“Don’t Judge Me!” Part 1: To Judge or not to Judge?

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Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! – James 2:12-13

The most well-known and most often quoted verse from the Bible used to be John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” But some say that in recent days it’s been replaced by Matthew 7:1: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This is a favorite verse to shoot back at Christians who are perceived to cross the line in minding other people’s business. It seems to fit the attitude that says, “What I do is my business, and who are you to judge me. – ‘JUDGE NOT!‘”

Since this verse is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, it is well worth looking into and understanding what exactly Jesus meant. For example, does “Judge not” mean we are not to evaluate the actions of others? Or is the meaning of “judge” more like “condemn”? And are we never to judge, or is this a warning to be very careful when expressing our disapproval of the behaviors of others?

As always, CONTEXT is crucial. Whole cults have been built around lies that seem to be implied when one verse is quoted out of context. So, since this wasn’t just some random thought Jesus threw out there in isolation from anything else He said, we should be asking, What ese did He say?

The very next verse is a reminder that we are also subject to judgment from others and, most importantly, from God. “For in the same way you judge, you will be judged,” Jesus warns. This harkens back to something He said at the very beginning of the sermon: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) Do you want God to be merciful to you? Then you’d better be merciful to others, because as James wrote: “We all stumble in many ways.” (James 3:2) We’d do well to keep that in mind!

The next few lines in the sermon bring into focus the kind of judging Jesus was talking about, adding the element of hypocrisy and the double standard that is still so prevalent – and maddening – today.

“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…

SO … is the Christ-follower to judge or not? I would submit to you that the answer lies in the rest of verse 5:

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.” [emphasis mine] This verse tell us there will be times when it is right and good to correct a brother (or sister), to take the speck from his eye – after I remove the plank from my own! Are we to judge? Yes, but only after we judge ourselves. Chances are when we examine ourselves, we won’t see perfection. We may even see the same sin in ourselves that we were about to condemn the other person for. I found out that very thing not long ago! https://seekingdivineperspective.com/2023/06/09/update-and-a-confession/

The habit of checking our own hearts and lives first will give us needed humility and prevent the kind of arrogant attitude of superiority that others find so distasteful in people who claim to represent a loving God. Acknowledging our own sin and need for correction and forgiveness can open the door for the other person to more readily receive the words of life we want to give him.

Above all, we need to approach others, especially the unbelieving, only after devoting time to praying for them, making sure we are motivated by love for them. If our motives are anything else, it’s time to go to the woodshed and remove a plank or two.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we know we are called to represent You in Your holiness and in Your loving mercy. Keep us mindful of both our own need for mercy and our own need for correction, that we might deal with others in the loving, patient way You have dealt with us. Help us be humble enough to be usable, and use us to draw others into your family as our brothers and sisters, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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26 thoughts on ““Don’t Judge Me!” Part 1: To Judge or not to Judge?”

  2. Your second to last paragraph has “pray to them”, I think you meant “pray for them”. No worries, I’m far less judgmental towards others. Going through some stuff can have that effect.

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  3. Good stuff, Ann. We’ve discussed this before, in relation to a post I had written as well as one you had. One of the things we may have discussed, but I’m not sure (I’m getting old!), is how parents have to judge all the time when raising kids. If they don’t…well, we see the results in our society.

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    1. True, Keith. We parents need to remember when we were that age and did a lot of the same things. That kind of self-reflection might help us understand why the kids are acting the way they do. (My mother once screamed at my sister in exasperation, “You are just like ME!”)

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      1. True. We also need to remember that first and foremost, we’re the parents and in that role are supposed to train and guide our kids God’s way. Sometimes parents are in too much of a hurry to become friends with their kids.

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  5. Judging others only after judging ourselves- that changes our perspective as we do not place ourselves above them when we do that. The tendency to judge comes easy but I try and remind myself that we all are a work in progress and in no way am I better than others Oh, but not judging is always something that is hard to do.

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  11. Such appropriate reminders for these times we live in, Annie, when judging others harshly seems to have escalated greatly. (Or do we just SEE more because of cell phone videos and Twitter?) Just as a soft word turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1 NIV), perhaps our humble, merciful, and calm judgment-statements, judiciously and prayerfully shared, will achieve the impact God intends. To say nothing (of which I have been guilty too many times) most often accomplishes nothing.

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