Judge Righteous Judgment | Clip 1 | Derek Prince

Summary

Derek Prince argues that the Bible’s apparent tension between commands not to judge and commands to judge is resolved by distinguishing what kind of judgment is involved, who is responsible to make it, and in what area.

1. Judging is connected to authority and accountability

• Prince presents judging as part of ruling: authority and responsibility go together, and people entrusted with authority are expected to make judgments within their area of responsibility.
• Those who judge are themselves accountable to God. He groups four ideas together: responsibility, authority, judging, and being judged.
• Biblical judgment does not give people a license to make every kind of judgment about everyone.

2. Final judgments about a person belong to God

• People should not make a final evaluation of another person’s character, inner motives, or eternal standing—or assume they can fully assess themselves.
• God alone knows all the facts, including hidden motives, and will make the final judgment at the proper time.
• Prince stresses that believers will also answer to God for how they have lived. The prospect of that accountability should shape daily conduct.

3. Believers are responsible to judge themselves

• Christians should examine their own conduct and relationships against the teaching of Scripture, not merely their feelings, society’s opinions, or their own self-assessment.
• Drawing on Paul’s instructions concerning the Lord’s Supper, Prince says that self-examination can prevent divine discipline.
• Matters for self-examination include unresolved bitterness, resentment, slander, and speaking falsely or uncharitably about other believers.
• Taking self-judgment seriously leaves less time for judging people in areas where one has no authority.

4. Parents and husbands have responsibility within the family

• Prince applies the principle of authority and responsibility to family life. He cites the qualification that a church elder should manage his household well, arguing that home life is a proving ground for public leadership.
• A parent’s responsibility is to judge conduct that affects children’s welfare and the order and reputation of the home—not to decide a child’s ultimate worth or destiny.
• His examples include intervening when a child’s habits may harm their health or when reading material is inappropriate for the child’s well-being.
• Parents are also responsible for addressing rude or undisciplined behavior and teaching children to honor their family name.

5. Church leaders and congregations have responsibility to judge within the church

• Prince says church leaders are expected to guide and discipline those they lead. He cites Hebrews 13 and Acts 14 in support of the importance of leadership in the church.
• Responsibility is not limited to leaders: the whole congregation may be called to judge collectively.
• He argues that many New Testament commands to judge are addressed to the church as a group, not to individuals acting on their own.
• He contrasts this with what he calls an individualistic tendency in Protestantism, while also acknowledging that Catholicism has errors. These are his personal assessments, not presented as neutral historical conclusions.

6. The church should address serious misconduct by professing believers

• Using 1 Corinthians 5, Prince says the church is responsible for addressing serious, ongoing misconduct by someone who claims to be a believer.
• He distinguishes between judging those inside the church and those outside it: the church is to address the conduct of its own members, while God judges those outside.
• He interprets exclusion from fellowship as a serious disciplinary measure and emphasizes that church members’ associations can communicate whether they recognize someone as a Christian.
• He warns that the church should not tolerate conduct that, in his interpretation, undermines Christian fellowship and witness.

7. Disputes between believers should be handled through a biblical process

Prince outlines a sequence based on Matthew 18:

1. Speak privately with the person who has wronged you.
2. If the matter is not resolved, bring one or two others so the facts can be established by witnesses.
3. If the person still refuses to listen, bring the matter before the church.
4. If they reject the church’s decision, Prince says they should no longer be treated as a fellow believer.

He cautions against discussing the offense with other people first. He uses the image of releasing feathers into the wind: reputational harm caused by gossip is difficult to undo.

8. Believers should resolve disputes with one another within the church

• Drawing on 1 Corinthians 6, Prince argues that Christians should not take disputes against fellow believers to secular courts; such matters should be handled within the church.
• He illustrates the point with a personal account of accepting a financial loss rather than suing a fellow believer.
• He presents this as a demanding principle and expresses concern that many churches may not be prepared to exercise the responsibility Scripture assigns them.

Speakers and sources featured

• Derek Prince — the sole audible speaker and preacher.
• Jim — mentioned by Prince as having introduced or indicated something earlier; no speech from Jim appears in the supplied subtitles.
• Biblical sources cited by Prince: 1 Timothy 3; Hebrews 13; Acts 14 and 19; 1 Corinthians 5 and 6; Matthew 18; and Paul’s teaching on self-examination before the Lord’s Supper.
• People and sayings referred to by Prince: Frank McNutt; Corrie ten Boom; Prince’s first wife, Lydia; and a Danish saying about the apple not falling far from the tree.