Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not judge, or you to will be judged”. If you judge others you will be judged with the same measure you use. We are all sinners. We all sin daily. What right do we have to say to our brother or sister, “Your sinning”? Jesus tells us that we are hypocrites for doing so. Let’s look at the meaning of what Jesus was saying. Scripture has the answers we are looking for.
Judging Others:
Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you to will be judged”
What does it mean to judge?
Judgment is the evaluation of evidence in the making of a decision. The term has three uses:
1.) Informal and psychological – used in reference to the quality of cognitive faculties and adjudication capabilities of particular individuals, typically called wisdom or discernment.
2.) Legal – used in the context of legal trial, to refer to a final finding, statement, or ruling, based on a considered weighing of evidence, called "adjudication".
3.) Religious – used in salvation to refer to the adjudication of God in determining Heaven or Hell for each and all human beings.
What Does Scripture Say about Judging?:
Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
Luke 6:41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
John 8:7 “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Romans 2:1 “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
Romans 14:10 “You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.”
Romans 14:13 “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.”
1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of mens hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”
James 4:11 “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.”
The term judge throughout these passages is used in more than one sense. Christ's meaning is plain.
1) He does not prohibit civil judgment of the courts upon evil doers, we see it’s approval throughout the whole Bible.
2) He does not prohibit judgment of the church, through its officers, upon those who walk disorderly.
3) He does not forbid private judgments that we tend to form for wrong-doers. Jesus tells us that we are to judge men by their fruits (Read: Matthew 7:15-20).
What He prohibits is rash, uncharitable judgments, a fault-finding spirit, and disposition to condemn without examination of charges.
The Bottom Line:
Scripture tells us we have the right to judge. It does however tell us what and how to judge. Jesus calls us hypocrites for judging brothers or sisters in Christ while we are sinners ourselves. Rumors and gossip create confusion within a body. Satan is the author of confusion. Are you pointing out others faults while your walk is hindered? Only Jesus was sin free. Let us examine ourselves and try to remove the plank in our own eye. Yes, we are our brothers keeper but not the judge, jury, and executioner.
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