Judging Others 3

            What does the Bible have to say about judging others? It frequently warns its readers against hypocritical & harsh judgment of others. Scripture teaches that we should do some self-examination first. 

            Matthew 7:1-2 says: “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Jesus more specifically calls out the sin of judging by appearance alone. John 7:24^{Amplified Bible} ... “Do not judge by appearance [superficially and arrogantly], but judge fairly and righteously.”

            The Lord illustrates His point regarding judging others with the parable of the speck and the plank when He asks the question, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?".  In other words, we need to spend more of our time making sure our spiritual ship is in order rather than critiquing another.

            The Apostle Paul echoed this, stating, "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things".

            All this begs the question, is it ever okay to judge another person? There is a fine line between judging and “fruit inspecting”. If you see someone sinning, through kindness, presenting the truth, you could show them where they are erring. If they reject you then don’t lose your cool, just politely excuse yourself from the conversation and make it a point to pray for them to see the error of their ways. 

            Many years ago when I was first saved (1979), there was a man in church who referred to using discernment as “being a fruit inspector”. The way situations of that nature should be handled is with gentle kindness. It’s all in the approach and delivery. This is just another reason I always say we should imitate Christ in our thoughts, words, & deeds.

            So judge not, but be a “fruit inspector” instead. When you judge others you are sinning. Even though as a child of God His grace is enough to remove any sin, we should still seek to purge bad habits that amount to sin.

            Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries