To Judge or Not! What the Bible Says.

To Judge or Not?
The Bible says that we should not judge. I have heard this comment for many years in ministry. People want to quote the Scripture when it is of benefit for them to esteem some scriptural knowledge. The question today is simple. What does the Bible actually say about judging others. The topic of judging will be explored. This will include a detailed definition, scripture references that deal with judging, and an application for this concept that is accurate and Biblical.
In order to accurately deal with the concept of judging, one must understand the word. Webster’s Dictionary offers more than one meaning. The first, obviously is, "a presider over a trial." The second rendering of the word is, "a qualified evaluator." Even with these definitions, one could assume that the Bible would make some kind of consideration for some type of evaluation. However, in the modern context, when people try to quote the scripture, they seem to want to impose some type of standard that God’s Word contains a prohibition of passing sentence on another. That could not be further from the truth .The New Testament rendering for the word judge is to decide, pass judgement on, or express an opinion about.
Matthew 7:1 is the verse that is called into question. Actually, it does say that we should not judge, but the verse does not end there. "Judge not, that you be not judged"(Matt 7:1 ESV). It seems strikingly obvious that the admonishment is to not judge, but rather be prepared to be judged when judgement is passed. As a matter of fact, when Matthew 7 is taken in context, the action of judging is not prohibited, just cautioned. That caution is for the attitude or intent of the one doing the judging.
The contrast in this picture occurs when those espousing what they think the Bible states, skew the Biblical passage to impose an individual interpretation. Simply, people have an opinion on passing judgement. Usually, that opinion is that calling sin out makes people uncomfortable because it exposes their own sinfulness. Moving back to the Scripture, that is exactly what Jesus is teaching. Judging others brings to light the sinful activity of the Judge. It appears that it becomes rather easy to mis-represent the authority and truth of the Bible.
This would be a proper concluding. The point has been made. However, the primary question has not yet been answered. That question is what does the Bible say? The Bible conveys the idea that Christians should call out sin. In fact, judgement is supposed to take place within the church, not outside.(1 Cor 5:12-13) Now that makes a lot of sense! Christians can judge Christians, and God judges un-believers. This seems to be the standard for the New Testament witness. The Apostle John, in his first epistle, comments regularly on the distinction of believers and non-believers. The apostle James also supports this view of judgement. Matthew, in his gospel, makes provisions for dealing with sinful believers, and even the exercise of discipline for unrepentant believers. The mandate is clear. It is judge carefully and with the utmost love.
What does this mean for Christians today? A trip back in time to understand the Biblical meaning to the original audience is a good start. A proper implementation of Biblical hermeneutics is in good order. Finally, application to this particular teaching in scripture provides healthy and growing relationships in Christ because sin is being confessed and repentance is being fashioned by the Grace of God.
For further reading please read Matthew 7, Luke 6, Luke 12, John 7, Romans 2, 1 Cor 5,
Heb 9, and James 2.
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© 2009 Todd A. Peebles