[523 words]
The biblical subject of judging is one that is often misunderstood and abused. When a Christian speaks out against sin, those who are guilty of that sin often begin to rant about being judgmental. They say, “You religious people are sinning by judging others,” or they might say, “Jesus said it is wrong to judge; you are judging me; so you are just as wrong as I am.”
Nevertheless, those who use the “it-is-wrong-to- judge” argument fail to realize that they are doing the thing they condemn. They take the position that all judging is sinful, but then they “judge” Christians by saying it is “wrong” for Christians to speak out against sin. They claim it is sinful to judge, but then they “judge” the “judgers.” The inconsistency of the position is obvious.
Do they make a valid point when they take the position that it is wrong to judge? That depends on the type of judging one is doing. It is true: Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). The type of judging the Lord condemned is a harsh and hypocritical type of judging. Jesus explained what He meant by teaching that one should not try to pull a mote (a small twig or piece of straw) out of his brother’s eye, while there is a beam (a stick of timber) sticking out of his own eye (verses 3-5). This passage condemns the hypocrite. Yes, it is wrong to have a judgmental, fault-finding, and hypocritical attitude.
However, the same Jesus who condemned that type of judging is the one who taught us to “judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). To judge righteous judgment is to judge what is right or wrong based upon what God has revealed in His Word (cf. Psalm 119:172). If a Christian says, “The Bible teaches that lying is a sin (Colossians 3:9),” it is actually God who has made the judgment. The Christian is basing his judgment on what God has said, and there is nothing wrong with making such judgments.
In fact, after Jesus made His popular statement, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” He warned His disciples to “beware of false prophets” who would pretend to be “sheep” but who would actually be “wolves” in sheep’s clothing. Jesus then told His disciples how they would recognize false prophets: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). Don’t miss the point: Jesus taught His disciples to make certain judgments concerning false prophets. How could the disciples obey Jesus’ instruction to “beware of false prophets” if those disciples could not determine (judge) that some were false prophets? They could not. Clearly then, the Lord Himself taught the disciples to make certain judgments. Therefore, all judging is not sinful. If it is then Jesus taught His disciples to do that which is sinful.
Christians should not be intimidated when someone says it is wrong to judge. Rather, Christians must be sure that they are not guilty of judging others in a harsh, hypocritical way, and that their judgments are based upon what God has said in His Word.
Mark Lindley
Chapman church of Christ
Ripley, MS