“Don’t judge me!”  I’d guess you’ve heard someone say that, or maybe you’ve said it yourself.  The subject of judging can be a very controversial one.  There was this guy who said that he was a Christian.  Now folks I completely understand a believer who has been controlled by alcohol, tobacco, and so forth.  Some seem to get delivered immediately and they never touch the stuff again.  Others have a time trying to free themselves of these substances.  I don’t judge those folks because as long as they are trying I believe that God is working with them.

But this guy had none of those habits that we typically stereotype as things Christians don’t do.  There was just something about him.  He had no compassion on others, he was angry a lot, and he didn’t mind giving someone a good tongue lashing.  His life just didn’t reflect Christ within.  When I spoke to him about it his temper flared and he uttered those words, “Don’t Judge me!”  I left and thought about the situation.   Then it hit me like a ton of bricks; I wasn’t passing judgment on him, I was simply fulfilling my duty as a fruit inspector.  You see, when we are really born again the fruit of the Spirit will flow freely from us.  We may not have the right to judge a person but we certainly have the right to inspect the fruit of their lives.

In 1 Corinthians 2:15 we see a whole different aspect about the subject of judging.  It tells us, “But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.”  This verse of scripture looks at a whole different aspect of judging.  Paul is saying that we can judge all things, but there is a prerequisite; in order to judge all things we must first be spiritual.  Now how in the world do we determine who’s spiritual and who isn’t?  That’s the hundred dollar question.

Some people think they are spiritual.  I’ve seen it all my life; they may seem to be very spiritual.  There are groups who determine their spirituality by how they dress, what they eat, how often they attend church services, and so forth.  Most of these folks mean well and I don’t stand in judgment of them.  But those things really have nothing to do with being spiritual.

Other people think they are spiritual because they worship God loudly and dance in the spirit; some even drink poison and handle deadly snakes.  Again, I can’t stand in judgment against these folks (although I wouldn’t suggest drinking poison on purpose and you just keep those dangerous snakes, or any snake for that matter, far away from me).  These things, again, are not proof of spirituality in people.

There’s only one proof and that’s to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives.  I’m not talking about an experience beyond salvation (although I do believe in such an experience) but I’m telling you that when we truly get saved, at that moment the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us and we are instantly and forever changed.  Oh, habits and so forth may not be cured instantly (they can be in some, but others have a terrible time with these things) and all of our problems aren’t going to disappear, but we can expect a change within.  We will begin seeing others with compassion, being sensitive to their needs.  We’ll have a desire to love instead of hate; to help instead of hinder, and to be kind instead of going around as an old grump.  Our lives will begin reflecting Christ within us and that makes us spiritual.

The other part of this verse tells us that we can’t be judged by any man.  Now we may be hauled before a judge because of something we’ve done, or just because of our faith in Christ.  Others may see us slip once in awhile and accuse us of not being a believer.  But no one can undo what Christ has done in us except us.  Let the world pass its judgments but in fact no one can judge us if we are truly spiritual.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.?  Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.