Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Criticism
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Proverbs 13:20
We are admonished to bond with people who will encourage our better behaviors and characteristics. We eventually take on the characteristics of the people with whom we bond. We find numerous biblical cautions on this principle or law of bonding: » Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3) » He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. (Proverbs 13:20) » Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul. (Proverbs 22:24-25) The world's psychology claims that friendship is enhanced by communication. Godly psychology stresses communication but with a slightly different emphasis. Encounter groups (products of well-meaning but misguided psychological principle) encourage, "Let it all hang out—give vent to your pent up feelings." One psychologist suggests that, if one genuinely feels like saying, "I hate you! I hate you!" he should just say it, if it is an honest feeling. However, consider God's instruction: "A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back" (Proverbs 29:11). God's psychology insists that friends build up instead of tear down. The Scripture gives ample instructions for godly communication between friends: "Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Proverbs 27:5-6). A friend ought to be able both to offer and receive encouragement and loving criticism. As we in our local memberships now number in the teens rather than the hundreds, our faults become more transparent to one another. We need to come to appreciate both the encouragement and the candid criticism from our friends, as well as their kindness and generosity. A friend should never commiserate with or encourage his friend's bitter attitude or rebellion against any of God's laws, statutes, or principles but should encourage him to change course: » Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man's friend does so by hearty counsel. [A true friend both gives and accepts good counsel.] (Proverbs 27:9) » As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. (Proverbs 27:17) Godly communication between friends involves sharing common interests, giving and accepting advice, giving and accepting criticism, and giving and accepting encouragement. A healthy relationship requires both giving and receiving, with the primary emphasis on the way of give.
David F. Maas
Godly Friendship: A Priceless Commodity
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Matthew 7:1-5
We cannot avoid judging. As the stock in trade of the mind, appraisals are inevitable. If we were witnesses to a flagrant violation of law in which innocent people were harmed, could we keep quiet because we are not to judge? Does not Jesus command us to judge in verse 6? "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Do we not have to judge who are "dogs" or "swine"? Considering verse 15 ("Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves"), do we not have to judge whether a man is a false minister? Do we not have to reject his teaching based on an appraisal of his fruits? We must therefore take care to understand clearly what Jesus meant. He obviously did not mean we should not judge at all. Within the context of Luke 6:35-38, Jesus uses "Judge not, and you shall not be judged" to urge us to love our enemies, be merciful, forgiving, and generous. This very greatly modifies Matthew's account, showing that "Judge not . . ." is a warning against self-righteous severity, sharp-tongued criticism, and condemnation. Thus, it is not a command to be absolutely neutral and tolerant regarding moral issues, but a warning to be careful and loving when we judge. We can apply this admonishment to Romans 14:10-13 and James 4:11-12 as well. There are practical reasons why Jesus would advise us about this. Of prime importance is that even though it is important that we judge rightly, it is even more important that we do not usurp the place of God! "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4). Paul begins this letter to the Romans calling himself a servant of Jesus Christ. He reminds us that we are all His servants (verses 7-8). A servant does not have the same rights and responsibilities as a master. Though we are permitted the right of making an appraisal of conduct, we are not permitted the right of passing judgment upon a fellow servant. A fellow servant does not stand or fall at the bar of our judgment. The only judgment that matters is the judgment of our mutual Master. If He is satisfied or displeased, He will act in His good time and in His way. To usurp His responsibility is an act of sheer presumption. This in no way means we cannot approach a brother to inquire about and understand his conduct so that we might know whether our appraisal is correct. Assuming that our intent in questioning him is for his good, why would we even approach him? Would it not be because our evaluation of his conduct had led us to conclude—yes, to judge—that he was in serious moral or spiritual trouble?
John W. Ritenbaugh
Judgment, Tolerance, and Correction
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Matthew 7:1-2
"Do not judge." What does it mean? Most Bible commentators agree that He is warning us about a faultfinding spirit, a negative attitude that causes us to pick at others for the things we do not like in them. A word that sums it up is criticism. Criticism is a way of life for us, an integral part of our society. We have movie critics, music critics, art critics, literary critics, sports critics, dance critics, drama critics, and even wine critics. There are associations of critics and award programs for critics. As a society, we seem to be obsessed with criticizing the weaknesses and mistakes of others, living and dead, convinced that it is the right thing to do. After all, it is our way of life. We try to remake our mates and shape up our children by criticism, and we bring that same mentality into the church. We criticize others who do not measure up to our expectations. Many find fault with church leaders for not doing things the way we want them to be done. And we keep telling ourselves that it is the right thing to do. After all, it is our way of life. Why did Jesus tell us not to point out in condemnation the faults of others? Is He assuming that most of us have a tendency to do it? He knows our hearts, and since it is one of the most common sins among Christians, He knows we all need this reminder to some degree. Sometimes we are not even aware we are harshly criticizing others because we have become so used to hearing it and giving it. In fact, it can become such a common practice that we might wonder what else there is to talk about other than constantly discussing the flaws of others! But why do we do it? One reason for criticizing others could be our own feelings of inferiority, which surface in the form of pride. Attacking someone else is flattering to ourselves; it makes us feel superior. If we can show others where they fail to measure up, we feel we are a little smarter or better than they are in that area. Another reason could be envy or jealousy. We may be jealous because someone else is getting more attention than we are. Or we may envy someone's position or rank, thinking that we would be better at the job that they were given to do. Why is criticism such a foolish habit? For one thing—and it is a big thing—criticism of this nature is sinful. It is the opposite of love because it arises out of impure motives. It attempts to emphasize one's own righteousness at the expense of someone else's reputation. On the other hand, love is reluctant to believe the worst and is hopeful of the best in others: Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (I Corinthians 13:4-7, New American Standard Version) We criticize because of our impatience with others. Criticizing is certainly not being kind, and it is often provoked by envy and jealousy. We do it sometimes to exalt ourselves above others, which is arrogance. Criticism is unbecoming and rude. All of this is the opposite of love. The apostle Peter tells us that love seeks to conceal unrighteousness, not expose it (I Peter 4:8). Another reason it is such a foolish habit is that it distorts our perspective. Satan is the originator of criticism. The first example of this is in the Garden of Eden, when Satan criticized God to Eve, which caused her perspective of God to be distorted, deceiving her into sin. Then Adam's perspective of God was also distorted, and he sinned. Man has been paying for it ever since. Numbers 12 contains an example of how God reacts to the criticism of His anointed leader. "Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married" (Numbers 12:1, NET). The verb of this sentence, "spoke," is feminine, hinting that Miriam is the chief critic. Her condemnation of her brother, Moses, distorts Aaron's perspective of him, resulting in division in the family and the congregation. The siblings, envious of Moses' leadership, use another incident—his marriage to a Gentile—to criticize him. Often the immediate criticism is simply a surface issue covering a deeper matter, which comes out in verse 2: "They said, 'Has the LORD only spoken by Moses? Has he not also spoken by us?' And the LORD heard it." God's reaction is swift and harsh (Numbers 12:5-11, 13-15). Miriam's criticism not only led her and Aaron to sin, but it also affected the entire camp, delaying the journey to the Promised Land. This should make us wonder: Does criticism within the church stunt our growth toward the Kingdom of God? It surely does, pitting brother against brother, producing division and offense, and perhaps causing a vulnerable brother to fall away. Instead of criticizing others, we need to engage in some honest self-criticism. We have plenty of faults of our own; there is no need to look for them in others. So, whenever we are tempted to pick at a fault in someone else, we need to pray as David does in Psalm 139:23-24 (KJV): "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Clyde Finklea
Criticism: The Foolish Habit
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Matthew 7:2
Jesus warns us that we will receive the same kind of judgment that we make of others. Do we really want that? That warning ought to sober any thinking person! Do we really believe God when He gives us such a stern warning? Jesus adds another warning: Our judgment may be distorted because we may have a flaw of far greater magnitude in us than the flaw we observe so critically in our brother. The unspoken intimation is that because the flaw is ours, and we love ourselves, we are willing to be lenient in our self-judgment. By focusing our criticism on another, it enables us to avoid scrutinizing ourselves carefully and critically. Some enjoy correcting others because it makes them feel virtuous, compensating for failures in themselves that they have no desire to face. But the judgment we make about others is in reality the judgment we will receive from God.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Judgment, Tolerance, and Correction
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1 Corinthians 2:9-16
The verb Paul uses in verse 10, translated "revealed" (Greek apokalupto), is a strong term, usually used in the New Testament to indicate divine revelation of certain supernatural secrets or with the resurrection and judgment of certain people and events. These verses in I Corinthians 2 stress the work of the Holy Spirit in revealing the wisdom of God. In verse 14, the verb anakrino, translated "discerned," is the same verb translated "judges" and "judged" in verse 15. The idea in each case is to make intelligent, spiritual decisions. Anakrino, though meaning "examine," includes the decision following the examination. Members of God's church are to examine all things ,including our own lives, with the help of God's Spirit, and then we are to make an evaluation as to what our strengths and weaknesses are. Then we decide what we are going to do about them. No one in the world has a right to examine and evaluate us on spiritual matters because, without the Holy Spirit, they canno rightly and justly understand or evaluate. There is no need to feel slighted or put down by anyone in the world who disagrees with God's truth or with your obedience to God's truth. The same holds true in all judgments and criticisms from the world - that is, those without God's Holy Spirit - who try to tell us our doctrines are wrong. This is a major reason the Worldwide Church of God went into apostasy, because the leaders believed and accepted the criticisms of the worldly churches. They accepted judgment from people without God's Holy Spirit and from organizations without a spiritual foundation of truth. The mainstream Christian churches are worldly, are not led by people with the Holy Spirit, and they do not base their doctrines on truth. Two cases in point: neither the Sunday Sabbath nor the being that is called the Holy Spirit of the Trinity can be proven honestly and truthfully with God's written Word. Do not be fooled by mainstream Christianity's false piety! They are not God's people. They are not baptized members of God's church. They do not have God's Holy Spirit. This is not to say that there are not wonderful people in some of these churches in the world. In addition, when they do follow some of God's laws, blessings will automatically accrue to them.
Martin G. Collins
The Law's Purpose and Intent
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1 Timothy 3:6
There is some disagreement over "condemnation" here. Some commentators say that it ought to be translated "criticism" or "snare." From what it says in Ezekiel 28, we can be safe in concluding that Helel was created far different from the Satan that he became, that pride led to Helel's downfall by providing motivation. It plowed the way, and it completely obliterated his knowledge of God and His power, and eventually it produced rebellion. Paul's warning is that a converted person can fall into this snare, this criticism, or this condemnation, if he is not mature enough to fight and overcome its influence. If he does not recognize it, he is really in trouble. He will not put up any fight at all. If he does recognize it, and if he is mature, then he can overcome it because he will do the things necessary to ensure that it is in check. As long as there is a Devil, as long as we are human and have this human spirit, and as long as that spirit can be triggered by Satan, then we can fall prey to it if we are unaware of its working within us.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Faith (Part Six)
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Revelation 2:12-13
Pergamos was no more wicked than other cities of the day—consider, for example, Corinth and Ephesus. Some commentators say the governor of Pergamos, like Satan, heavily persecuted the church and likely oversaw the martyrdom of Antipas. Satan, king of all the children of pride (Job 41:34), deceives the whole world and is the accuser or persecutor of the brethren (Revelation 12:9-10). The lesson for us may be that where criticism, put-down, and persecution of others are common, Satan spends a great deal of time, taking bizarre, twisted pleasure in accusation and negativity. The Devil dwells where pride and self-exaltation are present, attitudes we must avoid diligently.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The Seven Churches (Part Five): Pergamos
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