“Who Are You To Judge?” by Erwin Lutzer

I recently finished reading Erwin Lutzer’s book, Who Are You To Judge?, which discusses how Christians can learn to distinguish between “truths, half-truths and lies”.  It contains eleven chapters in which Lutzer explores the principles that should guide godly judgments.  In the latter half of the book Lutzer demonstrates how these principles should be applied to making discernments about subject such as: false prophets, miracles, entertainment, appearances, fantasy and ghosts.  He concludes the book with an appeal to his readers to aspire to Christ-honoring conduct and character.  It is 247 pages long.

Here are some excerpts that I found most interesting or helpful:

“We have lost the ability to judge the world because we have lost the ability to judge ourselves.  We affirm certain beliefs and then act as if they don’t matter.” (p.16)

“Our tolerance must be based on truth, just as much as our intolerance must be based on truth.  In the end, our judgments must come down to truth questions.  The problem is that we are often intolerant where we should be more tolerant; and often we are tolerant where we should be intolerant.” (pp. 22-23)

“According to a recent Barna survey, ‘only four out of every ten born again adults rely upon the Bible or church teachings as their primary source of moral guidance.’”  (p. 41)

“We are commanded to judge teachings and conduct; we are commanded to judge sinful behavior and attitudes; but motives belong to God and are beyond the realm of our knowledge and jurisdiction.” (p. 48)

“Danger comes when doctrine divides people who ought to be together.  But when it comes to the doctrine of salvation, it is much better to be divided by truth than to be united by error.”  (p. 59)

“We must keep in mind that the Jesus we want is not necessarily the Jesus we need.”  (p. 94)

“The power of Christianity is best seen in the gospel, not in physical miracles.”  (p. 117)

“Your friends can only take you up to your potential; only your enemies can take you beyond it.” (p. 239)

This book is a good read for Christians who are trying to grow in the area of sharing truth in a loving way.  In a society that is increasingly hostile to biblical truth claims, believers need to think through the legitimacy of what they believe and be prepared to graciously but firmly stand by those beliefs.  This book helps guide the reader through that process.