Corinthians 4:4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.
Psalms 7:3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
Job 9:2-3 “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?
Psalms 19:12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.
Psalms 130:3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
Paul recognizes that he does not stand in a perfect state of justification or innocence just because his conscience was clear. Paul knew his righteousness came from Jesus, not from his own personal life – even though he had a godly walk. It is as if Paul were saying, “You Corinthians act like judges at athletic events, qualified to give some the trophy and to send others away as losers. But Jesus is the only judge, and you are judging before the events are over. When Jesus judges, it will be according to the motives of the heart, not only the outward action. This is another reason why human judgment is often wrong.
We often judge by the action or appearance of what a person does, not their intent. We often judge ourselves by our intent. Herein lies the problem of judging. Good action with bad intent is always wrong. A bad action with good intent can be right or wrong. Who truly knows the intent of the heart and mind of a person. We know even in the best clarity our true intents can be fogged over with wrong motives. When we use worldly (rights and wrongs) as a bar for judging our intents it will always lead us down paths that do not honor God. Too often our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word is lacking because of neglect and complacency. Our ability to discern right and wrong intents and motives become fueled by what the world has deemed right and wrong. Our guide will always be the Word of God. We need to be mindful of our human fleshly nature, lies from Satan, and culturally accepted norms. If our days are void of God’s Word, that void will be filled with things of the fleshly world. Paul knew very well it is good to have a clear conscience that is based on God’s Word and the in-filling Holy Spirit, but even that needs to be kept in check so as to not blind us from hidden intents and motives of the flesh. King David knew this too. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”