Judge Not!

Is it wrong to judge? Be careful in your answer. Any response is a judgment. It tickles me when I hear someone rebuke another with the quip, “Don’t judge!” Most people don’t realize that such a scolding is a judgment in itself. I recently had a friend say that my Christianity ought to be more tolerant. Of course it never occurred to him that he was being intolerant of my expression of Christianity.

So what did Jesus mean when He said not to judge? The average person on the street is sure he knows. Jesus must have meant that we are never to make a moral evaluation of another person. Right? Not quite! Everyone makes moral value judgments. You’re making one at this moment. You already have an opinion about judging. You think it's right or wrong. The rub is not whether we make judgments, but rather how we make them.

When Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”(Matthew 7:1-2), he did not mean that we are forbidden from making moral judgments. Most people forget to put this in the context of the following verses that say, “Why do you look at 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,’ and behold, the log is 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.” (Matthew 7:3-5)

Notice the last part of Jesus’ comment. We must first take the log out of our eye before we attempt to remove the splinter in another’s eye. Jesus is against hypocritical judging. Jesus is saying that we must first take care of our own sin before we dare try to fix someone else. But then he goes on to say that after we have taken the log out of our eye we can see clearly to take the splinter from our brother’s eye. The splinters must be removed, but with humility and gentleness (Galatians 6:1).

Judgment is not only allowed it is commanded. Jesus taught, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24) Sometimes unrighteous judgments are the result of considering only what appears on the outside. We judge a person by the clothes they wear or because they break our traditions. Jesus says our judgments are to be righteous judgments. They are to be according to truth and not misperception. Jesus also said, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private…” (Matt. 18:15) Of course this wouldn’t be possible if all judgments are forbidden. Make sure your judgments are according to Scripture:

1. Judgments must not be hypocritical (Matthew 7:1-5). Make sure you deal with the log in your eye before attempting to remove a splinter in your brother's eye.
2. Judgments must be righteous (John 7:24). Sometimes we get the facts wrong or base our judgments on hearsay. Make sure you have the truth before proceeding.
3. Judgments must be gentle (Galatians 6:1). Consider how you want to be treated when you've sinned. If you're rough with others you can expect to be treated the same.
4. Judgments must be intended to bring growth to your brother (Matthew 18:15). The purpose of judging is repentance. Repentance is to lead to restoration and Christ-likeness. Remember that your goal is to restore. The context of Matthew 18 makes clear that an unrepentant believer may force excommunication, but that should not be your intent.

The viability of Christianity is that it concurs with our human experience that judgments are necessary and constructive. It has a transcendent, non-arbitrary foundation from which to make these judgments: The Word of God.

The bankruptcy of Secularism is that it cannot provide an objective standard from which to make any judgment. It has an arbitrary, subjective standard rooted in the capricious speculations of society; the likes of which gave us utilitarianism, social contract theory, and the categorical imperative.