Is It Wrong To Judge Others?

IS IT WRONG TO JUDGE OTHERS?

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” - John 7:24

In my last two blog messages, I've been writing about discernment. Discernment is defined as the ability to judge well. Many argue that discernment is wrong because it requires us to be judges. They will quote the verse from the Gospel of Matthew that says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” This verse is often quoted and usually incorrectly interpreted and applied.

Is it wrong to judge others? If you read the text properly in Matthew 7, you learn that Jesus is teaching His followers not judge hypocritically. Jesus went on to say, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

Is Jesus teaching us that it is wrong to get the mote (speck) out of your brother's eye? No. However, it is wrong to attempt this if you have a beam in your own eye. Once you get rid of the beam from your own eye, “...then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Jesus taught us not to judge hypocritically. In John 7:24, Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Thus at times, we can and should judge.

Here are some things we cannot judge. We cannot judge a person's heart. Obviously we cannot see a person's heart, so it is wrong to try to judge a person's heart. Also, we cannot judge what a person's intention is. Sometimes a person's motives become apparent, but even then it is not wise to judge them. Furthermore, we are not judges of a person's salvation. Although fruit should be obvious if a person has been saved, it is not our job to be their ultimate judge. I cringe when I see people render such judgment on social media. These are just a few things we shouldn't judge.

Although we can't judge matters of the heart, there are some things we can judge. We can judge a person's deeds. If a man murders his neighbor in cold blood, we can obviously judge this as a sinful act. Also, we can, at times, judge the words of others. If someone uses the Name of the Lord in vain, we can condemn this. It is a violation of God's law. We can judge a person's lifestyle. If a man continued lives an ungodly life, we know this is wrong. Think about it for a moment. If we can't judge the lifestyle, words or deeds of another, how could we ever have a jury trial in America? Who would ever be qualified to serve as a judge in our court system? Judgment is rendered daily in this country. At times, it is just and other times it is not. Still, none of us question the fact that normal people are called to be jurors and render judgment at trials.

The Apostle Paul condemned the Corinthians for taking their problems to worldly courts. Instead, he advised them to settle this within the walls of the church. The church can, and should, judge matters of internal sin.

Also, as believers we can judge the teaching of others. Whether it be propaganda from terrorists, a political commentary or a sermon from a TV evangelist, we can judge whether the truth is being taught. There is an unmistakable message being taught to school children, college students and the American public. The public is being indoctrinated by the news media and others concerning subjects like abortion, same-sex unions and transgender lifestyles. When we compare these messages to the truth of God's Word, we can discern whether the messages are deceitful or true.

There is one other area where we can sit in judgment. As I wrote last week, we can judge ourselves. I am hesitant to judge others very much, but I do examine my own life consistently. 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” That's a good incentive to judge ourselves!

No, it isn't wrong to judge, but it is wrong if that judgment is clouded by our own hypocrisy. Thus, we need to use the mirror of God's Word to discern our own motives and methods.

Ultimately, all of us must stand before the ultimate Judge. His verdict will be correct. There will be no appeal. His judgment will be final.

Are you ready for that day?