"Judge not, that you be not judged.
(Mat 7:1-6)
This text is widely used by people who want to defend a habit or lifestyle that does not glorify God. I am sure most everyone has at one time heard “You can’t judge me.” Or “The Bible says that you are not supposed to judge me.” In a way they are right. The words “judge not” are in the Bible. What they don’t realize is that it does not mean judge in the way that we think of judge today. The word judge comes from the Greek word “Krino”. This word has many definitions. Strong’s defines it with several different words such as… Distinguish, decide, to try, to punish, to avenge, conclude, to condemn, decree, determine, esteem, go to law, ordain, call in question, to sentence.
With this many definitions it could be difficult to determine what scripture was teaching us. Or you could pick out one of these definitions and make the argument that nobody has any business telling you that you are wrong or being deceived. One such example would be the definition “to call in question”. If this were the case than evangelism and apologetics, which is defending the faith, and even the Bible would be wrong. Of course we know that this is not true. So how do we know which definition applies? We look at the whole text and determine what the entire text is saying. Does the application that we believe to be accurate line up with the Bible as a whole?
If I walked up to you and a friend of yours and said “You are great, you are a strong faithful Christian that is an encouragement to all that observe you. I don’t believe that either one of you would jump up to argue with me or tell me to quit judging us. I would be doing what Paul tells the Thessalonians in chapter 5 of his first letter.
Yet I would be judging them. But I would be judging them in a good way. So let’s read the rest of the text and try to determine in what way, am I not to judge.
(Verses 2-7) 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. "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
The text is speaking of arrogant people who think that they are better than everyone else and are unjustly criticizing those around them. Remember, this is towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus is speaking to a very diverse crowd. Not even necessarily Christians. Scripture tells us that the people were there to primarily seek healing from Jesus. Not to follow him because He was Christ. These are the people He is speaking to. Not to mature Christians. Mature Christians should be able to help or counsel the immature, deceived or young Christians without criticizing or condemning. As mature Christians we should attempt to direct or lead with love and compassion. We should judge rightly and never with a spirit of revenge or jealousy. We should judge rightly by observing the fruit generated by ones life. Not on a single occurrence that happened in ones life.
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
(Joh 7:24) Does the fruit line up with the Word?
In Matthew the Bible tells us not to judge and in John and various other places it tells us to judge. Is the Bible contradictory? No, there is judging rightly and judging wrongly. There are things or ways that we are to judge and things and ways that we are not to judge.
We should not judge the heart or the intentions of another. God will judge that.
Rightly judging is reproving others and it is our duty to do that.
1Th 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1Th 5:12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
1Th 5:13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
1Th 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
What the Bible is saying here in Thessalonians and in Matthew is that when we do judge then we need to do it in a loving, encouraging, and patient way, the way that we would like to be judged. The way that we should judge ourselves.
1Co 11:31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
We should be judging rightly ourselves and everything around us. We should judge our actions, our words and the actions and words of others. You should be judging what you are reading right now.
Teachers should be held to a higher level of judging than others. In Titus chapter one, we see that Paul has left Titus to appoint elders and overseers over the churches. We see some of the ways that he was to judge the people to determine their worthiness for the position.
This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you-- if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.
(Tit 1:5-11)
I submit to you that this does not just apply to elders. It applies to all that are followers of Christ and we must be constantly judging, reproving, and rebuking one another within the church and outside the church. Satan comes as a sheep, not as a wolf, to deceive us. We need others around us to judge us and our actions because they will see things that we cannot because we are deceived. Yes we must go to church when we are saved. Those that will not submit to being judged rightly are those that are not rightly judging themselves. They judge on their own self worth rather than Christ’s worth.
Judge not that you be not judged. Nobody wants to be criticized unjustly nor have their motives assumed upon. However, I do want to be judged rightly. It is good for me. It teaches me. I do not want to be deceived by the Devil and everyone around me saying that they knew I was and did nothing to help me.
This is not to change what the word is saying in Matthew but this may help you to see the difference between “judge not that you be not judged” and judge rightly that you be judged rightly. It is discerning with discretion.
