Lecture 1
When They Say, “No One Can Judge Me But God”
This might be the last piece of the armor mentioned in Ephesians, but it is not the least of the pieces that Apostle Paul identified in his letter to the church in Ephesus. It’s actually a very dangerous piece of our armor. One must be careful in how one handles the sword because it is very sharp.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the sword, which is the Word of GOD, is sharper than any double-edged sword. A double-edged sword is a sword that cuts on both sides. Therefore, if we are wielding the sword to cut another, we can also be cut by the same sword that we are using against another.
Does the saying “remove the plank from your own eye so that you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” mean that you are not to judge at all?
Meet the Judge
We are also told that this sword penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; and that it judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Let me interject right here that I have not paid attention to that before about “who” judges.
Who judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart?
That is powerful, especially when people are quick to say, “You can’t judge me, only God can judge me.” The sword IS the Word of GOD. Jesus is also called the Word of GOD.
Let me say this again with emphasis: the Word of GOD, who according to John 1:2 IS God, is what judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart according to Hebrews 4:12.
So, if a person is speaking the Word of GOD to counsel and correct in a matter, and the one being spoken to rejects the Word of GOD that is being spoken, who they are rejecting is the very God that they say can “only” correct them.
The Word of GOD, which is the sword, is living and active (Hebrews 4:12.), and the counsel that we are given comes from what the Apostle Paul told Timothy in preparing him to be a Soldier of Christ.
In 2 Timothy 2:15, we are told to “study to show ourselves approved, correctly handling the Word of truth”.
I would like to take this moment to encourage you to pause here and read the entire book of 2 Timothy because in that chapter Timothy is being given excellent counsel about…
· what it means to be CALLED to be a Soldier of Christ;
· what the CHARACTER of a Soldier of Christ looks like;
· what the Soldiers of Christ need to be CAUTIOUS about;
· what the CHARGE (or responsibility) of the Soldier of Christ is;
· And, what the COMFORTS are that the Soldiers of Christ can enjoy.
I call those The 5C’s of a Soldier of Christ and an in-depth look at them is being offered as Course Two – a 4-part Master Class after the completion of this class. I would encourage you to make sure to consider the entire book of 2 Timothy (it’s only 4 chapters) whether, or not, you choose to take the Master Class. The intensity in which the Apostle Paul trained and prepared Timothy is something that we can benefit from today.
Please view the video for a peek into the Introduction of the 5Cs of a Soldier of Christ with this encouraging word to soldiers about enduring the Boils of Life.
Please Proceed to Module 7 Field Trip 5
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