To judge or not to judge

Matthew 7:1-5, ESV | “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Judging others is a sin. Many people are judgmental without even realizing it. It may even be a generational stronghold and curse in some families. As the children of God, can we or can’t we judge- the answer is NO and YES depending on the context.

What is ungodly judging?

This type of judging comes from pride (Leviathan), shame, insecurities, ungodliness, false sense of self, comparison, and a judgmental and critical spirit- it is actually a spirit and keeps people in bondage. Let’s examine 5 types of ungodly judging: superficial judgement; hypocritical judgement; harsh unforgiving judgment; self-righteous judgment and untrue judgment.

Superficial judgment involves passing judgment on someone based solely on appearances and this is sinful (John 7:24). It is foolish to jump to conclusions before investigating the facts (Proverbs 18:13). Simon the Pharisee passed judgment on a woman based on her appearance and reputation, but he could not see that the woman had been forgiven; Simon thus drew Jesus’ rebuke for his unrighteous judgment (Luke 7:36–50).

Hypocritical judgment is when we point out the sin of others while we ourselves commit the same sin; in this way we condemn ourselves (Romans 2:1). Jesus’ command not to judge others in Matthew 7:1 is preceded by comparisons to hypocrites (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16) and followed by a warning against hypocrisy (Matthew 7:3–5).

Harsh, unforgiving judgment is wrongful behavior, lacking mercy. We are “always to be gentle toward everyone” (Titus 3:2). It is the merciful who will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7), and, as Jesus warned, “In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).

Self-righteous judgment is linked to pride. We are called to humility, and “God opposes the proud” (James 4:6). In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Pharisee was confident in his own righteousness and from that proud position judged the publican; however, God sees the heart and refused to forgive the Pharisee’s sin (Luke 18:9–14).

Untrue judgment involves judging others without proof, based on the outward appearance. The Bible clearly forbids bearing false witness (Proverbs 19:5). “Slander no one” (Titus 3:2). Even when there is proof of some unhealthy or sinful behaviours or situations, we must be very careful how we respond and not proclaim things we do not fully understand or know: for example, calling someone a Jezebel; saying someone is demon possessed.

Judging has become the norm and part of some people’s vocabularies. Certain individuals and even families constantly judge others even in the way they converse habitually. This involves an attitude of “I am better than them.”

---

What are the 8 signs of judgementalism?

1. When we exercise an authority over people that we do not possess. Christ set shepherds in the church to discern false prophets, false brethren, and open sin against God’s Word (1 Cor. 5). If we are not in that office, we don’t have that authority. We do not possess the “gift of suspicion.” Discernment is NOT suspicion. We, as members of a congregation, are called to “submit to one another,” not “judge one another.”

2. When we treat suspicions or rumours as facts. Judgmentalism puts OPINIONS ahead of the FACTS. We must make a full, patient investigation of a matter to obtain clear proof. Even God “came down to see” the tower of Babel and the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah before He poured out His judgment. Suspicion is NOT discernment.

3. When we presume to know the motives of people’s actions. Anyone can judge actions. It is obvious. The problem comes when we decide we know the “Why?” to their actions. Only God knows a person’s motives. He will judge everyone (including us) at the Judgment Seat of Christ to reveal our true motives.

4. When we are quick to detect minor faults in others while being blind to our own graver sins. Judgmentalism is two-faced. “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (Romans 2:1).

5. When we judge about things that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture. God’s Word is perfect and does not need you to add to it your own condemnation.

6. When we ignore everything favorable about a person and fixate only on the unfavorable. Judgment cannot become “personal.” It has to be based on “principle” and not “prejudice.” Any juror with a personal relationship to a defendant is disqualified. When it becomes “personal,” this reflects a desire to condemn a person rather than get rid of the evil in a person.

7. When we spread our wrong conclusions to others as a “talebearer.” Look at social media – people are quickly sharing posts with only a fraction of the facts. When they later hear the whole truth, they make no effort to go back and inform their “followers.”

8. When we pronounce final judgment on a person. Only God can do that. We may judge their actions but still cannot judge the person themselves.

---

How to we overcome and stay free from a judgmental spirit?

1. Remember that you will be judged in eternity by the exact standard you used on other people.

2. Be sure to search your own eye for a “log” before you try to delicately remove the “splinter” from your brother’s eye. Keep your heart pure and remember that eye surgery is very delicate!

3. Don’t give your judgment before you are sure the person wants and respects it. “Do not throw your pearls before pigs.

---

What is righteous judgment and when is it ok to judge?

Righteous judgment means to weigh between good and bad; right and wrong; between what is sin and what is not – all based on the word of God. The Bible’s command that we not judge others does not mean we cannot show discernment. Immediately after Jesus says, “Do not judge,” He says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs” (Matthew 7:6). A little later in the same sermon, He says, “Watch out for false prophets. By their fruit you will recognize them” (vs. 15–16). How are we to discern who are the “dogs” and “pigs” and “false prophets” unless we have the ability to make a judgment call on doctrines and deeds? Jesus is giving us permission to tell right from wrong.

The Bible’s command that we do not judge others does not mean all actions are equally moral or that truth is relative. The Bible clearly teaches that truth is objective, eternal, and inseparable from God’s character. Anything that contradicts the truth is a lie—but, of course, to call something a “lie” is to pass judgment. To call adultery or murder a sin is likewise to pass judgment—but it’s also to agree with God. When Jesus said not to judge others, He did not mean that no one can identify sin for what it is, based on God’s definition of sin. Moreover, the Bible’s command that we do not judge others does not mean there should be no mechanism for dealing with sin. The Bible has a whole book entitled Judges. The judges in the Old Testament were raised up by God Himself (Judges 2:18). The modern judicial system, including its judges, is a necessary part of society. In saying, “Do not judge,” Jesus was not saying, “Anything goes.” Elsewhere, Jesus gives a direct command to judge: “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24). Here we have a clue as to the right type of judgment versus the wrong type. Christians are often accused of “judging” or intolerance when they speak out against sin. But opposing sin is not wrong. Holding aloft the standard of righteousness naturally defines unrighteousness and draws the slings and arrows of those who choose sin over godliness. John the Baptist incurred the ire of Herodias when he spoke out against her adultery with Herod (Mark 6:18–19). She eventually silenced John, but she could not silence the truth (Isaiah 40:8).

Believers are warned against judging others unfairly or unrighteously, but Jesus commends “right judgment” (John 7:24, ESV). We are to be discerning (Colossians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). We are to preach the whole counsel of God, including the Bible’s teaching on sin (Acts 20:27; 2 Timothy 4:2). We are to gently confront erring brothers or sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:1). We are to practice church discipline (Matthew 18:15–17). We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We need to learn the right balance and righteously judge in wisdom, discernment and love. We do not hate the person but we hate the SIN - while also ensuring we do not look at the person differently so that we may have a restorative and redemptive heart like Jesus. However, if the Lord tells you to walk away for your own protection or if the person does not want to be helped- then do it quickly and do it with grace. This is where we exercise wisdom and balance with scriptures like “dust your feet and walk away” and “do not cast your pearls to swine.”

---

Tolerance and Not Judging

Our world promotes the idea of tolerance. In fact, it seems the only sin is to say that someone else is wrong. The policy of tolerance promotes the unbiblical philosophy that truth is determined by each individual person, not by the moral absolutes of God. Sadly, when people say, “The Bible says not to judge,” they usually desire the freedom to do what they want without you or their conscience getting in the way. This is dangerous thinking because unrepentant sin separates a person from God (Isaiah 59:2). What Jesus means by “don’t judge” When we pay close attention to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1-5, we realize that he is not condemning all judging. Jesus is condemning hypocritical judging because that will never win anyone over. The drunk man at the bar is not in the best position to tell the person on the barstool next to him, “You know, you really shouldn’t drink so much.” That would be hypocritical. Jesus says to remove the plank out of your own eye. Then you are in a position to judge in the sense of pointing out someone’s sin because you are concerned for that person’s soul.

---

Keep your goal in mind

There is a difference between being judgmental in a pharisaical, harsh, or arrogant way and making a judgment about someone’s behavior to help that person. God wants us to speak the truth, but to do so in love (Ephesians 4:15). Keeping your goal in mind for your friend is the key when you do need to point out her sin. Make sure to do it with humility because we are all sinners. Make sure to do it in a way that lets her know you care for her. Make sure you show her what your goal is: forgiveness. Jesus says, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15). Your goal is to win your friend over so she can find forgiveness at the cross of Jesus. Love her enough to say something, and pray that she would do the same for you. Tell her that you hope she does! What others do is not our primary concern; what we do is our primary concern. Our biggest problem is not how others judge us, but how we judge others.

---

Caution: Judge at Your Own Risk

Actually, when Jesus says, “Judge not,” he’s not really issuing a prohibition on judging others; he’s issuing a serious warning to take great care how we judge others. It’s not wrong to lovingly help our brother remove a harmful speck from his eye. It’s wrong to self-righteously point out a speck in our brother’s eye when we ignore, as no big deal, the ridiculous log protruding from our own.

So, Jesus is placing, as it were, a neon-red-blinking sign over others that tells us, “Caution: judge at your own risk.” It is meant to give us serious pause and examine ourselves before saying anything. Our fallen nature is profoundly selfish and proud and often hypocritical, judging ourselves indulgently and others severely. We are quick to strain gnats and swallow camels (Matthew 23:24), quick to take tweezers to another’s eye when we need a forklift for our own. It is better to “judge not” than to judge like this, since we will be judged in the same way we judge others. Jesus takes judgment very seriously. He is the righteous judge (2 Timothy 4:8), who is full of grace and truth (John 1:14). He does not judge by appearances, but judges with right judgment (John 7:24). Every judgment he pronounces issues from his core loving nature (1 John 4:8). Therefore, when we judge, and Scripture instructs Christians to judge at times (1 Corinthians 5:12), we must take great care that our judgment, like Christ’s, is always charitable.

• Be Quick to Believe Innocence

The first way to take great care how we judge is to be slow to pronounce guilt when evidence is scant or hearsay or ambiguous. This runs counter not only to fallen human nature, but also our media-saturated culture that encourages hair-trigger judgments. Consider the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” that is codified in the judicial system.

• Be Thorough Before Pronouncing Guilt

Circumstantial evidence is not placed before a “reasonable” judge who then renders a verdict based merely on his judicial common-sense interpretation. Appearances can be deceiving and “reasonable” people have conscious and unconscious biases that shape how they interpret evidence.

This is why our courts demand a rigorous process of evaluating evidence in an effort to ensure that deceptive appearances and biases do not distort the truth. This process requires diligence, patience, and restraint. And while reasonable doubt regarding a person’s guilt persists, we are bound to believe — at least in a legal sense — the best about that person. We give him “the benefit of the doubt.”

When Paul wrote, “love believes all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7), he was talking about this kind of charitable judgment. Christians are called to believe the best about each other until sufficient evidence confirms beyond a reasonable doubt that a transgression has occurred.

• Aim for Restoration

When evidence does confirm that a transgression has occurred, a second way we take great care how we judge is to “aim for restoration” (2 Corinthians 13:11). If we’re personally involved in such a situation, our goal in confronting someone caught in sin or, if necessary, initiating a process of church discipline, is to gain back our brother or sister (Matthew 18:15). Our goal is not punitive, but redemptive. We must vigilantly remain “kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave [us]” (Ephesians 4:32). Even if the guilty person is unrepentant and fellowship must be severed, the purpose remains redemptive for the offender (1 Corinthians 5:5) and for the church (1 Corinthians 5:6).

• Keep Quiet If Possible

If we’re not personally involved or are distant observers, we can still aim for the person’s restoration by, if possible, not saying anything. A wise rule of thumb: the greater our distance, the greater our ignorance. And ignorant commentary about a person or situation is never helpful and is usually nothing more than gossip or slander, which Jesus calls evil (Matthew 15:19). We must remember how faulty our perceptions are and how biases distort our judgment. We often think we understand what’s going on, when in reality we do not. From a distance, love covering a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) looks like not repeating a matter (Proverbs 17:9).

• Judge with Right Judgment

How we judge others says far more about us than how we are judged by others. This is why God will judge us in the manner we judge others, not in the manner they judge us. Therefore, we must judge with right judgment (John 7:24). And right judgment is charitably quick to believe innocence, charitably slow to pronounce guilt, charitably redemptive when it must be, and charitably silent where possible. And when in doubt, “judge not.” We all fall short but we repent and change our ways and move forward-for this there is always God’s grace.

Some scriptures for meditation:

Luke 6:37, ESV | “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…”

John 7:24, ESV | Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

James 4:11-12, ESV | Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

James 4:12, ESV | There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Romans 2:1-3, ESV | Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.

Matthew 7:1, ESV | O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? “Judge not, that you be not judged.

Ephesians 4:29, ESV | Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Prayer

Father God, open the eyes of my heart to see where I have judged wrongfully. Forgive me Lord for all harsh and hypocritical judgements. Help me to address the deep-rooted issues I struggle with and deliver me. Bless me with wisdom and discernment to in turn help those in my care. Help me to always prove, rebuke, and correct without a spirit of judgmentalism. Thank you for your grace, mercy and forgiveness. May I be more like you each and every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!