Judge Not … Except When You Should

Why is it so easy to point out someone else’s faults but so hard to face our own? Why do we expect others to give us grace, yet we withhold it from them?

Why do we cling to grudges and wait for an apology instead of offering forgiveness first? And why does their sin always seem worse than ours?

I mean didn’t Jesus warned us: “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will use the same measure you use on them.“ (Matthew 7:1 NCV)

Christ went on to say:

“Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? First, take the wood out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye” (Matthew 7:2, 3, 5 NCV).

His point? Avoid self-righteous, hypocritical judgment. God alone has the right to condemn. Yet Jesus did say “Then - you see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.” What did He mean by that?

Then later, the Apostle Paul says: “It is not my business to judge those who are not part of the church. God will judge them. But you must judge the people who are part of the church. The Scripture says, ‘You must get rid of the evil person among you’” (1 Corinthians 5:12–13 NCV).

What?! Judge people in the church?

Yes, but not to shame them. Paul was addressing a church that was ignoring blatant, unrepentant sin. God judges the world, but inside His family, we are called to loving accountability.

It’s like family: you don’t discipline the neighbor’s child, but you do correct your own because you care about their safety and character.

This is where we often get it wrong. We want justice for others but mercy for ourselves. We measure their actions against the highest standard while excusing our own because “our motives were different.”

To be honest, that’s pride. And pride blinds us to the fact that we all stand in need of grace.

Paul later told the Galatians 6:1 (NCV) “Brothers and sisters, if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin, too.” (Galatians 6:1 NCV)

By the way “tempted to sin” means you might think you are better than them - that’s pride.

Jesus said “Stop judging by the way things look, but judge by what is really right” (John 7:24 NCV). In other words, our judgments should be grounded in God’s Word and motivated by “restoration”, not condemnation.

The truth is Romans 14:10 (NCV) reminds us: “Why do you judge your brothers or sisters in Christ? And why do you think you are better than they are? We will all stand before God to be judged.” (Romans 14:10 NCV)

The Apostle James said: “Brothers and sisters, do not tell evil lies about each other… God is the only Judge. He is the only One who can save and destroy. So it is not right for you to judge your neighbor.” (James 4:11,12 NCV)

Here’s the difference in my mind: condemning points a finger and says, “I’m better than you,” while correcting takes a hand and says, “Let me walk with you back toward God.”

Many don’t like the word “accountability”, yet we all need it. Let me say it again. “We all need it.” The goal is to help each other walk close to God and be holy.

Holy is not what you can’t do - it’s more of what we get to do. Holy is freedom, peace, and forgiveness - not judging.

So yes, the Bible says “Do not judge”. But it also calls us to judge rightly inside the church. The question isn’t whether to judge, but how and why. Our measure must be mercy, our motive must be love, and our goal must be to bring each other closer to Christ.

Before you and I judge anyone today, ask yourself, will my words push them toward Jesus or push them away?

GOD, help us to remember, you love us when we are unlovely. You loved us so much (when we did not deserve it), that you gave your Son to live and die for our sins. It’s a free gift of love, grace and forgiveness. Help us to do the same. IJNIP amen ♥️