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I read a comment online this week that said, “as Christians we aren’t called to judge anyone but to love everyone.” Sounds great, doesn’t it?  But do you know that it’s actually a little untrue?

Based on my observation, “judge not lest you be judged” is one of the most misquoted verses and misunderstood concepts by Christians and non-Christians alike.  So what exactly did Jesus mean when He said “don’t judge” and what does it mean for our lives?

Let’s discuss, shall we?

Didn’t Jesus Say We Shouldn’t Judge?

Here’s where the confusion comes from.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others.The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

People often read, “do not judge others” and interpret it to mean that we should just let everyone think and live however they want and never say anything about it, because if we do say something about it, that means we’re being a judgmental Christian/person and Jesus said not to do that.  Well, not exactly.

Don’t you find it interesting that after Jesus clearly says not to judge others for the speck in their eye, He then makes a statement implying that He expects His people to deal with the speck in their friend’s eye?  So, clearly, there’s something about the definition of “judge” that we’re missing.

If you do a little research into the English and Greek definitions of judge/judgment you’ll find  meanings like this: forming an opinion concerning right or wrong, the ability to make a decision or to form an opinion objectively and wisely.

Here’s what Jesus wants us to learn.

There’s a difference between judgment as criticism and judgment as evaluation.

*(Sidenote: There’s also a difference between judgment as criticism,  judgment as evaluation and passing final judgment on someone, which only God can do. More on that in the next post.)

The book of James even points this out.

Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12)

There’s a difference between pridefully tearing someone down because of their sins and flaws, and challenging people with hope for how they can align with the way of Jesus in belief and practice through His power.  There’s a difference between unredemptively condemning someone and speaking up for the truth of Jesus in effort to help point them to Him and His standard for their lives.

Lovingly calling others to biblical truth is a good thing. Harsh criticism and speaking evil of people? Not so great.

As blogger Jeffery Poor points out in his article, Judge Not (what Jesus really meant), “The religious of Jesus’ day (and today) like to point fingers. But that helps no one. What we should do is come alongside each other in love. It’s not judging to help someone see the sin in their life. It’s judging when we condemn them for that sin rather then helping them.”

Notice Jesus says, “first get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see clearly enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”  According to Jesus: Help your friend, just be humble and recognize that you’re not perfect either.  You’re in a process of spiritual maturity too.  Help others, just don’t try to help other people overcome their flaws and walk rightly with God while not acknowledging and dealing with the shortcomings in your own life too.  Jesus is against His people pointing out the sins and flaws of others while ignoring their own.  That’s His point.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1-5 about not judging others were about avoiding hypocrisy, not about never having a biblical opinion or never calling people to biblical standards.

Jesus makes this even clearer later in the same chapter where He acknowledges that there can be good fruit and bad fruit in people’s lives and ministries.  And He teaches us that it’s right to evaluate the beliefs and actions of others.  It is good and necessary to test our own lives and ministries and those of others against the word of God, the Bible.

Even more, in the New Testament book of Galatians God teaches us that as believers we are supposed to humbly and gently challenge our Christian brothers and sisters when they are not walking in obedience to God and try to help them back onto the right path. We are to do this while recognizing that we ourselves are not perfect or exempt from sin and weaknesses, being careful to walk in God’s ways ourselves as He helps us.

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. (Matthew 7:15-20)

 

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)

You see where this is all going?

Not judging people doesn’t mean we shouldn’t form biblical opinions about truth, sin and righteousness and talk about how the standards of Scripture come to bear on our lives. (2 Timothy 3:15-17) Not judging people doesn’t mean we shouldn’t examine the genuineness of professions of faith in Jesus in our own lives and the lives of others. (1 John 2:3-6 // 1 John 3:4-10)

Not judging people doesn’t mean that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, have no role to play in helping each other step away from sin and compromise to walk in godliness. (Galatians 6:1-2) Not judging people doesn’t mean that we should never call those who are apart from Christ to turn from sin and find salvation and relationship with God through Him. (Romans 10:8-17)

Not judging people doesn’t mean there is never room for conversation or confrontation.

Christians are actually called by Jesus in Scripture to do all of those things.  We are called to proclaim the message of Jesus to everyone, calling them to faith in Him. (Mark 16:15-16) And we are called to teach the truth of God’s Word even when the culture and popular opinion are not favorable to it. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

So, did Jesus say we shouldn’t judge? Kind of.

Jesus did say that we shouldn’t pridefully and hypocritically condemn others for their sins and shortcomings while ignoring our own.  Jesus did say that we shouldn’t hopelessly and harshly criticize others and speak evil of them.  Jesus did not say that we should never humbly and biblically evaluate and form opinions.  Jesus did not say that redemptive, constructive confrontation of others is always off limits.

Do judge. Just judge rightly.

Attitude Is Everything

Here’s a good rule to live by: don’t try to shame people into following Jesus. Or into maturing in faith in Jesus, for that matter.

Now that we’ve established that there is a righteous expression of judgment/evaluation, we have to be clear: that doesn’t mean that every approach to that judgment/evaluation is acceptable.

You know what I love about Galatians 6:1-2?  It doesn’t just tell us to help people onto God’s path.  It expressly tells us to help them with gentleness and humility. And that’s not the only place in Scripture you’ll find instruction not only to help people live godly lives and come to faith in Jesus, but also on what approach and attitude to have when you do it.

Why does Scripture place so much emphasis on tone and attitude when Christians call others to faith in Christ or challenge people when their beliefs and actions don’t agree with His Word?

Because attitude is everything.  Approach is everything.  It makes the difference between truth being received and truth being rejected. It makes the difference between someone being nudged closer to Jesus or being pushed further away from Him. It makes the difference between someone feeling loved or feeling unloved.

There are so many people who have been pushed away from Christ because Christians tried to reach them with the right truth and the right intentions but with the wrong approach.

Remember, Christians are called to biblical evaluation, conversation and confrontation sometimes. Godly conversation about truth is clear and confident, but it is also humble, gentle, hopeful and redemptive.

That’s the problem with the attitude Jesus addresses in Matthew 7:1-5 and James addresses in James 4:11-12.  It doesn’t meet those criteria.  When we take on the approach of speaking evil of one another and criticizing one another instead of speaking the truth in love from a sincere to desire to help people grow closer to Jesus, we’ve missed God’s heart and we’re not representing Him correctly to others. (Ephesians 4:15)

Jesus never shamed people for their sins. Jesus never shamed anyone out of their sinful actions and He never shamed anyone into believing in Himself.

He was clear and truthful about the reality of sin and its consequences in this life and in eternity.  He was clear and truthful about who He was, and His call for people to follow Him with their lives, and the results of rejecting that invitation.  But He never shamed people.  He never made people feel like a lost cause because of their sin, flawed theology, compromise or separation from God.  He gave them hope that they didn’t have to stay the way they were.

Even in having hard conversations with people about their beliefs and their lives, He always challenged while pointing people to His love for them and the hope for seeing their lives turned around through His power if they would let Him work in their lives.

As He was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”…

They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then He stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11)

As Jesus followers and Jesus representatives, our heart posture and our approach need to look the same as His.

If we as Christians are sharing the message of Jesus or doing any work of His Kingdom and using shame as our method, then our approach to reaching people and doing Christ’s work has ceased to be Spirit-led, Christ-like, and biblical.

Jesus confronts to show people a better way – the way of Jesus, the way of Scripture – and to give people a hand up into that way.  Jesus doesn’t confront to tear people down and make them feel hopeless in their condition.  As His people, we should be like Him.

Jesus gave a clear example that you can honestly address sin in people’s lives, honestly speak biblical truth, honestly invite people out of sin and into relationship with Jesus and be loving, gracious and relational at the same time. No shame or condemnation required.

In fact, Jesus has commanded us in His Word to be loving, gracious and relational as we faithfully and truthfully tell others about Him. (1 Peter 3:15-16 // Colossians 4:5-6)

Tough question: Are you a person who has learned from Jesus not to self-righteously shame people for their sins but rather to graciously introduce them to Jesus as the way out of their sin and into a life of knowing God?

Are you a person who has learned to judge righteously and be loving toward others at the same time?  That’s the kind of person I want to be, and I’m praying that Jesus helps you and me to be both truthful and loving just like He is.

Let’s Talk: How did you define “judging others” before reading this blog post? Has your view changed at all after reading it? Discuss this post in the comments below.

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