Part of the difficulty is the human tendency to sit in judgment on others
who have differing views of what the truth is.
We read:
It is very common for those who have adopted an opinion regarding any truth of
faith to sit in judgment on others and to say that they cannot be saved unless their
beliefs coincide with their own – a judgment which the Lord has forbidden. (Arcana
Coelestia 2284:4)
This is judgment in the sense of condemnation.
We read also: “The Lord says, Judge not, that you be not judged; for with
what judgment you judge you shall be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37)
Without doctrine this might be cited to confirm the notion that it is not to be said
of what is evil that it is evil, thus that an evil person is not to be judged to be evil;
yet according to doctrine it is lawful to judge, but justly… (Doctrine of the Sacred
Scripture 51:5)
So the Lord is telling us that we should judge. But not on how things
appear on the surface.
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
(John 7:24) Or in another version: “Judge not according to the face, but judge
the just judgment.” (Kempton Revision)
One conclusion we might draw from all this is not to condemn others but
to use our best judgment in recognizing evil and falsity and the harm they can
do – not forgetting the same things in ourselves! In this way, we can revive the
lost doctrine of charity, which is all about healing and restoring what has been
lost.
In ancient time they named these varieties of need by correspondence. You
can see what a comprehensive view they had by the footnotes in paragraph 107
in The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine. Food for thought!
The Rev. Frederick C. Elphick was the long-time pastor of the
Michael Church in London, England, and visiting pastor in
England and the Netherlands. He lives in retirement with his wife,
Jane, in Kent, England.
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