When should Christians judge others, according to 1 Corinthians 4:5?
According to 1 Corinthians 4:5, Christians should judge nothing before the time, but wait until the Lord comes. Since no one can judge Paul except the Lord who sent him, believers are to refrain from premature judgment and leave final judgment to the Lord at His coming.
Les explains that in 1 Corinthians 4:5 Paul writes, 'Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come.' Paul had been defending his apostleship because some in Corinth said they followed Peter or Apollos and dismissed Paul as a fake. He states that he is judged of no man except Jesus Christ, the one who sent him as the apostle of the Gentiles. Therefore, since no one can judge Paul except the Lord who sent him, believers should not judge anything before the time. Les points out that believers will never receive their reward until the end of time, and the lost will not receive their just recompense until the end of their time. He suggests this is because as believers go through this life, they are making impacts on people all around them, so final judgment and reward await the Lord's coming.
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.