Elder, it is your job to make sound moral judgments, to shine light into dark places. Morality is an invisible reality and the sheep under your care are looking to you for moral clarity. They look to you to speak with clarity and conviction on what is right and what is wrong. This is not optional; it is a duty. Therefore, you must learn God’s law intimately so that you may judge rightly, both for your sake and for the sake of the sheep under your care.

Evil is Inconspicuous

What does evil look like? If you are reading this you are probably a fan of Lord of the Rings (LOTR). Part of what is so appealing about LOTR is that the bad guys look like bad guys. They are dark, slimy, hideous creatures and when you see them you have no doubt, “That is evil!”

Sadly, the moral landscape for us humans is much less obvious. In fact, the moral landscape is not a landscape at all. There is no material reality that you can appeal to in order to make moral judgements. To say that another way, morality is not a material or physical reality, it is a spiritual and invisible reality.

I am not saying that morality is not real, it is quite real. I am simply saying that any moral standards that you live by are not based primarily on anything material. And yet, everyone, even your friendly neighborhood materialist-atheist, lives by a set of morals which are not grounded by any physical reality but are based on a set of invisible and spiritual beliefs.

This stands in stark contrast to Tolkien’s middle earth which is filled with witches, orcs, or some other dark creature creeping in the shadows. Sadly, as they have been played and replayed on our TVs, these fantasy worlds have taught us to believe one powerful lie: “If you ever saw something truly evil, it would be obvious.”

This has been proven false time and time again in Scripture. The pharisees were revered by men like you, good men who feared the LORD and longed for the Messiah, and yet Jesus identifies the Pharisees as children of Satan. In contrast, John the Baptizer was a dirty, smelly, and grimy looking man who eventually wound up in prison. Looks can be deceiving.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The book of Genesis, Chapter 3, the fall of mankind. 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty…”

Pause there. Here we have the Serpent, the incarnation of Evil, and the father of lies. How is he described? Crafty, cunning, shrewd. He is a master of disguise, father of lies, and much smarter than you and me. The crafty one will not let himself be exposed. Unlike a movie villain, you will never hear a cruel monologue from Satan. He will not wear devilish horns. His strategy is much more subtle than that.

Instead, over the course of the next 6 verses Satan uses very precise words to break down Eve’s belief that God is for her. Everything he says has some piece of truth in it, and nothing he says makes Adam or Eve suspect his evil intentions. “[the Serpent] said to the woman, “Did God actually say, you shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”

The point is this: evil is not obvious. Satan is a strategic mastermind – he will never raise a flag above his head that says, “I AM EVIL.” Why does this matter?

Elder as Judge

It matters because as Christians (and especially as elders) we have a duty to make righteous judgments. In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for their unwillingness to judge saying, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!”

Not only are we commanded to judge matters in this life, but we will be tasked with judging the world and the angels. If we are going to be faithful to our calling as judges, we MUST understand what righteous judgment looks like. Thankfully God’s word has much to say about it.

Principles of Righteous Judgment

What is the Basis of righteous Judgment?

• Based on God’s moral law [10 Commandments] (Exodus 20, Mark 7:8) and not on man-made or personal rules (Mark 7:8ff).

What exactly is being judged?

• Judgment is based on real actions, not assumed or imputed motivations. Judges the deed, not the man (1 Cor. 2:11, Rom 14:4).

Who is in a position that should be judging?

• Ordinarily from a superior to an inferior within a legitimate authority structure. i.e., parents to kids, judge to accused, elder to church member. (James 3:1)

What is the end goal of righteous judgment?

• End goal is to glorify God, restore the sinner, while clearly articulating the truth of what happened (Gal 6:1, Matt 18). It should not be done in order to humiliate and assert dominance, although a guilty verdict will bring some level of humiliation. (Matt 20:25)

What is the Ethos of righteous judgment?

• Motivated by love/care (1 Cor. 13:1-3) and carried out with gentleness & patience (Gal 6:1) rather than ruthlessly and to grab power. It is blind, AKA it does not give preferential treatment based on ethnicity, status, gender, etc. (John 7:24).

Other categories for elders to consider:

Christian vs. Outsider – Are they claiming the name of Christ? The rebukes and corrections from an elder should primarily be directed towards those who claim the name of Christ.

• 1 Cor. 5:11 -12 “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler – not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.”

Sheep vs. Wolf – Is the individual simply wandering, or are the actively bringing others with them to destruction? A wolf should be corrected more directly, publicly, and severely than a sheep, in order to protect the sheep from destructive lies.

• Galatians 1:8-9 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”
• James 3:1 – “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

God’s Judgment vs. Man’s Judgment

• Never forget that ultimate justice is in God’s hands. Any judgment you carry out will be imperfect and foreshadow the final judgement that God will administer perfectly since he alone has complete knowledge of the deeds and the motivations. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Rom 12:19)

Why is judgment so important for elders? Because Satan is a master deceiver and his lies are not easy to spot. Evil is not obvious. In this world, evil is not an orc or a goblin. It is far more subtle and will not label itself as evil. In fact, it will claim the moral high ground. Elder, it is your job to make sound moral judgments, to shine light into dark places. Morality is an invisible reality and the sheep under your care are looking to you for moral clarity. They look to you to speak with clarity and conviction on what is right and what is wrong. This is not optional; it is a duty. Therefore, you must learn God’s law intimately so that you may judge rightly, both for your sake and for the sake of the sheep under your care.

Brandon Hawkes is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is Assistant Pastor in Christ PCA in Clarkesville, GA.