Judge Not
Bad Words Part Three
Next to John 3:16, Matthew 7:1 is one of the best-known verses. It is often quoted at people who call themselves Christians by unbelievers who find them overtly judgmental.
I have been asked by many people how this verse can be followed if it is asking us never to judge another person. That is understandable because the definition of judge is:
v. form an opinion or conclusion about.
Some have answered this question by saying that it is only referring to condemnation. That would take the verse out of context within the passage and taking it out of context of the Bible.
Let’s look at the passage context. Here is Matthew 7:1-5:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
What we see here is one person hypocritically trying to remove a speck (a piece of sawdust or splinter) while being blinded by pride.
Judge not if it is self-serving
Pride is self-serving. The type of judgment we are to avoid is the kind that gets you something or makes you look or feel superior to another person.
This means you do not judge:
To get something you believe you deserve. This can be especially true if you believe your pride or ego has been damaged.
Try to make people behave the way you think is right.
For the pleasure of pointing out the faults of another person.
To show how you are superior or to make you look superior.
To gossip with someone. Any time you pridefully judge with other people taking part, it is gossip, and it is an ugly thing.
To attempt to spread the Gospel.
Notice that in the above list that I do not mention condemnation. That is because it can fit in on any of them.
When to judge
It is necessary to judge or assess others in order to help them. It must be done from a position of humility and love. Here are some examples of when it is appropriate:
Whether it is called training, teaching, counseling, or coaching, you will need to assess the weaknesses, strengths, and progress of those you intend to instruct.
Sometimes we see someone following a sinful lifestyle that threatens to harm them and those around them and is keeping them from experiencing God’s best life for them.
Discernment is an important type of judgment. Discernment is identifying what is pure and from God, and what is stained by sin. This allows us to identify who and what we allow to teach us. This is not just about preachers and teachers in a church. It means everything you read, hear, and see. If you are watching a show that suggests that premarital sex is consequence-free, it is a false teacher. This is not an excuse to indulge in self-righteous behavior. We avoid false teaching because we need to protect the truth so that it does not corrupt us or our ability to teach others.
Sometimes we are asked to judge because it is a civil responsibility. In those cases, we do what the law requires.
Sometimes we are asked to judge in order to give advice.
The log disqualifies helpful judgment
Looking back at Matthew 7:1-5 again, we know that the person with sawdust or splinter in his eye needs help. This passage tells us that the ends do not justify the means. There may be a portion of you that truly would like to help, but if you are blinded by pride, they don’t need your kind of help. As long as you have a self-serving agenda of any type, you cannot be objective.
It is my prayer that each of us examine what we say and how we think and ask for God's help to get rid of self-serving judgments so that we may be better servants to the people around us.
Some of the Scripture used or considered in the writing of "Judge Not" by RD Montgomery
Proverbs 10:18
Proverbs 11:13
Proverbs 16:28
Proverbs 18:21
Proverbs 27:17
Ezekiel 28:2
Matthew 5:38-40
Matthew 7:1-5
Matthew 7:15-20
Luke 6:37-42
1 Corinthians 4:14
2 Corinthians 12:20
Galatians 6:11-14
Ephesians 4:29
Colossians 3:16
James 1:26
James 4:11
2 Timothy 4:2
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