Half-Time, Beyonce and Judgmentalism

Before the all-to-common accusation "you're being judgmental!" is hurled in my direction, let me make an unequivocal statement...I am no one's final judge.  The Bible is very clear that there is one judge and I am not it.  Now, while you exhale your great sigh of relief, allow me to share a truth that might interrupt your ease.  While I am not the judge, there is a judge who always makes the right judgement.  Along with this fact, the one who is judge has given us a criteria for His judgment called The Word of God or the Bible, if you will.  Certainly, the Bible is much more than a judgment book, but it certainly gives us the basis for our judgment by God.

As the living Word of God, the Bible tells us how God determines His judgment of us.  Matthew 7:21 says, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."  Clearly, Jesus will judge that some who professed Him did not actually know Him.  How is this determined?  By whether or not the "professor" actually pursued living according to God's will...beginning with surrendering to Christ as Lord (salvation).  No one is birthed into God's kingdom by trying to accomplish God's will on his own...but those who have truly come into a relationship with Him will be seeking continually to do His will.  Again in 1 John, the Word of God gives us further criteria on how God will judge.  In chapter 2, verses 3-4, we are told, "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."  According to God's criteria, a true believer is one who keeps His commandments.  This does not mean that we are prefect, but genuinely striving to walk in obedience to what God's has told us.  What does this have to do with the half-time show during the Superbowl?  

Various opinions of the half-time show featuring Beyonce littered the pages of Facebook.  Some were critical of her performance as being near to a striptease show while others praised her as giving great entertainment to watch.  While some expressed their dismay and disgust, others accused those of being judgmental.  So how do we proceed?  Who is right and who is wrong and how do we make this determination?  As we learned earlier, the Bible must be our criteria.  It is our measuring rod.  My opinion matters little, God's opinion matters immensely...so what does He say through His Word?  "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."  (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)  We are not to defraud our brother...meaning to take advantage for our own sensual gain.  Any person with a modicum of honesty would have to admit that there was a "whole lot" of defrauding going on in the half-time show...men and boys being exposed to sights that were immoral and alluring to the flesh.  Young girls seeing an example we can only hope they do not model.  And...the key to it all, Beyonce claims to be a Christian.  She says about her sensual dancing, "I honestly believe he (God) wants people to celebrate their bodies so long as you don't compromise your Christianity in the process."  God doesn't want us to celebrate our bodies, He wants us to sanctify our bodies and possess them with honor.  As one who professes to know Christ, the pattern shown causes reason for pause and concern.  Passing judgment, you say?  1 Corinthians 5:11 tells us not to share a meal with a professing believe who is sexually immoral.  This requires us to make a judgment according to the dictates of God's Word.  We don't know if the person is a true believer or not, but we are to make a judgment concerning our association and involvement based upon God's criteria...and based upon His standard, the half-time show was certainly anything but clean entertainment that edifies.