“I didn’t know that!”

Sure. In John 7:24 Jesus commands us to judge a righteous judgment. And, here in Matthew 7, he explains that he is speaking about the one who does not first take the log out of his own eye before he removes a splinter from another’s. That comment presupposes he will judge once he has dealt with his own sin.

“I guess I hadn’t connected that rightly.”

Yeah. But there are a couple of other things in the passage that also ought to be noted.

“Like what?”

Like v. 6.

“What has that verse got to do with the subject?”

Everything.

“Please explain.”

Gladly. Here’s what Jesus said: “Don’t give what is holy to dogs; and don’t throw pearls before pigs; otherwise, they may trample them with their feet and turn on you and attack you.”

See, that has to do with judging too.

“It does? Can’t see how.”

Well, for one thing, if you want to obey it, you will have to first determine who is a dog or hog!

“So?”

So, that’s judging.

“OH! I gotcha.’”

It’s none of our business to judge the actions and words of unbelievers; we have enough to do to rightly judge our own. Paul said, “What reason would I have to judge those who are outside [unbelievers]? Isn’t it those who are inside [Christians] that you are to judge?”(I Corinthians 5:12,13).

“Wow! That’s pretty clear, isn’t it?”

Very clear. But that’s not all. Jesus said that if you give valuable advice when trying to judge unbelievers (your dogs and hogs) they’ll not be able to assay its value and trample it underfoot, or turn on you because it wasn’t what they thought it was.

“Oh. Oh! I see that it can be dangerous to deal with such people.”

Proverbs has a powerful way of saying the same thing: “Whoever reproves a mocker gets insulted, and whoever corrects a wicked person invites bruises!” (Proverbs 9:7).

“Had no idea about such things. You mean he might punch me out?”

Literally or figuratively, yes.

“Woof!”

Yep. Lots of people who don’t have a biblical perspective, get angry over such reproof. It’s time we started focusing on those things in the church that need cleaning up before we take on the unsaved who can’t appreciate the value of biblical teaching.

“I can see that.”

Check out our online course, The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

1. What to do on Thursday
2. The Christian’s Guide to Guidance 
3. A Call for Discernment

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

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Sure, but you can always put a rubber gasket in it if the problem is with the hose.”

Exactly. If the problem is with the hose, deal with it. But if the spigot leaks, well . . . that’s another story.

If the spigot leaks; you may need to replace it or move the hose.

If there’s a leak in your spiritual life, then fix it by inserting the gasket of repentance. If the spigot leaks, then you may need to get a new one.

“How do I do that?”

Perhaps you’re hooked up to the wrong spigot. If so, you’ll end up with a mess if you continue to use it. And, in the meanwhile, like those plants, you may dry up spiritually.

“What faucet would be a leaky one?”

Any that isn’t attached to the Source of truth.

“But what does replacing it mean?”

Move the spigot in the pulpit, or remove the hose.

Changing churches if the truth is leaking out of the pulpit of the one you attend. It’s no virtue to be “true” to a church that fails to deliver the spiritual water of life, Christian. A liberal church delivers polluted water out of a rusty spigot, and the little bit of truth that you receive is so infinitesimal and so thoroughly mixed with rust that it won’t help  you. What you need is a steady, continual flow of pure, spiritual water.
“Sure, but our family’s always been members of our church.”

Look at them with a careful eye—what has it done for them? How much do they know of God’s Word? What spiritual benefits have they received over the years? Make a careful assessment; then make a good decision.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post If the Hose Leaks, Fix It! appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

The path of the righteous is level; You clear a straight path for the righteous.—Isaiah 26:7.

But what does it mean to be righteous? To put the word in simple terms it means to be “right” in God’s sight.
Ah, but how can one be right? First, he must be justified. This takes place by a once-for-all judicial act in which God declares a person “righteous” before Him. But how can that be, since we are all sinners?
A person is justified by faith. Faith in what?
In Jesus Christ. When he hears about the Good News and believes it, it is faith that makes the difference. The good news is that Jesus died, taking the punishment for all those sinners who would believe the good news. The good news (or Gospel) is that Christ died for sinners and rose again from the dead (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Believe that He took your punishment for your sin and you will be justified before God.
But it isn’t forensic (declared) righteousness about which the passage is speaking—it is talking to those who have already been justified (declared righteous), who can actually become righteous before God in their daily walk because they are His children, and are doing His will. This righteousness is actual righteousness by which one, through the help of the Holy Spirit, more and more obeys God, day by day becoming more like Jesus.
Live righteously—doing what Christ commanded—and you can expect a level path. That doesn’t mean trouble will be removed, but that, as you face it, God will clear your way through it.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post A Level Path appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.