God tells us to judge.
We are to test the spirits to see if they are from God. We are to judge with righteous judgment. We are to be aware of false prophets and that we will know them by their fruit. That requires making judgments about others.
For that matter, determining that someone is a Christian and doing good is also making a judgment. So those who are supporting Osteen have judged him and found him acceptable, but they have still judged him.
Nobody can escape making judgments on others, ever.
That verse in Matthew 7 has got to be one of the most misapplied verses in all the Bible.
God did not give us His word to manipulate others with.
“God did not give us His word to manipulate others with.”
That is one of truest statements I have heard. And God is the one who knows the contributions made by Pastors...There is a scripture that also talks about ‘How blessed you are when others curse you and oppose you’.....the same with ‘beware when others call you blessed.’
In the last days they will call evil good and good evil. You see religious dogmatics spend their lives condemning others......
People make mistakes when they are nervous and I believe Osteen did that in a couple of interviews.....but he is a believer in you must believe in JESUS to have salvation.
Let’s point out something it would be wise for the legalizers to remember...the thief on the cross, all he had to say was ‘remember me ....etc’ and Jesus said ‘Today you will be with me....etc ‘ People are just so willing to judge people as false prophets when they themselves may just be plain wrong in their understanding of the simplicity of Jesus as the son of God.
Jesus is not concerned with doctrine, denominations, and Pharisees or Sadducees.....’The Way’ is about saving them...”he who is without sin let him caste the first stone’. I find the gossip and backbiting a sad situation in the Body of Christ when love should cover all sins.