To Judge or Not to Judge: That is the Question

To Judge or Not to Judge: That is the Question

We are living in a time in which it has become socially unacceptable to judge the behavior of another.  It’s not hard to understand why.  In such a libertarian age in which we all want to be free to do what we want to do without anyone questioning us, it’s no wonder that “judging” has fallen out of favor.

Even in Christian circles, when someone’s behavior is questioned, the call sometimes rises, “don’t judge me!”  Then, the call is strengthened by Jesus’ admonition, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) That seems to close the door on any response.

On the face of it, of course, that is all true. However, reality is more nuanced than that. In today’s permissive climate, it is not unheard of for a Christian to be doing something that the Bible clearly says is wrong, but when challenged on it, to fall back on the statement, “Don’t judge me!” as though we are never to question the behavior of another Christian, and that for you to judge my behavior is worse than my behavior.

So, are Christians to turn a blind eye to the behavior of other Christians, to simply live and let live?  Or perhaps is it not as simple as that?

Times when we are supposed to judge

The reality is, there are times we are supposed to judge.

Example #1: The sinning brother

In Matthew 18:15 – 17, Jesus said, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

This passage outlines an escalating level of judgment, taught by Jesus, on a person who is sinning and refuses to repent.

 Example #2: The sinning son

In 1 Corinthians 5:1 – 5, in the church in Corinth, Paul called out a man living in sexual immorality with his father’s wife (usually understood to be his stepmother).  Paul declares that to be a sin, and a sin so bad that even the non-Christians would not go along with it.

Then Paul piles on and says to the church leaders, “You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.”

So, Paul judged this sinning believer, and expected the people in the church to judge him, as well, and rebuked them for not doing so.

 Example #3:  The command to judge

In John 7:24, Jesus said, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

So, in this passage, though He says we should use discernment, Jesus says we should judge.

 Times when we are not supposed to judge

But there are also times when we are not to judge.

This brings us back to in Matthew 7:1 when Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.”  The context here is of a person with a whopper of a sin (log in his eye) condemns a person with a smaller sin (speck in his eye).  In this hypocritical situation, the person with the greater sin should not be judging the person with the lesser sin.

We can add to that passage Romans 2:1, which says, “…in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself…”  The context of this passage is individuals who are committing the same sin that they are condemning in others.

And again, Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls…”, and verse 13 says, “therefore let us not judge one another anymore…”  This context is dealing with issues that are not clear sins but are matters of conscience about which the Bible does not directly speak.

 So, are we supposed to judge or not judge?

One of the fundamental principles of biblical interpretation is that no one passage of Scripture will ever contradict another.  Such is the case here.  With a little discernment, we can see that all of these passages are true in their context.

So, should we judge or not judge?

It depends on what the passages are saying.  By comparing a number of Scriptures, we can draw these conclusions:

  1. Identifying and opposing clear sin is not wrong. (1 Corinthians 5:1-5)
  2. We are not to be harsh in pointing out sin. Jesus said in Matthew 5:7, “In the same way you judge others, you will be judged.”  If we hope for mercy in our faults, we must be merciful to others.
  3. We are not to judge if it is not a clear sin. John 7:24 instructs us not to judge “by mere appearance.”  Jesus rebuked Simon, a Pharisee, when he wrongfully judged a woman. (Luke 7:36-50)
  4. We are not to judge if we are merely upholding our own standards. The apostle Paul made it clear in Romans 14 that, in debatable or unclear things, we are each accountable to the Lord, not to others.
  5. We are not to judge others if we are committing the same sin (Matthew 7:3-5). In fact, Paul said in Romans 2:1 that we condemn ourselves if we point out the sin of others while we commit the same sin.
  6. Self-righteous judgement is sin. James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud.”  Even if another person is sinning, if we are harsh and self-righteous, we are also sinning.
  7. We are to have a spirit of restoration when confronting sin. Galatians 6:1 says, “…if anyone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

 

Conclusion

So, are we to judge or not to judge?

Well, it depends.  We are to judge if there is clear sin involved, but we are to do so only if our own lives are in order, and we are to do so gently, with the hopes of winning the person, not merely winning the argument.

We are not to judge when it is not a clear sin, or when we are also sinning, or when we are harsh and judgmental in our attitude.

If each Christian looks to Scripture for guidance, we can help one another live a life of integrity, as allies in the battles of life, and not adversaries.


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