Jesus’s teaching on not judging others is arguably the most quoted by Christians even though it is mostly quoted out of context. Those living in sin use it to justify their waywardness while those observing it use it to justify their permissiveness.
But What Does the Bible Say About Judging Others?
In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches not to judge others.
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. Mathew 7:1-2
Many Christians commonly reference the above scripture as proof that no one should pass judgment on others. However, that is not what Jesus was teaching. He was challenging the Christians not to judge others hypocritically or self-righteously.
Mathew 7:3-5 can help put the above scripture in context. In this text, Jesus rebukes them for thinking about the speck in their brother’s eye while ignoring the plank in their own eyes. As such, he was telling them not to find fault in others while ignoring their own faults.
A good illustration of this truth is found in John 8:1-11. It’s the story of a woman who was caught in adultery and brought before Jesus. The law of Moses taught that such a sin attracted capital punishment and they were eager to hear the judgment of Jesus on the matter. However, Jesus made an interesting statement that left them flabbergasted:
Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Luke 8:7
He was drawing their attention to the fact that they lacked the moral authority to judge the adulterous woman. The Pharisees were eager to execute a woman who had been caught sinning publicly and yet they were also sinners in private.
Apostle Paul echoes the sentiments of Jesus in Romans 2 where he reminds us not to pass judgment on other Christians. In verses 2-5, Paul posits that when we judge, we do it only as fellow sinners. Judging without this attitude is tantamount to self-righteousness. In other words, Christians must not criticize or condemn other Christians because God will judge all of them.
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans 2:1
However, this does not mean that Christians are to condone sin. In Galatians 6:1-3, Paul teaches that the sinful Christian should be rebuked. However, he cautions that Christians shouldn’t consider themselves morally superior to the ones who have fallen into temptation. On the contrary, they should minister to the fallen brother with grace and love. Knowing that you are not perfect will help you be more tolerant of those in error.
Galatians 6:2 speaks of bearing on another’s burdens. It means helping those who have fallen into temptation to find their restoration in God. By so doing, Christians will fulfill God’s command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Before passing judgment, it is best to remember that Jesus summarised the law in the command to love God and to love people (Mathew 22:36-40).
In Romans 14:1-13, Paul reminds the Roman Christians not to judge each other. He notes that some are strong while others are weak and it is therefore important to practice love and tolerance. Whether one is weak or strong, they are all servants of God who are directly answerable to Him. Paul therefore admonishes Christians not to impose their convictions on non-essential things on each other.
Apostle Paul reckons that the strong Christians should not be contemptuous of the weaker ones due to their lack of freedom. On the flip side, weak Christians should not condemn the strong ones for what they perceive as a misuse of freedom. Anyone who judges other believers like this is in danger of putting themselves above God.
Prophet Isaiah reminds us that the Lord is our judge and our only lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22). As such, we must desist from passing judgment because that is God’s work. Our role as believers is to follow God’s law with Godly reverence because we are all answerable to the righteous judge.
As Christians, we are called to fellowship with each other despite our differences. You shouldn’t despise or criticize another person because they have a different opinion on something you hold dear.
Conclusion
The gist of Mathew 7:1-2 is to always remember to judge yourself before judging others. As the proverb goes, when you point a finger at someone else, remember that the other four fingers are pointing at you. The Bible has a lot to say about judging yourself. For instance, Paul reminds the church at Corinth to judge themselves to avoid being judged themselves.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 1 Cor: 11:31
This agrees with the teaching of Jesus on prayer. He taught the disciples to forgive those who did them bad if they were to expect to be forgiven by God (Mathew 6:12-14). The main principle is it is hard to judge others when we think about the consequences of the judgment we will face for our own shortcomings.
But self-judgment is not just to see if we are in wrong – it is also to help us see if we are still in faith.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Cor. 13:5
The scripture above is a stark reminder of Jesus’ teaching of not being overly concerned about the speck in your brother’s eye while ignoring the plank in yours. Instead of examining the shortcomings of others, you should instead be examining yourself to see if you are still in faith and thereby taking the necessary steps to remain in faith.
