Often, we hear people complain about feeling judged by fellow Christians and the Christian community, but what does the Bible say about judging? As I prayed and asked God about this blog post, I asked Him to give me a proper understanding of judging and judgment. As Christians, we should want to live life in a way that pleases God and encourages others to learn more about Him and His son, Jesus, but if we are not careful, we can become a stumbling block, meaning we can stand in the way of someone’s salvation.
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Judging and passing judgment have become a little controversial. The issue is that some people think they are permitted to judge by the Bible scripture in John 7:24, which states, “Judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment.” This scripture has led some to believe it is alright to judge if they do so correctly.
I am concerned that too many Scriptures state “judge not” or “there is only one judge.” I believe that when we do not understand something, we must pray and ask God for Wisdom. He promises to help us understand everything from His perspective by taking us to His Word. We can learn by studying the Scriptures and examining Jesus’s life.
Some may disagree with me because now that they have experienced salvation, they feel justified in judging or passing judgment on others. Some Christians may believe they must confront others who may not be doing everything just so. These Christians want to be sure and tell others about themselves, but the Bible cautions us. We should scrutinize two things:
- What does the Bible say about judging and judgment?
- What did Christ do when faced with the opportunity to pass judgment?
What Does Judging Others Mean?
There is a vast difference in the Bible between judging ourselves and judging others. Whenever we see anything in the Bible about judging others, we often find the words “do not” next to them. Unfortunately, as Christians, we can unwisely and incorrectly pass judgment on others if we are not careful.
Judging others has a negative connotation and means to make a conclusion, render a verdict, or declare someone’s worth or worthiness. It implies that you, as a human, have all the information to make a correct judgment and that your opinion aligns perfectly with God’s assessment of a person or their situation.
Judging Others Leads To Becoming Judgemental
The problem with judging is that when we judge, we place ourselves higher than others and assume that we are more morally correct than someone else. Worst still, we ultimately forget that God sent His son Jesus to save us in his mercy and loving kindness. We must never forget what God did for us. God extended a gift to us in His mercy that we did not deserve. Our thankfulness should lead us to gently and lovingly extend the opportunity to others.
Another problem with judging others is that we become judgmental and often can not see the whole picture. We do not understand the events that led to a person’s current situation, nor can we know how God plans to use the person’s life in the future as a testimony of His goodness and mercy.
The Bible explains that we can not understand why things happen based on whether a person sins. Humans can become judgmental by incorrectly judging that a person’s condition results from sin, which can be hurtful. An example of this malicious behavior is in the story of Job, whose friends assumed that he had sinned when he fell on hard times.
A similar story exists about a blind man in John 9. In this story, as Jesus heals the blind man, the disciples ask Him who sinned to cause the man to be born blind. Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
What Should We Do To Stop Judging
As we journey through life, we will make mistakes and get off track. Whether we make intentional or unintentional mistakes, we should pray and repent as soon as we recognize our errors. When we self-examine, we can realize our errors faster and quickly find forgiveness, love, mercy, restoration, and gentleness. Learning how much we rely on forgiveness can help us know to stop judging others.
As we recognize that we are all flawed humans, we can hopefully begin to see that everyone needs grace and forgiveness often. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); therefore, forgiveness, grace, and love are not just some things to obtain but also something to give to others. We may feel our sins are not as bad as someone else’s, but God does not view sin this way. The Bible says all our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We are only made righteous based on what Jesus did on the cross, and He died for absolutely every sinner. We would be wrong to accept the gift of salvation but withhold it from others because we judge others as being “too much of a sinner.”
We must always remain mindful of all God has saved and delivered us from. We were once foolish and disobedient, but Jesus saved us. If we meet someone who has not experienced salvation, we can not get so lifted in pride that we forget our past. We mustn’t speak to others in a condescending or judging way. Instead, we must allow others to see the kindness and love of God so that He can save them just as he did us.
Our job is not to be a bully, not to be mean, and not to be hateful, but to allow our light to shine and to be ready with an answer when someone asks for a reason we have hope and joy. Just as the Lord delivered and helped us find peace and joy, He wants to do that for others. God depends on us to listen to His voice to reconcile others to Christ, not run them away from His love.
Jesus Shows Us How To Offer Restoration Instead Of Judging
The Bible states that God sent His son Jesus not to condemn or judge the world but so that we could be saved through Him (John 3:17). There were times when Jesus could have sentenced someone for their wrong, but he did not do it. Instead, he showed us how to bear each other’s burdens in love. He showed us by example how to offer forgiveness and salvation.
One of the best illustrations of restoration in the Bible is when the crowd expects Jesus to condemn a woman caught in the act of adultery. She was guilty of sin, and according to the law, she deserved stoning. The crowd demanded an answer from Jesus about what to do. According to the Bible, in this story, rather than cast judgment, Jesus invited those who wanted to exact punishment first to examine their own lives.
Jesus loves every sinner the same way He loves each of us. He does not want any person to perish. While the Lord does not condone wrong, He came to Earth to save us, and He does so individually. My issues and propensity to sin may be different than yours. You may have weaknesses that differ from mine, but we all need His forgiveness.
In Galatians 6:1-2, Jesus commands that if a brother commits any transgressions, we who are spiritual (children of God, filled with the Spirit) should restore them in a spirit of gentleness. Jesus shows us this by example when he lovingly allowed the adulterous woman, you and me, the ability to be free from sin and its consequences that cause both shame and guilt. Instead of giving each of us what we rightfully deserve, He allowed us to experience love, forgiveness, and an opportunity to change our lives by faith.
Now that we are on the right road, Jesus wants us to help bring back a sinner from his wanderings (James 5:20 ESV). We must bear each other’s burdens and show one another love, mercy, forgiveness, and patience.
Judgment Will Come
The Bible states that there will come a time of judgment. We will give an account of how we lived and followed the Word of the Lord. The Bible says that each of us will one day die. After we die, there will be a judgment for each of us (Hebrews 9:27). In 2 Corinthians 5:10, the Bible explicitly states that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil .”
When we reach the end of our lives, we will answer Jesus regarding how we lived. I imagine we will answer questions regarding whether we accepted His gift of salvation, how we treated others, and how we spoke to others. The Bible says that on the day of judgment, people will account for every careless word they spoke (Matthew 12:16), and we are warned not to judge others.
We know that Jesus will judge us because John 5:22 says, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.” It also tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to God (Romans 14:10-12). As we stand before Jesus, the Spirit will bear witness that we are children of God (Romans 8:16), and Jesus will see our name written in His book of life (Revelation 20:11-15).
We will each want to stand before Jesus, claiming as Paul did when he said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.” (2 Tim. 4:7–8.)
I pray that we all live our lives in such a way that when we get to the end of our lives or when Jesus returns, we each get to hear Him say to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matt. 25:21.)
A Prayer to Help Us With Judging And Being Judgmental
We do not want something like judging others to stop us from seeing what good things God has in store for those who love Him. Let’s pray and ask God to help us not to judge others or be judgmental. Let’s ask Him to help us treat people the way He would want us to treat them, with love and grace.
