Judge Not Lest You Be Judged

Not long ago I saw a social media post, from a friend of mine, who made a simple comment about a man proudly going on a date with a women that was not his wife. His comment was that this man may not be as godly as he seems to be.  And with that…… he got the ‘that sounds like judgment’ and ‘judge not lest you be judged’ comments, with the scripture chapters and verses, of course. My friend accepted the criticisms with grace and did not escalate the conversation into a fight, but it fired up a pet-peeve of mine. The idea that calling out sin, to be sin is somehow judgmental, is ridiculous. This idea is in line with the idea that love equals acceptance of any behavior. Neither of these ideas are biblical, they are only indications of the depths of depravity that we, as a society, have fallen.

People will say “who are we to judge others, when we have sins of our own.” Well, let’s look at what the Bible says about it. First, we need to understand the definition of “judging.” The dictionary defines it as: to form, give, or have as an opinion, or to decide about something or someone, especially after thinking carefully. Using the actual definition of “judging”, we are all qualified of judging others. In fact, if you have ever sat on jury, you have judged the actions of other people. Even if you have never served on a jury, who, in this country, opposes jury trials, to determine guilt or innocence in a criminal matter? If we, as a society, universally accept the idea and practice of jury trials in the matters of man’s law, how is it that judging actions that violate God’s law so controversial?

Now that we understand what “judging” actually means, we need to separate people into two groups: Christians and non-believers. The reason we have to do this is, because the Bible gives different teachings, concerning judgment and accountability of actions for the different groups (For what have I to do with judging those who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges… 1 Corinthians 5:12–13).

Let’s look at the Christian group first. Judgment, from within the church, is about accountability and restoration, not condemnation. We, as Christians, are called to hold each other accountable for our actions. It is not to condemn sinful behavior, for we all sin, but rather to lift each other up, help one another in our Christian walk, and most of all to restore the close, personal relationship with Jesus that suffers when we are living in sin. (Galatians 6:1 “If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.”) (2 Thessalonians 3:14–15 “Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction… Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as a brother.”) According to Paul, Christians should: Hold fellow believers accountable, act with humility and love, aim for restoration and growth, use discipline carefully, when necessary, and balance correction with encouragement. In other words, we are supposed to judge our fellow believers, when we see them living in unrepentant sin. We are to help restore our brothers and sisters back to a good and right relationship with Jesus, and it all starts with forming or giving an opinion about a matter after carefully considering the issue, or for short, judging.

Now let’s look at the second group, the unbelievers. No doubt, when a Christian dares to express an opinion, after carefully considering the issue about some sinful behavior of an unbeliever, someone will quote Matthew 7:1–5, where Jesus warns against judging others while ignoring one’s own greater faults, using the vivid image of a speck in another’s eye and a plank in one’s own. Or they may use the tried-and-true insult of calling them a hypocrite. This is a verse that requires a little more effort to understand than just reading. We need to consider the context and the meaning of key words in the Greek (original language). The Greek word krinō (“judge”) here does not mean all forms of evaluation or discernment. Elsewhere Jesus commands discernment (Matthew 7:15–20; John 7:24). Full context shows that Jesus teaches that we should avoid self-righteous condemnation, assuming God’s role as final judge, or harsh moral criticism detached from mercy. Also, the warning in verse 2—“with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”—reflects a biblical principle of divine reciprocity (cf. Proverbs 21:2; James 2:13).

The idea that the Bible entirely condemns judgment of the actions others is just the world’s way of trying to avoid being confronted with sin and an attempt to force acceptance of any behavior.  Would society condemn telling someone that their house is on fire and that they need to get out or they will die? No, of course not. Just the opposite. If that happened, you would be condemned for not caring and just letting those poor people die. You could even be charged with a crime. However, when it comes to moral or Christian values, you are immediately condemned and told not to judge another’s behavior.

Dying in a house fire is a horrific tragedy, but it can’t compare to the tragedy of one dying in their sins and being condemned by Jesus to an eternity in Hell. How is a non-believer to know they will die in their sins and spend an eternity in Hell, if they are not told about those things? How will a Christian be restored back to a close relationship and fellowship with Jesus, if their brothers and sisters in Christ turn a blind eye their open rebellion against God? To say nothing to a fellow believer, when you know of their rebellious behavior is tantamount to accepting it. No where in the Bible is sin acceptable nor does the Bible encourage it to be ignored. We as believers we must have the courage to talk to fellow believers about their failures and help restore them back to that right-relationship with Jesus, and, we must also be prepared to receive and yes, be thankful for correction, when we are the offending person. For the correction of a brother or sister is done out of love and their desire to see our relationship with Jesus restored.

One area of confusion that I believe causes so much misinterpretation of Biblical teaching (and remember, Satan is the author of confusion) is the merging together the terms “judging” and “condemnation.” Just as we are all qualified to sit in judgment, as a member of jury, to determine the guilt or innocence of a defendant, we are also qualified to determine the Biblical morality of certain behaviors.  As jurors we judge guilt or innocence, but it is the judge that determines condemnation. Likewise, while we can determine moral failures, it is Jesus that is the ultimate judge that determines salvation or condemnation. To judge the morality of a person’s actions, is not the same as pronouncing condemnation for those actions. In the end, a person’s relationship with Jesus will be the determining factor on where they will spend eternity. If those of us that know the ways of God, fail to teach others the way to Jesus, if we fail to judge ungodly behavior, and if we fail tell the offender about those failures, then we endanger their souls to being condemned to spending an eternity separated from Jesus, in Hell. At the same time, if we fail to help a brother or sister in Christ repent and restore their relationship with Jesus, then have failed to love them the way Jesus commanded us to love them.

The world (Satan) has convinced our society that “judging” others is somehow immoral in it’s self and accepting any behavior is an act of love. In reality, the Bible teaches the exact opposite. As Christians, let us, in love, compassion, and with mercy and grace, have the courage to call sin what it is, lead the lost to Jesus and the saved to repentance.