The Bible Describes Two Forms Of Judgment One Good And The Other Bad How Can A Christian Judge With Righteous Judgment And Avoid Being Judgmental
There is one concept of Christianity that many seem to have a hard time understanding: judging.
The Bible teaches two sides of the subject of judgment: judging others with righteous judgment and avoiding self-righteous judgment .
Today it seems that only the latter concept is emphasized, resulting in expressions such as:
- Who are you to judge me?
- Not that theres anything wrong with that. Who am I to judge?
In order to understand both correctly and in harmony, we have to understand what the Scriptures say about both concepts.
God Is The Judge Of All Created Things
Before we jump into what judging others looks like, we must have a right view of God as judge.
Psalm 50:4 says: He summons the heavens above, and the earth to judge His people.
God is the judge of all things and all people. And He is not a judge of outward appearances but judges the heart.
1 Chronicles 28:9 says: “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts If you seek Him, He will let you find Him but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
God, in His infinite wisdom searches the hearts of men, understands our intentions, and calls us to follow Him. He is not an angry, harsh judge, but rather a judge who looks at the sin within the human heart and calls us to repentance and salvation in Jesus .
We must see God as a just, merciful judge whose intentions and commands are for our good and the good of others . And we must acknowledge that our sinful hearts are prone to judge and in a need of a gracious Savior.
What About John : 7
Many people use this one verse John 8:7 to say we cant judge. You cant use this verse because it would contradict all the other verses and it has to be used in context. In context the Jewish leaders who brought the adulterous woman were probably in sin themselves and that is why Jesus was writing in the dirt. The law required that the guilty man be punished as well. It is also required that there be a witness. Not only did they have neither, but it is possible that they knew the woman was an adulterous because she committed adultery with one of them. How else would they know?
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Christian Quotes About Judging Others
People tell me judge not lest ye be judged. I always tell them, twist not scripture lest ye be like Satan. Paul Washer
Many people who quote Jesus saying, Judge not, lest you be judged use it to judge others for judging. That cant be what Jesus had in mind in the Sermon on the Mount.
Whenever you do judge, the only basis of judgment is not your own perspective or anything else, its the very character and nature of God and thats why we are to allow Him to exercise His justice, where I personally want to take it upon myself. Josh McDowell
A taste of righteousness can be easily perverted into an overweening sense of self-righteousness and judgmentalism. R. Kent Hughes
If the truth offends, then let it offend. People have been living their whole lives in offense to God let them be offended for a while. John MacArthur
Do Not Judge. You dont know what storm Ive asked her to walk through. God
I judge all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity. John Wesley
Before you judge someone else, stop and think about all that God has forgiven you for.
Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
None are more unjust in their judgments of others than those who have a high opinion of themselves. Charles Spurgeon
For The Word Of God Is Living And Active Sharper Than Any Two
The author of Hebrews here gives us great insight into how we should judge. When we judge, we should judge according to the word of God because it is the only thing that pierces us to the division of soul and spirit.
It knows the purposes of the heart and it is a living word that does Gods work within us and those that we communicate it to.
This is the key to judging rightly and fairly because when God sets out to do something through His Word, it happens every time. No word of God comes back to Him without doing what it set out to do.
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Open Your Mouth Judge Righteously Defend The Rights Of The Poor And Needy Proverbs : 9
God calls us here in the book of wisdom to be bold about defending those who are in need. The Bible makes it very clear that we are called to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
However, we are called to do it righteously and fairly according to Gods Word and standards, not our own.
Why Should Not We Judge Others
Heres the thing about judging others: we rarely get it right. Either we paint the person as worst than they are or better. Thats because as humans our view of things, including the character of someone, is limited. We dont know the full truth nor are we aware of every situation that plays into a persons actions.
Furthermore, everything we think about a person will be filtered through our own experiences. The only Person capable of being an impartial judge is God. Quite simply, we should not judge others because we ourselves are not without sin.
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What’s The Difference Between Holding Someone Accountable And Being Judgmental
Accountability is holding someone to the standard of Scripture that you know without a reasonable doubt they have broken, and it often comes with permission. Being judgmental is pinpointing, talking about, criticizing, and making assumptions about what is hidden in the heart of a person and their intentions.
Although we are called to right judgment of explicit sin, we must not confuse it with being judgmental. A judgmental spirit is a critical spirit which is in direct contradiction to what the Bible teaches about building up the church. Wrongful judgment can turn into slander, tearing down others, or unnecessary arguments.
We should take careful watch over our mouths and minds as Ephesians 4:29 heeds:
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Accountability comes in with the intention of grace, restoration, and repentance. Accountability follows the commands of being slow to speak and slow to become angry . The goal of accountability and right judgement is to confess sin , encourage, build up, and point back to the gospel .
Can We Judge Others According To The Bible
So, can we judge others according to the Bible?
The Bible says we are able to judge others, but only if you do so righteously. If you are judging someone, you must make sure youre not also committing the same sin. Matthew 7 isnt the only passage that indicates this. We also see this principle in John 6, Galatians 6, Romans 2, and Luke 6.
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Is It Ok To Judge Others According To The Bible
The question of whether its okay to judge others according to the Bible can be confusing because of the number of times where it seems like the Bible tells us not to judge whatsoever.
However, we are also meant as Christians to stand up for injustice and the truth, so we have to figure out what the Bible truly means when it uses the word judge.
In todays culture, people will say that not being judgmental means that you need to approve and even celebrate the things that someone is doing. However, this is not what the Bible means when it tells us not to judge.
Instead, the Bible tells us that we should be pointing out things in other peoples lives that are not right according to Scripture.
However, we should do it in a way that isnt hypocritical, and we should do it with love. You should stand up for the truth and you should help others along in their journeys with Christ, but you should do it the way Jesus would: with mercy and grace.
Many Godly Men In The Bible Judged Others
24. Acts 13:10 and said, You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
Everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
No one who is living in wickedness wants their sin exposed. Gods Word will convict the world. Many people dont want you judging others because they know they are not right with God and they dont want you judging them.
25. John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
Bonus
The last type of judging that I want to talk about is false judging. It is sinful to lie and falsely judge someone. Also, be careful that you dont judge someones situation by what you see. For example, you see someone going through hard times and you say, God what sin did he commit? Why doesnt he just do this and that? Sometimes we dont understand the great work that God is doing in someones life. Sometimes it is Gods will that we go through a storm and many people on the outside looking in wont understand it.
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Is It Ok To Judge Others
Judging others has good and bad sides. When you make choices based on observing and evaluating other people you are using an important skill. When you judge people from a negative perspective, you are doing it to make yourself feel better and as a result the judgement is likely to be harmful to both of you.
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What God Says About Judging
What does God say about judging others?
One thing that God does mention a lot in His Word when it comes to judging others is that ultimately, He is the only judge. Since He is righteous, all-knowing, and good, we need to trust Him with judgment rather than taking it upon ourselves to judge people.
God also says that when we pass such judgment upon others, we are also passing it upon ourselves. Since Jesus calls us to do unto others as we would like them to do unto us, we are bringing condemnation upon ourselves when we condemn others and judge them.
All in all, God tells us that we should leave the judging to Him. After all, He will judge all of humanity at the end of time when we come to the judgment seat of Christ, and He will be a much better judge than any of us could ever hope to be!
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Quotes About Being Judged Wrongly
By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Can anything good come of a backward way of thinking like judging someone based on skin color? No way.Adam McKay
I grew up with a strong set of values and one was never judging someone by how much money they had.Henry Paulson
Stop trying to judge us based on what you know, and try judging on what’s actually around you. You might be surprised by how many things we don’t do the way you’d expect but that turn out to work just fine all the same. Think about it, won’t you?Mira Grant
If you are pained by external things it is not they that disturb you but your own judgment of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now.
We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
No one likes feeling judged. Back off and let people live. Were all on some type of journey, all evolving and growing.Unknown
Our judgments judge us, and nothing reveals us, exposes our weaknesses, more ingeniously than the attitude of pronouncing upon our fellows.Paul Valery
Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.Unknown
Dont pass judgement on others or you might be judged yourself.Brian Cohen
What The Bible Says About Judging Others
THE KING JAMES BIBLE: Do You Know the King James Version?
The King James Bible was originally published in 1611. Some have estimated that the number of copies of the King James Version that have been produced in print worldwide is over one billion! There is little doubt that the King James Version is a literary masterpiece, which this author has and will appreciate and value for its unparalleled beauty of expression. This book is in no way trying to take away from what the King James Version has accomplished. The King James Version is a book to be commended for all that it has accomplished. For four centuries, when English-speaking people spoke of the Bible, they meant the King James Version. The question that begs to be asked of those who favor the King James Bible is, Do You Know the King James Version? What do most users of the King James Bible not know about their translation? Whether you are one who favors the King James Version or one who prefers a modern translation, Andrews will answer the questions that have long been asked for centuries about the King James Bible and far more.
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HISTORY OF ENGLISH VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE
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Other Scriptures On Judging
In the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 7, we read, âJudge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged but judge righteous judgmentâ . Joseph Smith made some of his changes to the biblical text not to reflect what was originally said or written but to give prophetic interpretation and help clarify the meaning of certain passages. That seems to be the case with the changes here, based on what other scriptures and modern prophets have said about judging. According to Joseph Smithâs addition to this passage in Matthew, Jesus is not telling us never to judge. He is commanding us to make sure the judgments we make are righteous.
Therefore You Have No Excuse O Man Every One Of You Who Judges For In Passing Judgment On Another You Condemn Yourself Because You The Judge Practice The Very Same Things We Know That The Judgment Of God Rightly Falls On Those Who Practice Such Things Do You Suppose O Man You Who Judge Those Who Practice Such Things And Yet Do Them Yourself That You Will Escape The Judgment Of God Romans : 1
Pauls words here in his letter to the Romans are harsh! Each of us who judges has no excuse for doing so because we often do the very same things that we judge others for doing.
No one is without sin and when we condemn others for sin that we may very well have in our own lives, we are condemning ourselves in the process.
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Look To The Word Of God
When in doubt, look to the word of God as your guide. The Bible tells us that our speech should be loving and gracious .
When confronting someone about their sin, do so in a loving and gentle manner. Dont approach them condescendingly. Approach them in a loving manner that seeks to restore them from sin.
Jesus Example On Judging
Our model for righteous judgment is ultimately found in the example of Jesus Christ in John 8. You can read the account for yourself, but essentially, the way Christ dealt with the woman who was caught in adultery and brought to Him by the religious leaders covers all the bases of judgment.
- Jesus started by exposing the hypocrisy and partiality of the crowds judgment, and not allowing that to sway or confuse His righteous judgment on the woman herself. Jesus forced all those who were seeking to stone her to take a hard look at themselves. They had to realize that, yes, they, too, had sin in their lives, and that they were being much gentler on themselves than they were on the woman. For example, where was the man caught in adultery with her? He, mysteriously, wasnt anywhere to be found, even though he had committed the same sin.
- After the self-righteous crowd had slunk away one by one, Christ encouraged the woman to overcome her sin and change her way of living. He did so in a compassionate and caring spirit. He did not take the approach of pretending the woman hadnt sinned or thinking it was okay for her to continue sinning, bringing harm to herself. He simply said: Go, and sin no more. Unrepentant and continuous sin brings extra and profound misery and loss to a persons life, so Christ showed love to her by telling her to go, and sin no more.
Whether to judge or not to judge isnt the questionhow we judge is the question!
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