“Judge not lest ye be judged.” (Matt. 7:1)
This has
become a very hot-button issue among Christians these days. Most people seem to fall into one of two
camps. One camp says, “We are
Christians; we are called to love people, not condemn them. It’s not our job to judge, so why not leave
the judging to God?” The other camp
says, “We are Christians; we are called to be the salt and light of the
world. How can we truly love people as
Christ does if we leave them wallowing in their sin?” Both valid points of view.
This whole subject struck me in a new way this past week, as I’ve read through the book of James. I came to two different passages that seem to contradict one another. As often happens throughout Scripture, though, I’ve come to realize that they are actually two sides of the same coin.
Consider these verses:
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from
the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner
from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of
sins.” James 5:19-20
Question: How are we to “turn a sinner from the error
of his way” if we are not allowed to judge his actions? How can a person be converted or brought back
into fellowship with the Lord if we are patting them on the back and assuring
them that their sin is okay?
One thing is
certain: the Bible never assures anyone in their sin, but always seeks to rescue
people from their sin.
Something
else to consider is the fact that we are all naturally forming judgments every
day. The mother that refuses to allow
just anyone to babysit her child is, in actuality, passing judgment on the
person deemed by her to be unfit to care for her little one. Why not give the homeless man on the street
the job of caring for your child? After
all, you shouldn’t judge the motive of his heart, and he is desperately needing
work. And why should we put anyone into
prison for breaking the law? After all,
we don’t know what brought these people to make the decisions they did. It could have just been a very bad but temporary
slip in judgment. Everyone has a bad day
every once in awhile – shouldn’t we cut them some slack? These are obviously extreme examples, but
they make a valid point. We all judge,
whether we realize it or not. The
question is, what kind of judgment are we using?
Check out
these verses, which actually seem to promote
judging:
“Do not
judge according to appearance, but judge
with righteous judgment.” John 7:24
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs
from thistles?” Matthew 7:15-16
“Beloved, do
not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out
into the world.” 1 John 4:1
“Test all things; hold
fast what is good. Abstain from every
form of evil.” 1 Thessalonians
5:21-22
“Do you not know that the
saints will judge the world? And if
the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest
matters? Do you not know that we shall
judge angels? How much more, things that
pertain to this life?” 1
Corinthians 6:2-3
“Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own
eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5
These verses seem to point to the idea that God expects us – even commands
us – to judge rightly. Context is always
key, and there is a very telling verse preceding the “judgment” passage in the
book of James. Verse 6 of chapter 4
reads, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” You mean I can’t bash my King James Bible
over someone’s head and tell them they’re going to hell? No. It
is the humble in heart, the one who has already searched his/her own soul and
removed the plank of offense buried there, that is in a position to judge
rightly.
A repentant heart – the one that has been set free by the love of
Christ – cannot help but long to see others set free as well. Free
people free people. They don’t make
people comfortable in their sin, just as Jesus never made people comfortable in
their sin.
A good example to look at is how Jesus dealt with the woman caught in
adultery. Jesus didn’t bring
condemnation down upon her, but neither did he excuse her sin. People love to quote the words of Jesus to
the mob that tried to stone the adulterous woman: “Let him who is without sin
cast the first stone.” However, they
fail to include His words to the woman after everyone had laid down their
stones and left: “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11). Notice He didn’t pat her on the back and say,
“Hey, you know I’m not here to judge anyone.
You do what’s right for you, and I’ll do what’s right for me.” No, He set her FREE in the knowledge that she
did not have to be a slave to her sin any longer.
I get the
feeling the church has become intimidated by a society that screams, “Don’t you
dare judge me, you religious right-wing fanatic!” (which, in itself, is also a
judgment). Some in the church today have
bought into the lie that moral relativism is the way to go (“what is true for
you, might not be true for me”), when in reality, God’s Word is crystal clear
about right and wrong, good and evil, sin and consequences. God commands us to judge rightly, to discern
with wisdom, and to test all things.
Political correctness leads to tip-toeing around sin, for fear of
offending someone. But Jesus certainly
didn’t seem to mind offending people – He wanted to see people set FREE, no
matter how offensive His words may have sounded. Only the TRUTH can set a person free! Absolutely nothing good can come from
sugar-coating sin. Deception is one of
Satan’s greatest tools, which is one of the reasons why I believe “thou shall
not judge” has become such a popular mantra in today’s society. The last thing Satan wants is to see people
set FREE from their sin, so they can live the abundant life Jesus promised to
those who come to Him.
These are some
conclusions I have come to:
1)
Criticism is never okay. We are not to criticize, but we are to discern right from wrong, and
good from evil. One definition of
discernment is “the ability to judge well.”
Criticism=Bad. Discernment=Good.
2)
God specifically commands us to not speak evil
of our brother. Slanderous gossip about
another’s sin is itself grievous sin. When
we speak evil about a fellow Christian behind their back, this grieves the
heart of God and breaks our own fellowship with Him.
3)
We are commanded to “speak the truth in love”
(Ephesians 4:15). Telling someone the
truth will sometimes involve pointing out an area of sin that needs to be dealt
with. But our motive must be love, never
condemnation.
4)
We must first
deal with the sin in our own life before we are in any position to point out
sin in someone else’s life.
5)
Pride has absolutely no place in a Christian’s
life. We must approach others with a
gentle, humble heart.
6)
Our goal and motive must never be to condemn a
person, but to love them and bring them to repentance and freedom in
Christ. The most loving thing a person
can do is to point another person to Jesus.
7)
We cannot judge the motive and intent of another
person’s heart; only God knows why a
person does the things they do. We are
not called to judge motives, but only to discern words and deeds (actual facts,
not assumptions).
I love this
quote:
"Among
the gifts of the Spirit scarcely one is of greater practical usefulness than
the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought
as being almost indispensable in these critical times. This gift will enable us
to distinguish the chaff from the wheat and to divide the manifestations of the
flesh from the operations of the Spirit." – A. W. Tozer
The question
I have to ask myself is this: how would I want to be treated, if the situation
were reversed? “Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31).
Would I want a friend or family member to point out to me an area of sin
in my life that I may be blinded to, or that I’ve decided to ignore? I can honestly say... Yes. If, and only if, it is done in
humility and love. I don’t want anything to separate me from my Lord,
and that includes unconfessed sin – either known or unknown. Confession and repentance bring freedom, and
there is no greater feeling in the world than freedom in Christ!
“If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed. And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free… Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever
commits sin is a slave to sin… Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall
be free indeed.” John 8:31-32, 34, 36
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