Human Limitations in Judging

I Timothy 5:24 – Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

Verse 24 and 25 go together.

Verse 24 speaks of the evil that men do.

Verse 25 speaks of the good that men do.

Verse 24 – “Some men's sins are open before hand,” The sins of some men are so open and obvious that it is clearly seen that they are sinners before Almighty God. Paul is telling Timothy that these wicked men may not be judged in this world, but they will be judged in the world to come. Timothy will have no difficulty discovering men such as these, or what to do with them – reject them, and warn others about them. The context of the passage underscores the fact that Timothy would have no difficulty not laying hands on them, or giving credence to their ministry. Timothy would avoid them, and tell others to also avoid them. Evil men are to be marked so young Christians will know them, what they stand for, and stay away from them.

Verse 24 – “going before to judgment” This phrase is not speaking about God’s judgment, whether in this world or in the world to come. Paul is speaking about the judgment of Timothy as he considers the people he ministers to, and the ministers he will acknowledge as being of God. Paul is stating that the sins of some men or very open, and obviously point to judgment, both by man and God. It is clear and very apparent that some people are not to be ordained into the gospel ministry.

There is no doubt God will judge all unrighteousness, but that is not the meaning of this passage. I know all will be judged of God: the saved at the judgment seat of Christ, and the lost at the Great White Throne Judgment. God will judge every sin – both open and hidden. As humans, we can only judge what we see in the body, but God judges the heart. I think the context of this passage is in particular speaking about Timothy judging men by their actions.

Verse 24 – “and some [men] they follow after” The meaning here is that when it comes to ordaining any man to the ministry, it is impossible to know exactly where he stands before God. All we can go by is what we see in this flesh, which may or may not be the whole truth. The sins of some are hidden, secret. But they will not always remain secret. God will reveal them in his own good time. Our part in ordaining men to the ministry is to be as careful as we know how to be. Open our eyes to see the truth as much as we can, and trust God for the rest. If there is a man who is a “secret sinner,” his sins will come to light in due time. That is why Paul admonishes Timothy to “lay hands suddenly on no man.”

Personally, I do not help ordain a man to the ministry, and I will not recommend to Independence Baptist Church a man, that I do not personally know and trust. As a result of this, I have helped ordain very few men, but all those men are faithful to this day, with the singular exception of Matt James. I thank my God for this. I do not count it a “feather in my cap” to sit on the ordination council of any man. I am accountable to God, and to God alone. I have known preachers who would ordain any man as long as he was doctrinally sound. I think doctrinal purity is very important, but if the character of the man is wicked, all his sound doctrine will soon be gone. I have been to Bible conferences where a part of the service was to ordain a man to the gospel ministry. I have always refused to help ordain him if I didn’t personally know him and trust him. I try not to make a big deal out of it, I just quietly leave the service. I have explained my position to some pastors, and have found agreement. But every man must stand by himself in this matter.

Verse 25 states, “Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand” This verse seems straight forward enough, especially when coupled with the previous verse. The word “likewise” ties verse 25 to verse 24.

There are some men who are so obviously lead of the Lord, it is immediately seen. These are men who are strong in Christian character and grace, so sound in doctrine, so ready to learn and express the truth, so full of faith and hope in Christ Jesus, that there is hardly any need to examine them. The knowledge they may lack is made up for in desire to learn the truth. They are not necessarily “straight-laced,” but their love for the Lord leads them to purity of life, actions, and thought. Their motive is right with God, their desire is for God.

The rule of examining persons we will ordain to the gospel ministry is not made for the men in verse 25, but we examine all so we will not appear biased.

Verse 25 – “and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.” Men who try to hide their sins so they will be included in the ranks of the righteous will soon be discovered. It won’t be long before their positive inclination to sin comes out: first in hidden thought, slowly in the spoken word, and finally in brazen sinful actions against God.

The conclusion is: don’t be hasty to lay hands on men, ordaining them into the gospel ministry.

Another point: I have given the interpretation as pertaining to the ordaining to the gospel ministry. But these verses can also apply to human judgment of any man or woman. We don’t have to come out for or against a person immediately. Time will tell a lot of things, especially faithfulness in the ministry.

Another point: We don’t have to make a railing accusation against any person – the fruits of their labors will soon come out. If their work is good, they will appear as good, but if their works are bad, they will appear as bad. Our place is to be faithful to God, always obeying Him, and projecting the faith He has given us so others can see the way of salvation and true service.

I John 3:10 - In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. This passage speaks of how we can tell whether a person is a child of God or a child of Satan: by their works. I John 5:1-3 states, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Numbers 25:6-15 – Phinehas was openly blessed of God because he took care of the open sin of Zimri and Cozbi, famous people of their separate congregations. Phinehas is an example of I Timothy 5:25, whose good works are manifest to all before the judgment of God.

Amos 5:12 declares, For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Here is an example of I Timothy 5:25 where all see the wickedness of high officials, which are apparently escaping the judgment of God. The truth is, no wickedness ever escapes the judgment of God, regardless of what we see or what we think about it. Verse 13 expresses: Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. The prudent are sometimes erroneously considered those that think they are better than others, thus we use the word “prude” to describe them. This word, however, does not refer to that lifted up with pride. This word describes those that are wise after a Godly manner, that that have Godly understanding, and are able to have insight and comprehension into a matter. They are able to act circumspectly, and wisely about a matter because they understand no evil will not be judged in its own time. They understand they may not see the whole matter, as God works in the background his wonders to perform. The prudent are silent in the time of wickedness, just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were silent when Nebuchadnezzar established his great image of gold for all to worship. These men understood the coming judgment of God because of this great wickedness, but said nothing at all to withstand Nebuchadnezzar by telling him he was wrong. They were prudent in their speech and behaviour. They were brought into the limelight by Nebuchadnezzar, who received their unspoken valor when the tale was finally told.

To correctly determine our course of action in any given situation, we are totally and completely dependent upon God, and nothing else. May we never follow our own logical thinking – for we are wrong more often than we are right.