Question
Answer!
Should I Judge Others or Not?
By Nab B. Nov 26, 2021
Question:
Can or can't a Christian judge others?
Answer:
The phrase “not judging others” is often misunderstood! An entirely different meaning emerges when the passage is read as a whole. Let me show you scripturally that a Christian can pass judgment be it on people, situations, or behaviours.
We can judge but not carelessly. Immediately after Jesus was saying "Do not judge”, He went on to say,
“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine." (Matt 7:6)
Then he added: “Beware of false prophets” (Matt 7:15)
One needs to be able to judge to recognize who the "dogs, the pigs or false prophets" are, or anything else in life. How else! This is how we can judge:
The Correct Way
Since the truth is unchangeable, we can then safely judge if we follow it. When I say murder is a sin, I am passing judgment. The difference lies in the fact that my judgment must agree with God's truth!
If we are not allowed to judge correctly, chaos will be the order of the day which is partly what ails our world today! God provided us ways to judge correctly through His revealed truth, the Holy Spirit, and a godly conscience.
Not By Appearance!
Here's something many haven’t noticed! Jesus said to JUDGE! In another unnoticed passage, He said,
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24).
So, we can judge but the keyword is CORRECTLY!
Judging correctly entails not jumping to conclusions before hearing the facts (Pro 18:13). Recall Jesus rebuking Simon the Pharisee when he foolishly passed hasty judgment on a poor woman based on her appearance and reputation as a prostitute. (See Luke 7:36-50)
Not Hypocritically
When Jesus stated "not to judge others", He passed some judgments just a few verses before that! Note the following:
He condemned the hypocrites who give to the needy by sounding a trumpet to be praised (Matt 6:2).
He condemned the hypocrites who made a show of their prayers (Matt 6:5).
He also condemned the hypocrites who fasted and disfigured their faces to look pious (Matt 6:16).
Jesus then warns against hypocrisy when judging: "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matt 7:3-5 ESV)
Contrary to popular opinion, Matthew 7:1 is not against “judging”, but for “judging” un-hypocritically!
Not Self-righteously
James was counselling some proud self–righteous brothers who were passing judgment upon other brothers while they had a lot to work on! He urged them to show humility for "God opposes the proud" (James 4:6)
To judge or not to judge?
Based on the four points above, a Christian can and should be able to judge situations and behaviours. With correct and unhypocritical judgment, we are able to assess behaviours, doctrines, and all sorts of evil. I think we're safe to do so as Jesus had instructed.
Of course, we don’t need to pass judgment hither and thither or when it's not ours to do so! Even in personal cases, believers are encouraged to forgive (if possible) even those who hurt letting “mercy triumphs over judgment”.