JUDGE NOT
This verse is one of the most commonly misquoted, misapplied, and most taken out of context verses in the Bible. It's a favorite verse of the unregenerate who like to get in our face when we speak of sin. "You can't judge me!!", is also known as, "Don't you dare point out my sins!! I'll live how I want!!".
First of all, we all at some point during the day make judgments. In some cases, if we didn't, there would be the possibility of some danger or harm coming to us or someone we love if we didn't.
Take for example a situation for us ladies. We may go out shopping or run a few errands alone and as we are leaving a particular store, we notice a sketchy looking man eyeing us. Suddenly, the hairs on our neck bristle and we get those inner alarm bells going off and we start to walk a bit faster. Now, that man may not be out to get us, but we don't know that. But then again, he may be watching us with evil intentions, and we have to make a judgment: do I ignore the alarm bells going off in our heads and do nothing, or do I act on what my instincts are telling me and get to my car as quickly as possible?
How about a situation where you as a parent meet your teenager's girlfriend/boyfriend for the first time and you see things in their behavior that doesn't seem right. You realize something is off about them. Granted, you know you've just met them, and you can't base your opinions just on an encounter that lasted ten or fifteen minutes. You know you need more than just that one meeting to get a good picture of what they're really like. So, as any good parent would do, you ask around and see if any of your friends and acquaintances know them and can give you any information as what your teen's girl/boyfriend is like. You find out from several sources this person is T-R-O-U-B-L-E. You confront your teen about them and of course they get mad, but you know you need to protect them from the harm/dangers that being around this person would cause.
That is using judgment.
The word "judgment" is a very negative word but only because people see it as something that brings conviction to their spirit for their wrong behaviors, and they don't like conviction.
In the first example above, your judgment of that person will be the difference between getting home safely or ending up in the trunk of some stranger's car, bound and gagged, not knowing if you'll make it home to your family.
In the second example, your judgment of that person could be the difference between your teen staying out of trouble or ending up in juvenile detention or dead from a drug overdose.
Jesus told us in John 7:24 to "judge with a righteous judgment". As believers our judgment is for one another within the church. The world is going to act like the world. But believers are to be set apart from the world and if a fellow brother or sister is acting like the world, it's up to us to confront them GENTLY and LOVINGLY about their behavior. But when using righteous judgment, we have to make sure we're not caught up in the same behaviors they are, or we would then be considered hypocrites. That's why later in Matthew 7 Jesus says to make sure the log is out of our eye first before we go to them about their speck.
Here is a great explanation of the verse in Matthew 7:1.
It gets old hearing supposed "Christians" throwing out this verse when they are acting in a way that's contrary to how they're supposed to act. For example, hearing "Christians" in the workplace gossiping about others' behaviors when you know those same people act the exact same way. And if you gently point that out to them, they love to use the, "Who are you to judge???", instead of being convicted of their sin and seeking to change their behaviors.
Yes, it hurts to be confronted with our sins. But the hurt we do to our witness as Christians is a lot more important than our feelings at being called out for our behavior.
First of all, we all at some point during the day make judgments. In some cases, if we didn't, there would be the possibility of some danger or harm coming to us or someone we love if we didn't.
Take for example a situation for us ladies. We may go out shopping or run a few errands alone and as we are leaving a particular store, we notice a sketchy looking man eyeing us. Suddenly, the hairs on our neck bristle and we get those inner alarm bells going off and we start to walk a bit faster. Now, that man may not be out to get us, but we don't know that. But then again, he may be watching us with evil intentions, and we have to make a judgment: do I ignore the alarm bells going off in our heads and do nothing, or do I act on what my instincts are telling me and get to my car as quickly as possible?
How about a situation where you as a parent meet your teenager's girlfriend/boyfriend for the first time and you see things in their behavior that doesn't seem right. You realize something is off about them. Granted, you know you've just met them, and you can't base your opinions just on an encounter that lasted ten or fifteen minutes. You know you need more than just that one meeting to get a good picture of what they're really like. So, as any good parent would do, you ask around and see if any of your friends and acquaintances know them and can give you any information as what your teen's girl/boyfriend is like. You find out from several sources this person is T-R-O-U-B-L-E. You confront your teen about them and of course they get mad, but you know you need to protect them from the harm/dangers that being around this person would cause.
That is using judgment.
The word "judgment" is a very negative word but only because people see it as something that brings conviction to their spirit for their wrong behaviors, and they don't like conviction.
In the first example above, your judgment of that person will be the difference between getting home safely or ending up in the trunk of some stranger's car, bound and gagged, not knowing if you'll make it home to your family.
In the second example, your judgment of that person could be the difference between your teen staying out of trouble or ending up in juvenile detention or dead from a drug overdose.
Jesus told us in John 7:24 to "judge with a righteous judgment". As believers our judgment is for one another within the church. The world is going to act like the world. But believers are to be set apart from the world and if a fellow brother or sister is acting like the world, it's up to us to confront them GENTLY and LOVINGLY about their behavior. But when using righteous judgment, we have to make sure we're not caught up in the same behaviors they are, or we would then be considered hypocrites. That's why later in Matthew 7 Jesus says to make sure the log is out of our eye first before we go to them about their speck.
Here is a great explanation of the verse in Matthew 7:1.
It gets old hearing supposed "Christians" throwing out this verse when they are acting in a way that's contrary to how they're supposed to act. For example, hearing "Christians" in the workplace gossiping about others' behaviors when you know those same people act the exact same way. And if you gently point that out to them, they love to use the, "Who are you to judge???", instead of being convicted of their sin and seeking to change their behaviors.
Yes, it hurts to be confronted with our sins. But the hurt we do to our witness as Christians is a lot more important than our feelings at being called out for our behavior.
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