Only God can judge me (that right?)
Only God can judge me now
Nobody else (nobody else)
All you other “nice people” get out my business (really)
Only God can judge me now
One of my pet peeves is persons who use any phrase (including scripture) out of context or to justify a specific need at a specific time. In his song “Only God can judge me”, Tupac says just that – only God can judge him. While there is some truth to his statement, there are a few technicalities to consider that will show when this popular phrase is used out of context.
What about holding each other accountable? Is that not a thing anymore? Can we not do that without calling the judgment card? And, yes, there are those crazies who go too far with their condemnation, but do we need to throw away an entire thing (accountability is the thing) because of a few crazies?
Okay ’pac is claiming that only God can judge him. It seems we’ve reached a place in time where judgment and condemnation are used interchangeably, and with that, I don’t agree. Judgment is the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions, while condemnation is the expression of very strong disapproval or the action of condemning someone to a punishment. So in judgment, there is dialogue and there is reasoning. One person or group is almost assisting another person or group. Condemnation, however, seems to consist of little to no dialogue; it’s one person or group having an opinion and almost imposing it on another person or group. One can or should be able to effectively judge without the use of condemnation.
Now for the scriptural technicalities to show how “only God can judge me” is used out of context:
Matthew 7:16 – “You’ll recognize them by their fruit.” Surround verses give context with “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.” and “in the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit.” So it is safe to say that one person or group can effectively judge another person or group by evaluating their actions.
Luke 6:45 – “For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” It is true that only God knows man inside out and his intentions. However, it also seems fair to say that one person or group can effectively judge another person or group by evaluating their hearts, through their speech.
1 Corinthians 5:12 – “For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? But God judges outsiders.” The writer of this scripture is saying that insiders have no business judging outsiders; however, they can (effectively) judge fellow insiders, as they are all supposed to live by the same standards.
Let me reiterate that judgment and condemnation are two very different things and should not be used interchangeably. Why can’t we live in a society where we respect one another and hold each other accountable? I mean, “What can a brother do for me? (See he can help you up when you are down.) What can a brother do for me? (He can be your eyes when you can't see.) What can a brother do for me? (He can help me be the best man I can be.) These guys had the right idea. We should be able to engage each other in dialogue, come to each other with issues and keep each other accountable based on our respectable life standards.
And I know, I know, y’all are going to pull out the “Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but don't notice the log in your own eye?” Truth, but putting it back into context, if I’m struggling with English and you’re struggling with Math, why can’t we assist one another in the areas where my strength matches your weakness?
While this rant’s approaching its end, please stop using phrases and quotes out of context, please stop taking one line of scripture and ignoring the 10 before and six after, and please stop using Tupac as a reason to struggle alone, live crazy and unaccountable.
*Cues “The Best Man I Can Be” by Tyrese feat. R.L., Ginuwine, Case*
