Are Christians supposed to judge?

by Rob near L.A.

Many Christians recoil in horror at the idea that they are supposed to judge anything. Their anti-judging belief comes from a snippet of Matthew 7:1 taken out of context, where Jesus says: “Judge not.” People get this quotation from Jesus wrong because they ignore context.

In the context of Matthew 7, Jesus is talking about legalistic, mean-spirited, unloving and hypocritical judgment. He warns the Pharisees that if they judge like hypocrites, Matthew 7:3-5, they will be judged as hypocrites.

Jesus is not telling us we should never judge anything or anyone. He is not telling us we should never make a distinction between right and wrong. He is not talking about honest discerning judgment from a loving heart. In Matthew 7, Jesus is correcting abusive judgment as practiced by the Pharisees.

God designed us to make judgments ever day. Is this caramel machiato too hot? Is that taco too spicy? We judge style, color, taste, odor and sound. We judge whether we want to be friends with someone based on their honesty and kindness or whether we feel accepted and safe around them. Making judgments is a normal part of honest productive life.

Because words have meaning, Jesus cannot possibly be saying that Christians are never to judge anyone or anything. The “I must never judge anyone or anything” conclusion indicates an absence of logical thought. Notice that Jesus encourages us to judge in Matthew 7:6.

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”

Jesus expects us to judge whether someone is a dog or a pig in order to obey His command in Matthew 7:6. Therefore Jesus Himself illustrates his “Judge not” command by telling us to judge with discernment by judging ourselves first, Matthew 7:3-5. The danger Jesus warns against is unfair, unloving, unrighteous, mean-spirited judgment.

What else does the Bible
say about judgment?

1. We should not judge in an unloving, legalistic or hypocritical way.

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24. Jesus encourages us to use discernment when we judge.

2. Christians should judge based on what the Bible says in context.

“But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” 1 Corinthians 2:15

This is the essence of discerning judgment. We discern the true facts of a situation and judge based on facts, truth and genuine love.

In the Pauline context, a spiritual man is someone who is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Ephesians 2:8-9. We are born of the Spirit, John 3:6, we are justified by faith, Romans 5:1, we are already seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6.

Christ Jesus has been made unto us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,” 1 Cor 1:31. We “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” Romans 8:1.

Given these truths, we judge all things with a loving heart, based on how the Holy Spirit leads us according to the written words of God, 2 Timothy 3:15-17. We judge carefully, when necessary, remembering we do not have all the answers and we do not pretend to be perfect.

Yet as imperfect human beings who are saved by grace alone, washed in the blood of the Lamb, Revelation 1:5, 7:14, led by the Holy Spirit, John 16:13, we judge righteous judgment, John 7:24 because Jesus told us to.

3. We should not judge in a contemptuous or unloving way.

“But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ... Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Romans 14:10-13.

Loving and gracious discernment is the key to judging fairly. We have no right to put a heavy burden of legalism upon our brothers and sisters, Acts 15:10, 24. And we have no right to enforce on others, standards we refuse to apply to ourselves.

4. We should judge matters of immorality in the church, 1 Cor 5:10-11.

“For what have I to do to judge them that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?” (the church). 1 Corinthians 5:12

The heterosexual divorce epidemic and the porn epidemic ravages the body of Christ in the twenty-first century. According to Jesus, God has already judged and condemned the world, John 3:18, 36.

Christians are supposed to keep our own lives clean by judging in the church and dissociating from sexually immoral believers. And just for the record sweetie, committed partnerships between two men or two women are not immoral.

5. We should judge common sense things which affect the church and this life.

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:2-3

Discerning between right and wrong is part of living a normal life. Christians should judge matters which affect the church yet our judgment must be based on what scripture says in context.

6. We must reject unloving, legalistic judgment which tries to put us under Old Testament law.

“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” Colossians 2:16

No one has the right to judge us for not keeping Jewish law so Paul says not to let anyone judge you about that. The teaching here is that because we are not under Old Testament law, Romans 6:14, we must not allow someone to psych us into living under law. And we should not allow anyone to guilt-trip us into living by their opinion.

Points to remember

Correct judging is Biblically-focused and loving
Correct judging starts with self-examination, 1 Cor 11:28-31, Matt 7:2ff.
Correct judging is not hypocritical, Romans 2:1-4
Correct judgment is always loving and based on truth, Ephesians 4:15
Correct judging is not constant condemnation
Correct judging is not constant criticism
Correct judging is not mean and hateful
Correct judging is always discerning
Correct judging is not belittling
Correct judging is not nagging

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