To Judge or Not to Judge, that is the Question

Matthew 7:1-5 reads, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 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.”

I have heard many a person say that we are not to judge. They always use the first part of verse one when they say it. In my experience it is generally quoted by Christians that have sinned and are being ministered to. It is also used by non-Christians who take issue with Christians who evangelize. Finally, it is used an excuse by Christians so they do not have to minister and instruct others. When these instances occur, Matthew 7:1 is frequently quoted.

Honestly, I would say that Matthew 7:1 is one of the most quoted verses. It is also one of the least understood and frequently taken out of context scriptures in the Bible. People say that Matthew 7:1 tells us not to judge. They are correct, kind of. Matthew 7:1 does say, “Do not judge” but it doesn’t stop there. That said, what if it did. What if we never judged?

Imagine your life if you never judged.  You would always take the first job you were offered. You would never know who to vote for, because you would not be able to discern between candidates. You would not care about the neighborhood you lived in or the school your children attended. You would not care who worked on your car or even who watched your children. Based on just these few examples, it is obviously vital that we judge.

In fact, verse 5 says that we need to be able to see clearly so that we can remove the speck from our brother’s eye. So, what does it mean not to judge. First, we add the rest of the verse, “or you too will be judged.” This means that we need to be cautious about judging others, because we too will someday be judged by God. Here are wrong ways and reasons to judge others:

1.      To avoid looking at their own sin

2.      To minimize their own sin

3.      To look down on people

4.      To condemn people

5.      Mindreading – This is where people judge someone’s motives or heart, which they cannot know, instead of judging their conduct.

Those are wrong reasons to judge others. They are probably the most common reasons and ways that people judge others. There are also proper reasons to judge. That is what we will look at next. These are some of the reasons that we should judge:

1.      To know right from wrong – 1 Corinthians 2:15 says, “The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things.” If we are to be Christ-like, we must insure that our actions and words speak to that. By discerning what is right from what is wrong we are able to better live our lives as Christ lived His.

2.      Discipleship - Whether it is as a mentor, a parent or a friend we are to lead people in the right direction. Imagine a parent who did not judge their children’s actions and the company they kept. That would be an epic parenting fail! We lead by example and then build up those around us. Never forget, iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).

3.      To build up those around us – In Matthew 7:5 it says that we need to see to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that scripture is beneficial for, “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training.” We are told to help those around us using Scripture as our guide

4.      To make ourselves better Christians – 1 Corinthians 11:30-31 says, “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.” We fall victim to the sin prevalent in this world because we are afraid to judge ourselves and what we do.

So in closing, before we judge make sure that we are in line with living our lives as Christ lived his. When dealing with others, do not do so with condemnation but with love. Most importantly, clean your own house before you attempt to help someone else clean theirs. If you are still living in sin, do not come to someone else and point out their faults. That is how we alienate people, because no one likes a hypocrite.

Judging is done to build someone up, not to tear someone down. The people we build up are the same ones that will call us out and help build us up. We do not judge on our opinions, but from the words of Jesus Christ in a loving and reasoning manner. So, before you come to someone in need have your own house in order (or at least be working on getting it in order), insure the problem is Biblical in nature, pray for guidance then use tact and love when you speak to them.