Should someone who calls himself a Christian, cast doubt on the "christianity" of another?

Question

Is it right for a Christian to judge another's heart?
Is it right to tell another person that they are not a Christian, because they do not believe the same?
Isn't God the ultimate authority, so if someone says, "you are not a Christian"...isn't that person pretending to be God? Therefore, they are committing blasphemy?

Answer 1

True to some degree. The Bible does say that we will know a true Christian if they bear fruit (lead people to Jesus, help others, love each other, etc) - so technically if we get to know someone - I believe we can see if they are following Jesus instead of themselves or a different "religion." A side note there - knowing Jesus is not "religion" - it is having a personal relationship with Jesus and God the Father - very very different.

Answer 2

the bible says- you will know they are Christians by their love. Yes- we are to judge.
Judge — don’t judge — what do we do? Matthew 7:15 is clear that we can judge the message and fruit of false apostles. However, Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:1 that we should be careful in nitpicking and judging people’s motives or eternal destiny. Ultimately only God is the judge of those things. We can, after all, be too hard on people in minor matters.

The mystery clears up when we realize that the word “judge” can be used in different ways in different contexts. Understanding the context is the key to interpreting what kind of judging we are speaking about.

“Consider first the Greek word Krino, translated judge in our text. If you look at a concordance of the King James Version, you will find the word has been translated: conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, ordain, think and then judge 87 times. Other Greek scholars say that Krino means to call in question, conclude, decree, esteem, determine, think and sentence. From all of this I think it would be safe to say that the word our Lord used means to condemn or to pass judgment upon someone maliciously; while the context shows that we have the responsibility to properly evaluate a thing or an act”

Answer 3

My heavens, I never have been flashed, but I did unintentionally flash a few folks once. I was in the hospital some time back and decided to take a stoll to the vending area. Well, I wasn't thinking about what I was wearing and, let's just say that those hospital gowns don't leave a lot to the imagination on the backside. The nurse came up from behind me and put a blanket over my shoulders . . . I was wondering why it was a little drafty back there!

Answer 4

No I do not believe it is up to man to judge anothers heart. We don't have that capability, only God does. However, we can judge the actions of others and if it is in contradiction to Christ's teachings, may take a stand against that. Psalms 97:10 People justify all the time what the Bible leaves no room for argument, such as homosexuality, adultery, murder, etc....But we can clearly see that all of these things are detrimental to individuals, but yet people continue to practice them, and still feel justified in calling themselves "Christian". That is why you can identify a true Christian, not by their word only, but by their deeds. Actions truly do speak louder.

Answer 5

1) No. Certainly not.

2) No. That's up to God alone

3) Of course not. As long as they can confess the Creeds of the Church (the basics) - that should be enough.

4) Yes. That is God's job. Blasphemy? Not really.

Answer 6

"Should someone who calls himself a Christian, cast doubt on the "christianity" of another?"

Are you not, by the nature of your question, casting doubt on the "christianity" of someone who casts doubt on the "christianity" of someone else?
As to your question, while I agree this can be taken too far, I would answer yes. In fact, Paul cast doubt on the "christianity" of a Corinthinian man who had taken up with his father's wife, going so far as to exclaim that such sexual immorality wasn't named among the pagans. Therefore, if a person's actions clearly and blatantly contradict scripture (as in the above case), then not only casting doubt called for, but disassociation from the church if the offending member refuses to repent.

Answer 7

Thank you for that! However, I wouldn't go so far as to accuse them of committing blasphemy. I would be more inclined to think of it as committing an act of un-faith. Trust in God, and trust in other people that when they claim to be a Christian, and they show love, etc, then they really are followers of Christ. "For by their fruits ye shall know them."

Answer 8

They don't seem to have much difficulty judging the fate of everyone else.

Why not allow them to judge each other as well?

Jesus said that by the measure they judge others, so shall they be judged. If a Christian is willing to accept that, they're free to judge whomever they wish.

Answer 9

No -- humanity is not to pass judgement,
No way
no way
God is the ultimate, and that statement is strictly a
judgemental opinon (which isn't right) without pretension I hope
as an opinion it's not blasphemy (agin, in my humble opinion)

Answer 10

No, we have no right to judge. Now when it comes to members of our own faith, a "see no evil" attitude toward them can cause us to lose creditbility to others.