Sunday, January 30, 2011

Is Judging Wrong?

What did Jesus mean when He said: “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged” (Mt. 7:1) This is probably one of the most misused Scriptures. Is Jesus saying we should never judge? If one reads the next few verses, the answer is clear: Jesus is warning against judging someone by a different standard that you yourself would not be willing to be judged by. For example, if you tell someone it is wrong to steal; yet you cheat on your taxes-you are in the wrong. In other words, judge yourself first to make sure that you are being obedient to God before you worry about someone else. Jesus is not against judging; He is giving us the standard for proper judging. Are we to judge? Yes. Here are a few examples:

  • God’s people are to point out sin and call people to repentance (Amos 5:14-15; Ps. 37:30;1 Cor. 2:15).

  • Judging is necessary or we could not obey (Romans 16:17-18; 2 Cor. 6:17; 2 Tim. 3:5-6 and 1 Jn. 4:1).

  • Believers must make judgment calls because when we don’t there is no peace (Is. 59:8).

According to Jesus, we must not judge someone by a different standard than which we would want to be judged. Therefore, we must first judge ourselves. One cannot judge himself/herself without humility. Our judgment of others should never be from a heart of superiority, but rather a heart of humility with the goal of seeing the individual restored.

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