Years ago, five young men were convicted of brutally attacking and raping a female jogger. When this happened, there was outrage in the community, with some people even calling for their execution. Even though the evidence was shaky at best, many observers were convinced these five young men were guilty. After going to trial, they were each convicted of this crime and served between six to thirteen years in prison. However, there was one problem with this case. They didn’t do it. The person who committed this crime came forward thirteen years later and all five men were exonerated.
It is not uncommon for people to rush to judgment, even though our legal system assumes someone is innocent until proven guilty, many people do the opposite where accusation equals guilt. This process of judging others doesn’t just happen in the world; Christians do it too, and sometimes we may be the worst offenders. But, should we be judging others, and if so, on what basis do we do that? Not surprisingly, Jesus has something to say about judging others, so let’s learn these lessons and see how we can apply them to our lives.
What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, Do Not Judge?
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (Matt. 7:1)
To understand what this verse means, we must define what Jesus means by judging in this context. On the surface, it may seem that this verse supports people declaring, "Don't judge me," as a license to do whatever they want. The word judge here means to condemn. This verse could read do not condemn others or you too will be condemned. When the Bible speaks about condemning, it means to pronounce an eternal judgment over someone’s life. The problem with condemning someone is that you are making an evaluation of someone’s heart and salvation. We don’t have the right or the authority to do that. Only Jesus does because he is the final judge.
When is it Biblical to Judge and When is it Not?
We don’t have the right to condemn, but does that mean we can judge nothing at all? No. Another understanding of judgment is to draw a conclusion based on the information presented. This is something we can do, and sometimes we must do. However, these kinds of judgments are based on the things we can see and cannot go beyond that. This means we can judge someone’s actions, but we cannot judge the intentions and motives of their heart. When we get into that arena, that is when we overstep our boundaries.
When Samuel went to Jesse’s house to anoint one of his sons to be the next king of Israel, the first one he saw was Eliab, and he thought this was the one. Here is how God responded.
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” (1 Sam. 16:7)
Because God knows the heart, he can judge beyond what we cannot see.
What Are Some Things We Can judge?
Ironically, within this same chapter where Jesus tells us not to judge, he also gives us a framework for some things we can judge. Here are some:
- A False Prophet
Jesus gives us a way to judge who is a false prophet. We look at their fruit.
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matt. 7:15-16a). Here Jesus is telling us the fruit of a person’s life gives us evidence of what is happening inside that person’s heart. This still does not give us permission to condemn, but it can help us evaluate whether someone is true or false.
- True or false disciple
"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)
What Jesus says here is not about judging others. This is a measure to judge yourself. How do you know you are surrendered to the lordship of Jesus? The answer is you do the will of the Father. This is a measurement you should use on your heart first before you ever apply it to anyone else.
- Being wise or foolish
Jesus distinguishes between someone who is wise and someone who is foolish. The wise one builds his life by putting the word into practice and the foolish one doesn’t. It may not be apparent, but this is a way of judging others and the choices they make.
- We can judge whether something is sinful
Jesus did not say this in the chapter, but this is something we can do. When we measure someone’s actions against God’s word, we can determine (judge) if that person has sinned. If someone cheats people out of money, then we can draw a conclusion (judge) that this person has sinned. We are not judging the condition of their soul; we are judging the things they have done.
What Are the Dangers of Being Judgmental According to Scripture?
While there are certain things we may judge in others, it is important that you don’t become a judgmental type of person. When a person is judgmental, they look for faults in others. When they find them, they are quick to point them out whether to the person or to someone else. One enormous problem with judging others with a judgmental spirit is you overlook your own faults because you focus on the faults of others. Jesus calls this hypocrisy.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matt.7:3-5)
When you are quick in judging others, that not only lends itself to hypocrisy but also you find a lack of grace and pride welling up within you.
How Can Christians Judge with Righteousness, Not Hypocrisy?
Let’s be honest. It’s easy to judge others. The more challenging thing to do is to be gracious. Which one do you think we are called to do? People around us will have flaws and some will even commit sin or make glaring mistakes. Before you get out your judge’s gavel, remember that one day you will be that person because we all sin and we all make mistakes. When this happens, whether it is you or another person, remember these words of Paul:
"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:1-2)
There will be moments when we must judge others, not to condemn but to draw conclusions based on their actions or behavior. In these moments, remember our job is not to retaliate but to restore. If you remember your own humanity when judging others, then you will approach it with a lot more grace.
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