LDW Blog Post

Final Judgment vs Intermediate Judgment

Apparently, my post last week was found to be offensive to some, in particular the persons referenced in the post. I was accused of believing myself to be better than everyone else, of being a hypocrite, of being judgmental. My intent this week is twofold: first, to apologize for offending anyone that may have been offended. That was not my intent, nor was that post written for their benefit. I do not for one second believe that I am better than anyone else; I make different choices, and live my life differently, but is it better? It is for me, but it doesn’t mean I think I am better than anyone else. I also am not being hypocritical. I made mistakes, and I am sure I will make more. That is pretty much guaranteed as long as I remain on this Earth….but I repent and seek forgiveness; I learn from them so I don’t repeat the same mistakes. Second, and primarily, my intent this week is to clarify the “judging” I was accused of. Because yes, I did and do and will continue to judge, but not in the context that I was accused.

Briefly, “final judgment” is that instance when we each stand before Christ to be judged of our works. This judgment is for our Heavenly Father alone to make…it is for all intents and purposes, when the determination of our eternal progression will be made. I have not nor will I ever presume to make this judgment for anyone other than myself (and I’m not even sure that’s appropriate for me to make).

We are however, required to make what is referred to as “intermediate” judgments. These are essential to our daily life. We are to judge the circumstances and behaviors of others. Choices are based on judgments. The music we listen to, the tv and movies we watch, the games we play, ….the friends we associate with, are all choices. But what we are choosing between (ie judging) are the actions of the person, not the person themselves. As parents, we are to either guide the choices of or make choices for our children.

How do you know if a friend is good for you? How do you know if a tv program is appropriate to watch or if a song is appropriate to listen to? By the kind of person you are when you are with the friend, or the way you feel when watching the tv program or listening to the song. If the actions of the person go against your basic standards or the tv program or song violate those standards, then those may need to be things you refrain from, especially if you are easily influenced, or in the case of friends, if your children are influenced by them.

Intermediate judgments are to be based on righteous principles. (NOTE: I am very cautious in using the term “righteous” as it carries a holier than thou connotation, so please use it in the context of spirituality and discernment.)

--A righteous judgment is by definition, intermediate. It is a “temporary” judgment, a judgment of present/current actions. It is not , as stated above, a declaration of a person’s final eternal destination.

--All judgments are to be guided by the spirit and not made based on emotions. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to assist us in making judgments of situations, of enlightening our minds, and making known to us the things necessary. As members of the church, we should also listen to the messages of the prophets, as their counsel will guide our lives, and allow us to make appropriate decisions and choices.

--These judgments are to be within our stewardship to make. As parents, our children fall within the realm of our stewardship, especially young children, but also adolescents and teens who can-and likely will be to some degree –influenced by peer pressure, and by events and circumstances beyond their control.

--Judgments are to be made with a full knowledge of the facts.

--Righteous intermediate judgments judge situations, not people.

--Finally, righteous judgment will apply righteous standards. In more simple terms, this means we will not expect more of another than what we expect of ourselves. We can’t make righteous judgments without the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must align our own life with that of Christ’s standards.



To relate this to the example I used last week, my “judgment” of my soon to be ex husband and his girlfriend is of the status of their relationship and their living arrangement, not a final judgment of their moral standards. However, the fact that their standards differ from what I am attempting to teach my children is the prime reason I will not allow contact between my children and his current partner.