The Scriptures says that the heart is despicably wicked, who can know it.  If we are struggling within our own being, and have not rightly judged ourselves, then certainly, we do not have the capacity to peer into the soul of another struggler, who is being made to be an over-comer in this life, through God's gracious gift of His Son.  If our advice and understanding is not applied to our own heart, and the fruitful evidence is lacking in our lives, then our hypocrisy is seen to be overshadowing any light that may be in our words of critical judgment of another soul.  Even though we may know rote Scripture, our self righteous actions and critical nature gives us away.  The fact of the matter is that we don't seem to understand that our own perceived wisdom, is still rooted in our minds, from the good and the evil that is derived from the Tree of Knowledge that sustains sinful self.  Right and wrong are in the eyes of the beholder. The little human gods of sinful flesh, will always justify self, and will delude self with its own perception of preservation, and superior spiritual experiences. So then, Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. ^{(Matthew 7 verse 3 thru 5.)} Then again, when our log is extracted with ones own submission to the Lord, perhaps then with His grace, we will see clearly that the brother was already seeing with clarity, and never had the need for our intrusive intervention.

Apparently, even in our Christianity, our spiritual eye is not single, that is clearly affixed on Jesus Christ at all times, but can remain murky, and obstructed with the cares of the world, and our own preservation attached to prideful self-importance, with sin's desire for control of people, and circumstances about us. In the spiritual realm of demonic hierarchy, a controlling spirit may dominate a person's naturally bent persona, and tends to feed and lay to waste spiritually, both a person encumbered with an inner spirit of self-righteousness, and also another person, who is rooted in self rejection, leading to their further low esteem.  In either case of the spiritual controlling influence, if there is the lack of repentance, linked with confession, followed by the cleansing action of the Spirit of the atoning Blood of Jesus Christ, then the possibility for further defilement and uncleanness can follow. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ^{(Ephesians 6 verse 12.)}

To begin to see and understand ourselves with more clarity, it is good to remember, where that inherent log of ingrained iniquity came from in the first place.  It is of the truth that our own genetic logging experience, began in the garden with Adam's encounter with Satan, and remains rooted in the family tree of man.  Quite naturally, it begins with our conception into the family tree, and branches down through the trunk of our forefathers, and ending in the roots of our first parents, Adam and Eve.  In the Garden of Eden, they both saw with open eyes, then desired, and then made their own free will choice to eat of the  “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”, thus spurning the eternal righteous nourishment that would come from the “Tree of Life”, provided in God. They did right in their own eyes, and not in the eyes of God.   

From the very beginning, through our natural parentage, we became one with that tree of iniquity, with its strong roots, that continues to encumber the earthly soil, of our self-idolatrous minds.  The knowledge of both, the good and the bad, are rooted there in the billions of neurons of our brains, and our decisions are laced with both choices.  The old adage remains with us, "You are, what you eat".  Having partaken of the old, it is difficult to set it aside, and then take up the new. There is a way that seems right with man, but the ends there of, are dead branches and dead decaying logs. That old dead log has been part of us for so long, we fail to notice the decay in our minds, and the effects upon the spiritual heart.  Thus, our judgment is a dead branch, protruding from the beginning source of our iniquities, and is a statement of who we are (sinners), and where we came from (sinners), and where we may be going without Jesus Christ leading us. For every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD ponders the hearts. ^{(Proverbs 21 verse 2.)} Selah'! I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life of men, no one can come to the Father except through Me.

Individually, we all need to begin to have the dead log of corruption, extracted out of the evil eye of our heart, or as Jesus says: “Can a blind man guide and direct a blind man? Will they not both stumble into a ditch or a hole in the ground”? ^{(Luke 6 verse 39.)} Now, that Messiah has come, His axe of truth, needs to be laid to the core root of our iniquities that are imbedded within the matrix of our grey and white matter.   The Lord says: "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit". ^{(Matthew 12 verse 23.)} For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. "For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. ^{(Luke 6 verse 43 thru  45. (N.A.S.B.)} From out of the abundance of the heart of man, the mouth speaks of that which the heart contains. So then, who is a good man?  The Lord our Righteousness says, “With out me you can do nothing”; and: "There is none good but One, that is, God. ^{(See John 15 verse 5 and Matthew 19 verse 16 thru 18.)}

All of our goodness, apart from Jesus Christ, is as filthy rags and our judgment is skewed toward the old Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. Living within Christ Jesus, we are to be the branches of His Righteousness bearing His fruit. Unless we continually live in the True Vine, we are dead branches and it is impossible to bear good fruit.  Then too, if the branch is not producing fruit, it is cut off as if it were not part of the Vine.  But the branch that is producing fruit is purged of sucking tendrils, and made to produce more abundantly of good fruit.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the Word, which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
"I AM the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
^{(John 15 verse 1 thru 5.)}

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. ^{(John 15 verse 6. (N.A.S.B.)}

As Christians, we know that it is possible for our minds to be spiritually changed, with the proper application of the two-edged sword of the Word of God.  The old neuronal dendrites (tendrils) of our old thinking must be cut off, so that the fruit of the Spirit is brought forth in the new branches of righteous thinking in the spirit of our minds, birthed through the Spirit of the Word of God in Christ Jesus. 

"For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-­edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account". ^{(Hebrews 4 verse 12 thru 13.)} See now that I, even I AM He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive: I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My' hand.  ^{(Deuteronomy 32 verse 39 thru  43.)}

Our judgment, being somewhat similar to the Word of God, can be a two-edged sword, but probably, with out skill, will have only one consequence.  If in our zeal or anger, we are lacking both experience and patience, then when combining human judgment with the Word of God, we may run the risk of having created present and future events with devastating consequences. If this is the case, then the unfortunate calamitous events, are the results of the cause and effect of sin in the flesh from the Garden of Eden, bringing only death. We all have to be very careful when we whip the sword out of the scabbard of our minds, for we are liable to wound ourselves and slay our brother at the same time.  All judgment, no matter whether it is good or bad, is liable to the judgment of the judged, and can be met with good or bad results. We can see that even our own good and Godly judgments have liabilities.  Children will certainly judge their parents when discipline is applied to the seat of their understanding.  With what measure we judge, it will be measured back to us, no matter the age of the person being disciplined.

Perhaps you have had someone ask you to do something that goes against your conscience, and the will of God, or to lie, so as to facilitate some action of expediency.  Inevitably, the person becomes angry with you, even when your reply is a simple and gentle, “I can’t do that”.  Sadly, sin continues to manifest the singularity of itself, and triggers the offender’s pride of self-justification.  The sinner's defensive emotions, rationalizes his position of error, and covers it with rage at your supposed weakness, and the lack of your understanding of his or her need.  You have entered into their storm, and now the eye wall breaks out against you, and you begin to reap the verbal or nonverbal judgmental rejections caused by sin.  Your good manners, are now taken to be an act of evil against the seducer.  Ironically, because of the preventative good that you would do, your friend or family member, have judged or censured you, as becoming guilty of betraying the relationship, and there will be the judgment and the fury of hell to pay. Be careful that someone else's wrong, does not negate our own right response.  In general; a soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.  The tongue of the wise, uses knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness. ^{(Proverb 15 verse 1 thru 3.)} The wisdom, that is from above, first indeed is chaste, then peaceable, modest, easy to be persuaded, consenting to the good, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without dissimulation.  And the fruit of justice is sown in peace, to them that make peace. ^{(See fully James 3 verse 9 thru 18.)}

If your friend or brother hears you, and then repents from his intended course, then you are fortunate in that you have gained your friend or brother. Even so it is not the will of your Father Who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established. ^{(Matthew 18 verse 14 thru 16.)} However, because of our jaded, sin biased view of ourselves and God, pride is not inclined to hear a more unbiased subjective observation, from the one standing off, who may have a greater view of the whole picture.

To proceed to the next chapter, please click on  God’s Eternal Perspective View.