Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 22
March 25, 1971
NUMBER 45, PAGE 9

Presumptuous Judges

Daniel I. Hiler

What does it take to qualify one to be a judge of who is the evangelist, elder, or teen-age Christian of the year? Could it take less than a knowledge of all the characteristics and activities of all the evangelists or elders or teenage Christians during the year under consideration? And would not the qualifications of a judge in the matter have to include knowledge of what characteristics and activities set a person above all the others in his class? Now, supposing one has the necessary knowledge of the people under consideration and of the criteria by which the judging is to be done, is there not still another qualification a judge in the matter must have? Does he not need unerring intellectual ability and absolute freedom from bias to enable him to determine which individual of the many has the highest score?

If there is a mistake in the judging, so that one person receives the honor when it is another who deserves it, what is the good in the whole worldly mess?

So much for the judges. Now how about the candidates for the honors? Paul said, "in honor preferring one another." (Rom. 12:10.) Jesus said, "How can ye believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that cometh from the only God ye seek not?" (Jno. 5:44). Paul considered being judged by man's judgment a very small thing, but was concerned about how the Lord would judge him. (I Cor. 4:3-4). And Jesus said those who did their righteousness before men to be seen of them had received their reward. (Matt. 6:2,5,16.)

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