NO JUDGING ALLOWED??
08-15-02

One of the most often quoted verses in the New Testament is found in Matthew 7. It is found in verse one, "Judge not, that you be not judged." From my experience more people use this verse incorrectly than any other verse in the Bible. Just last week in the Lakeland Ledger, someone referred to this passage in their letter to the editor. The only problem is that most who refer to this verse have no clue what Jesus was teaching, and use it to promote tolerance for almost everything.

Did Jesus condemn all judging in making this statement? If He did, a problem arises because in the same paragraph He commands that we are not to give what is holy to the dogs or cast pearls before pigs. In order to obey His commands, are we not required to determine (make a judgment) of who is a dog and who is a pig? In John 7:24 it is recorded that Jesus said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." If both verses refer to any and all judging, we have the Lord contradicting himself and such cannot be. When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth concerning a brother engaged in immorality he said, "But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person" (1 Corinthians 5:11-13 NKJV). It is evident that the godly apostle was making a judgment.

So, what was the Lord teaching in Matthew 7? He was teaching against harshly critical and hypocritical judging. He condemns the person who nit picks every minute real or supposed shortcoming but never attempts to "clean up" his own life. Albert Barnes wrote, "This command refers to rash, censorious, and unjust judgment. . . . Christ does not condemn judging as a magistrate, for that, when according to justice, is lawful and necessary. Nor does he condemn our forming an opinion of the conduct of others, for it is impossible not to form an opinion of conduct that we know to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating circumstance, and of expressing such an opinion harshly and unnecessarily when formed."

May a Christian make judgments concerning others? Yes, we may – in fact we must – but by the proper standard and in the proper way. All judgments must be righteous – judgments using God’s word as our standard. All judgments must be tempered with love for the soul of the individual being judged. Paul told those in Corinth concerning the immoral Christian, "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:5 NKJV). Our ultimate goal in making judgments concerning others should be the welfare of their soul. The next time you hear someone declare, "Judge not, that you be not judged," in order to promote tolerance for some misguided notion, remember – judging is allowed!