I don’t know if there’s any other question that comes up as often as this one does. I recently read of a survey that was conducted of the general populace (including both Christians and non-Christians). The survey told of a fascinating shift that has taken place in our culture.
Up until a few years ago the most well known Bible verse by the general populace was the verse that you’ve no doubt seen painted on banners hanging in the end zone of an NFL football game: John 3:16, “For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” However, John 3:16 no longer holds the title as most well known.Â
Today it is Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judge.” Just consider for a moment what this says about our culture. John 3:16 proclaims God self-sacrificial love for every person, and yet presupposes that every person stands morally guilty (judged) before God. The reason it’s been the bumper sticker of the Bible for so long is that it speaks of the paradox of the Christian faith—God’s justice and His grace; God’s wrath and His forgiveness; God’s righteousness and our wretched condition. But times change. The new bumper sticker no longer speaks of humanity’s objective guilt and God’s radical grace, but now heralds a context-less message of absolute tolerance. And so we have other conversation-bumper-stickers out there like, “Who are you to say?” or “Well, that’s just your truth.” So, how should followers of Jesus think about this?Â
A SOLUTION
Jesus’ teaching on judging can easily be misunderstood when not looking at his words in the context of his larger teaching. The phrase which many quote in attempts to argue that a Christian should never make a moral judgment comes from Mt 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” However, if you read Jesus’ statement in the context of the rest of the chapter you’ll see that he is not telling his listeners to abstain from judging altogether, but to abstain from making hypocritical judgments. Read all the way through vs. 15 where Jesus tells his listeners to be sure to judge false prophets from true prophets.  Consider for a moment all of Jesus’ moral teaching (an important point to be considered by those who only view him as a “good moral teacher”). Surely we can’t understand Jesus’ statements here in Matthew to mean that we should never make a judgment, say between kindness and cruelty, or love and hatred. In fact, anyone who falls into the category of a “moral teacher” or “moral reformer” (Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.) is assuming that certain actions are evil or blameworthy while others are good or praiseworthy. I would have to be a fool to think that Jesus didn’t want his followers to distinguish between good and evil. A good parallel passage to help further understand Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1 is John 7:24, where Jesus states, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” Obviously, this doesn’t answer or even address all the biblical nuances of making judgments (having an attitude of love and gentleness). Nevertheless, I believe it is important that followers of Jesus understand what our Master did and did not say about this most important issue—especially in our times.
WHAT WE CAN AND CANT JUDGE
The Bible tells us that while we can judge people’s (1) words and (2) actions, we don’t have access to (3) their hearts. 1 Samuel 16:7 has God explaining to the prophet Samuel that where Samuel’s abilities to asses and weigh are restricted to the “outward” aspects of people, God alone is able to examine and judge the motives and intent of the human heart. So, while we’re given the command to judge rightly the words and actions of others, we must never assume the divine prerogative to know the heart.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why is it that we are often fearful or reluctant to make a judgment call about someone’s words or actions?
2. Why is it so easy to move from making a judgment about one’s words or actions (something we do have access to) to their motives (something we don’t have access to)?
3. How do we guard against being hypocritical in our judgment calls?
4. How do we keep from become those who are hyper-judgmental and hyper-critical?
This post originally appeared in July 2006.
12 Comments on “Did Jesus really teach us not to judge? (Mt 7:1)”
Of course Christians are to judge rightly, using God’s standards. In our personal lives every decision we make, every action we take is based on our ability to make a judgement about the acceptability of those decisions. In the same manner, Christians also have the ability, again using God’s standards, to be able to judge the actions of others. Of course we can not inflict any consequences on those we might “judge” as that is God’s responsibility and not ours.
Brent,
You say, “The Bible tells us that while we can judge people’s (1) words and (2) actions….” That’s pretty broad. Do you have a reference supporting this?
Thanks for pointing out Jesus’s instruction in John, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” [Jonh 7:24]. In this passage he is responding specifically to the concern over his act of healing on the Sabbath. He urges them not to judge based on rules (don’t work on the Sabbath) but to consider the larger picture (healing a fellow man). Certainly we should head this advice when we consider issues like stem cell research, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage. We should judge not just with rules, but by considering the potential for healing, ending suffering, promoting family, etc.
Gavin,
Jesus doesn’t tell his listeners in Jn 7:24 not to judge based on rules. Instead, Jesus appeals to the OT law (vs. 23) to support his healing. Further, “rules” is an undefined term. While Jesus is harsh and critical against “traditions of men,” he always affirms God’s laws (Mk 7:8).
In addition, is your statement “healing a fellow man” meant to include all men (e.g., unborn)?
In 1 Corinthians it states that believers are to hold eachother accountable for the teachings of God. If someone who is a follower of Christ knowingly sins against his teachings, we are told to confront them with love, hold them accountable for their actions, and help them overcome their sin. This is how I take it to mean that we are to “judge” eachother. If that Christian chooses not to turn from their sinful way of life, 1 Corinthians 5:11 states that we are to turn away from that person. Think of a teacher who has been caught selling drugs to students at a school. Let’s say that person attends your church. The church confronts that person, the teacher has no intention of stopping; the church turns him away. They came to him in love to hold him accountable for his actions, asked him to stop, he chose not to. In biblical judgement, they turned him away. This is a hypothetical example, but this is what I take away from reading 1 Corinthians 5:11.
1 Corinthians 5:13 says “God will judge those outside,” meaning that if people do not know/live under the mandates of God, we are not to judge them. They don’t know God’s laws, so we can’t hold them to them.
1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10 are pretty clear on some things that we are to hold eachother accountable for, or “judge” eachother for:
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
I’m sure Paul didn’t mean for this to be an exaustive “this is it, that’s all there is” type of listing of what we are to be morally responsible for, but it’s a good guideline to those who are unsure.
To Gavin: I’m really glad you’re searching and asking questions. Pastor Brent is a great person to search through these difficult issues with. Bless you with your journey.
He cited an OT law allowing circumcision on the Sabbath. He didn’t do a circumcision, so this law doesn’t apply directly to the healing. He cited the law to illustrate that we make exceptions, even to commandments, given sufficient cause.
Jesus did affirm God’s laws, and on several occasions he violated them. This isn’t hypocracy. Jesus explains that the laws are rational, flowing from the basic principles of loving God and loving your neighbor.
We are to follow the law, but we must also consider the specific situation. We cannot allow strict adherence to the letter of the law to cause us to violate the principles on which the law is based. This is a great responsibility and challenge, which is why we should be very reluctant to judge others when they make difficult decisions.
Of course, course the well being of all people, including the unborn, should be considered in making decisions that affect them. However, I don’t think that consideration for the unborn trumps every other consideration.
Still looking for the “The Bible tells us that while we can judge people’s (1) words and (2) actions….â€? reference. Matthew 7:15 tells us to “watch out” for false prophets in my translation. Where is the verse that tells us to judge people’s words and actions in general?
Gavin,
The categories of judging people’s words and actions seem like obvious ones, wouldn’t you agree? What else could we judge? I think we could quickly draw up examples if these categories are really in doubt, though I can’t imagine they would be. How do you suppose Jesus intended his hearers to distinguish between false and true prophets if not by judging their words and deeds (Mt 7:15). After all, the test of a prophet in the OT was (1) accurate predictions and (2) theological orthodoxy (Deut. 13 & 18). Or we might turn to other NT examples where the we see instances of making a judgment on the basis of a person’s words and/or actions (1 Timothy 1:18-20, or Mt 14:3-4). Amanda also pointed out some clear examples (see above). Again, I have a hard time figuring out why these categories aren’t simply obvious upon reflection. Is there a reason why they should be rejected?
Perhaps I misinterpreted your final paragraph, which seems to give very broad license to second guess other people’s personal decisions any time those decisions involve actions or words. This seems to be in conflict your comments on Christian liberty, where you argue that some actions (e.g. dancing) are moral or immoral based on intent and context, something a outside observer cannot know.
It’s not that I think actions and words can never be judged, it is that this is the wrong place to draw the line. Judging based on fruits makes much more sense, and is much more restrictive. Some words and actions don’t produce significant fruit one way or the other (e.g. days of observance) so there is really no grounds to judge them and we should let individuals decide what best serves their relationships with God and others.
Finally, I think you are blurring the line between distinguishing and judging. On Sunday morning I see some people going to church and others working in their gardens. I can certainly distinguish between these two activities. I can set an example with my own Sunday morning choice. I can even explain my choice to other’s and express concern about their choices. In fact, I think these are all good things to do. However, it is a big step to say “this is right” and “that is wrong,” especially if we aren’t willing to look at the detailed context of their individual decision. We need to be very careful about crossing that line from support and encouragement to judgment.
Amanda,
I don’t think there would be the current backlash against evangelical Christians if they were practicing judgment in the way you describe. Churches should certainly be free to determine standards for their members. If they don’t want to marry same-sex couples, non-Christians, or whatever, that’s their decision. I may disagree with that decision, but I am free to leave the church and find, if I can, a community that I agree with.
However, the evangelical community has been very active in using the mechanism of the state to enforce their judgments on people outside the church. To outstanding examples are their opposition to stem cell research and same-sex marriage. How do you reconcile the deffence of marriage acts with Paul’s assertion that “God will judge those outside.”
“Homosexual offenders” in Cor 6:9 does not refer to sex within a same-sex marriage. He is talking about promiscuous activity.
Gavin,
You’re right, if all Christians judged people according to the way God commands, we would not have as many problems. But Christians are imperfect people, and that’s why I am in need of God’s grace. I can only take responsibility for the way I interpret the scriptures and choose to think, raise my children, and treat other human beings (both Christian and non-Christian).
That being said, I can’t help the way others in the “evangelical Christian” community have acted or offended others, when they do not act according to the teachings of scripture, yet they say that they are acting in the name of God. So is it fair to catagorize all Christians as being so? Assume that everyone acts in a certain way because of a select few? Judge all according to a few? No. I don’t do that, and I am a Christian. And I take no responsibility for others’ political stances. That’s a whole other blog thread…
Along that same line of thinking, catagorizing all Christians as some sort of puppets that are incapable of individual thought is not fair. If a Christian were to catagorize people like that, they’d be called judgemental. Hmmm….why is it okay for non-Christians to do it to me? But Christians are the only ones being thought of as having issues being judgemental?
Amanda,
I should not have referred to evangelical Christians in general when I said they were not practicing judgment in the way you describe. I should have said, “The current backlash against evangelical Christianity is in response to the vocal and active members of that community who have not practiced judgment in the way you describe.” I am sorry for this offensive over-generalization and appreciate your correction.
I further erred in asking you do defend the political actions of the evangelical Christian community. This was a stupid thing for me to do, since you hadn’t claimed that those positions were your own. I am very sorry about this.
I could not find a comment where I have categorized all Christians as incapable of individual thought. However, I may have given that impression with the general tone of my last comment. it was not my intention, but given the serious mistakes I made, it could interpreted that way. I will try to be much more careful in the future.
Finally, I neglected to thank you for the kind support you offered in your previous post. I appreciate your insights and encouragement.
Gavin,
It’s a journey for all of us, and there are hard questions that, quite frankly, we might just not know the answers to until we can ask God face to face. I am happy to journey with you, my friend, and am glad we can challenge eachother.
Amanda
Gavin,
Would you feel comfortable e-mailing me (contactus@timberlinechurch.org) your e-mail address? Nancy has asked if I would give you her e-mail address in order to carry on further conversation regarding Lewis’ “Mere Christianity.” Gavin, as I told Nancy, you two would be more than welcome to have that dialogue on this blog. I think it would be benificial for people to “look over your shoulders” as you converse. Still, I understand that you both may be more comfortable with more privacy. Totally up to you!
Thanks,
Brent