgression has been committed. The penalty has been paid, and judgment has been given. Now what are we to do? The child has been spanked. Perhaps the student has been given 50 demerits. Judgment is all over now, so what are we supposed to do?

1. We are not to publicize it. Revelation 12:10, "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." This is talking about the Devil. The Devil is the accuser of the brethren.

One day it dawned on me that the Devil is not a false accuser. The Devil is accusing you right now before God, but he is not just a false accuser. He is a true accuser; he is telling the truth about you. Do you want to be like the Devil? If you accuse someone falsely, that is like the Devil; but if you accuse someone truly, that is also like the Devil! Unless it is in your area, you are of the Devil when you decide to accuse or judge someone.

That word, "accuser," is an interesting word. It means "speaking out loud against." If it is not in your area, you are not supposed to judge it. If it is in your area, you are not supposed to speak out loud about it. It is always wrong to spread bad about anybody unless it is concerning reference for a job, etc.

James 4:11, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge." "Speak not evil one of another" means "Do not scandalize." It means that you are not to tell a bunch of lies against somebody. You are not to tell something that you do not know is true. It also means that you are not to judge even when you know something is true, if it is outside your God-given area.

Why are we not to blab about those who commit sin? I will tell you why. It is because they have families who are innocent people. They have wives and children who do not need to live their lives with a whole nation knowing what happened. I am not covering up sin. I am just not for exposing sin. "Covering up sin is what you do if you do not punish in your area. Once the punishment is made, it is not covering up sin not to talk about it. To tell the whole world about what happened is only going to hurt children who have a right to grow up with a normal life. The family has a right not to be crucified!

You may ask, "But aren't we supposed to rebuke them before all?" I Timothy 5:17-20, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear."

This is not saying that anybody who commits a sin is supposed to be rebuked in front of the whole church! The sin spoken of here is committed by those who make an accusation without two witnesses. Those are the ones who are to be rebuked in front of them all, because they are trying to destroy innocent people without proof of anything. God does not intend for us to get up and rebuke everybody and expose their sins. If someone sins, let him come to the altar, get right with God, and try to do right. Then, let us try to help him do right! Do not talk about what he did!

Let me tell you how I do it. A man who worked for us committed what folks like to call "gross sin." I called him into my office and said, "I love you. I have had more than two people tell me that they witnessed your doing something that appeared to them to be a gross sin." (If one witness had come forward, I would not have called him in, because the Bible says I am not to receive the accusation unless I have two or more witnesses.) I said to him, "I need to ask you a question: Is it true?"

He said, "Yes, it is."

I said, "You know what that means. Why don't you go ahead and resign right now? I will personally help you. I will keep your family fed while you can find employment. I suggest that you leave the area. I promise you that I will be responsible to pay your salary for several months until you find a job." Then the man resigned to me in my office.

I am not going to tell you who he was, because it is none of your business! He was in my area of judgment! If we publicly rebuked everyone in the church who committed a sin since the last Sunday, we would never be able to end a service. Why don't we use some common sense?

A deacon of ours started smoking, so I called him in and said, "I have two people who said they saw you smoking down at Douglas Street and Hohman Avenue. Is it true?"

He said, "Yes, it is."

I said, "You know what that means. I suggest that you resign the deacon board."

On two or three occasions deacons have committed what we call "gross sin." I called those deacons in. If they admitted what they were accused of doing, I suggested that they resign the deacon board. I did not "blab" it around! Those deacons have lovely families who do not need to bear the stigma of their daddy's sin, just because some preacher thought he was supposed to blab everybody's sin in front of the whole church. That is the way I handle it. I am not going to get up and broadcast everybody's sins. I am not going to call my deacons together and reveal why that man resigned. This method is called "loving people." You say, "Brother Hyles, that is hiding sin." No, it is not! It is called "not exposing it." It is not hiding it! I would be hiding it if I did not call him into ask him if he did it. I did not hide it. I brought it out in the open and talked to him about it.

2. Balance the scale. Make the punishment equal to the crime. That is justice. When a person commits a crime, the scale is not balanced. If that person is not punished for that transgression, it is not justice, because the scale is still not balanced. If that person is overly punished, that is not justice either. So, what is justice? Justice is when someone commits a transgression, and the punishment is equivalent to the transgression.

3. Do not require him to pay more. Do not punish him more by refusing to speak to him. Do not punish more by branding him. There are probably five men who are among the best men in our church, and I know they served time in the penitentiary. Those men committed a crime and were given the punishment for their crime. They served their time. When I look at them, I look at them like I look at anybody else. The scale is balanced. If you have not committed a crime, then your scale is balanced. If they have committed a crime and paid for it, they have balanced their scales. The debt is paid. Do not "blacklist" them. Do not look down on them. The debt is paid!

We had a young man in our church who kissed a woman 29 years ago. He did not plan to kiss her. They both went to our church. They worked at the same place. They had a coffee break and were talking to each other. She was a beautiful woman, and he was a handsome man. In a moment of passion, he kissed her. As soon as he kissed her, he said, "I am sorry. Forgive me for what I have done."

He got in his car, rushed to the church, came to my office, and said, "Pastor, this is what I did. I am sorry. I do not know why I did it." He walked down the aisle the next Sunday night and asked God to forgive him. There are still some people who will not trust that man because of what he did. Twenty-nine years ago he slipped for just one moment. I am not saying you ought to let your daughter go steady with him. That becomes your area of judgment. If your daughter is going to have a date with someone, that becomes your area of judgment. You have a right to judge in that situation. If he applies for a job in your employment, you have a right to check his past, but outside of your area, it is not your business! Do not require him to pay more.

4. Forgive him as Jesus forgives. Ephesians 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

We are to forgive like Jesus forgave. If we forgive like Jesus forgave, then we are also to forget, because God has also forgotten our sins. As deep as the sea, our sins have been separated from Him. That isn't all. When Jesus forgives us, He not only forgets, but He looks at us with 'justified forgiveness," as if we have never sinned at all. That means if you sinned against me, I am to forgive you and forget that you did it. As far as your record is concerned, you are supposed to be justified as though you never sinned against me.

You would be shocked how many people have come to my office and said, "Brother Hyles, I want to ask you to forgive me again for what I did to you three years ago." I did not even remember the incident about which they were talking. That is 'justified forgiveness." Once the transgression has been committed and the judgment has been executed, I am not to publicize it; I am to balance the scale, making the punishment equal to the crime; I am not to require them to pay more; and I am to forgive as Jesus forgives.

You are not going to be happy if you spend your life trying to decide what somebody outside your area of responsibility 15 supposed to do. You have no way of bringing it to a conclusion because it is not in an area where you are the judge. Not only are you going to hurt somebody else, but you are going to hurt yourself.

Nobody is as frustrated as people who know an answer but do not have the opportunity to give the answer. If you do not have the responsibility to judge, then stay out of that area. This may keep you from having a nervous breakdown. Do yourself a favor, and do not make judgments in an area that is outside the boundaries that God has given you.

GO TO PART TWO

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