The dictionary tells us that judgment is merely the ability to make decisions, and to form opinions. It is not an accident that the second adjutant mind spirit, the spirit of understanding, provides us with the gift of rapid judgment. It appears to be essential to the coordination and association of ideas. The lower animals make such judgments based upon experience, but with the presence of personality and the indwelling spirit, humans are capable of making rapid judgments concerning morality, meanings and values. It is a fundamental part of our psyche.
Again Bonita, you are on top of things. I failed to define the term as I would use it. Given of redo on the topic I would now ask, WHAT DOES IT MEAN ‘TO JUDGE’? I think that you would agree that this changes the discussion and thank you for the distinction and correction.
Jesus said, “Judge not.” He did not say, “Judgment not.” The admonition against judging is akin to the golden rule, which instructs us to treat others as Jesus would treat them. He explained that the spirit with which we judge others is the same spirit with which we will be judged; so, we should only judge as we would like to be judged ourselves. Or better yet, as a loving Father, would judge. Likewise, we are told to forgive others as Jesus would forgive them. The UB explains in the following quotes how forgiveness relates to the golden rule.
In order to forgive other as Jesus would forgive is to not judge in the first place. Jesus refused to judge. Forgiveness means to ‘look past’ ones verdict of your brother.
147:4.1 On the evening of this same Sabbath day, at Bethany, while Jesus, the twelve, and a group of believers were assembled about the fire in Lazarus’s garden, Nathaniel asked Jesus this question: “Master, although you have taught us the positive version of the old rule of life, instructing us that we should do to others as we wish them to do to us, I do not fully discern how we can always abide by such an injunction. Let me illustrate my contention by citing the example of a lustful man who thus wickedly looks upon his intended consort in sin. How can we teach that this evil-intending man should do to others as he would they should do to him?”
147:4.2 When Jesus heard Nathaniel’s question, he immediately stood upon his feet and, pointing his finger at the apostle, said: “Nathaniel, Nathaniel! What manner of thinking is going on in your heart? Do you not receive my teachings as one who has been born of the spirit? Do you not hear the truth as men of wisdom and spiritual understanding? When I admonished you to do to others as you would have them do to you, I spoke to men of high ideals, not to those who would be tempted to distort my teaching into a license for the encouragement of evildoing.” *
In order to forgive others as Jesus would forgive them requires a refusal to judge in the first place. There is no proper way to judge a brother, therefore the need for forgiveness.
147:4.3 When the Master had spoken, Nathaniel stood up and said: “But, Master, you should not think that I approve of such an interpretation of your teaching. I asked the question because I conjectured that many such men might thus misjudge your admonition, and I hoped you would give us further instruction regarding these matters.” And then when Nathaniel had sat down, Jesus continued speaking: “I well know, Nathaniel, that no such idea of evil is approved in your mind, but I am disappointed in that you all so often fail to put a genuinely spiritual interpretation upon my commonplace teachings, instruction which must be given you in human language and as men must speak. Let me now teach you concerning the differing levels of meaning attached to the interpretation of this rule of living, this admonition to `do to others that which you desire others to do to you’:
“1. The level of the flesh. Such a purely selfish and lustful interpretation would be well exemplified by the supposition of your question.
“2. The level of the feelings. This plane is one level higher than that of the flesh and implies that sympathy and pity would enhance one’s interpretation of this rule of living.
“3. The level of mind. Now come into action the reason of mind and the intelligence of experience. Good judgment dictates that such a rule of living should be interpreted in consonance with the highest idealism embodied in the nobility of profound self-respect.
“4. The level of brotherly love. Still higher is discovered the level of unselfish devotion to the welfare of one’s fellows. On this higher plane of wholehearted social service growing out of the consciousness of the fatherhood of God and the consequent recognition of the brotherhood of man, there is discovered a new and far more beautiful interpretation of this basic rule of life.
“5. The moral level. And then when you attain true philosophic levels of interpretation, when you have real insight into the rightness and wrongness of things, when you perceive the eternal fitness of human relationships, you will begin to view such a problem of interpretation as you would imagine a high-minded, idealistic, wise, and impartial third person would so view and interpret such an injunction as applied to your personal problems of adjustment to your life situations.
“6. The spiritual level. And then last, but greatest of all, we attain the level of spirit insight and spiritual interpretation which impels us to recognize in this rule of life the divine command to treat all men as we conceive God would treat them. That is the universe ideal of human relationships. And this is your attitude toward all such problems when your supreme desire is ever to do the Father’s will. I would, therefore, that you should do to all men that which you know I would do to them in like circumstances.”
At what level does Gabriel of Salvington interpret this admonition concerning the case of Gabriel vs Lucifer?
