The Bible verse most often referenced when it comes to the topic of judgment is Matthew 7:1, where Jesus says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” At first glance, this verse seems pretty straightforward: don’t judge others if you don’t want to be judged yourself. However, as with many single verses taken out of context, there is more to the teaching of Scripture on judgment than just this one statement from the Sermon on the Mount.
When we examine what the rest of the Bible says about judgment, we get a fuller picture of the heart behind Jesus’ command. The purpose of this article is to explain what the Bible actually means when it tells us not to judge others, the context behind Jesus’ statement, and how we are to understand what appropriate judgment looks like according to Scripture.
The Meaning of Matthew 7:1 in Context
Matthew 7:1 is part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which covers chapters 5-7 of Matthew’s gospel. The overall theme of this sermon is the kingdom of heaven and how the citizens of this kingdom are called to live. More specifically, Matthew 5-7 covers contrasts between the law of Moses and Jesus’ teachings, contrasts between the teaching of the religious leaders of the day and Jesus’ teachings, and contrasts between living for self versus living for God’s kingdom.
Chapter 7 begins with Jesus’ teaching about judging others. Prior to this statement, Jesus dealt with issues like anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, and loving enemies (Matthew 5:21-48). Then in Matthew 6, Jesus taught about giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting with the right motivations. All of these issues have to do with the inner righteousness and motivations of a person’s heart.
With this context in mind, Jesus’ command not to judge is situated right after his teaching about first removing the “log” from your own eye before removing the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:1-5). His point is that before rushing to judge others, we need to examine our own lives and deal with our own bigger issues first. We all have blind spots and messy areas of sin and hypocrisy, so the instruction is to deal with those issues in our own lives before tearing others down over their issues. As Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe summarizes, “Before you remove the splinter from the other person’s eye, take the log out of your own.”
Jesus is not saying we can never under any circumstance point out sin or wrongdoing. The goal of the passage is to examine our own hearts first when tempted to find fault in others. Are we judging others out of love and a desire to help? Or are we judging out of arrogance, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy? The phrase “Judge not” is a warning against self-righteous and condemning judgment.
What Kind of Judging Does the Bible Condemn?
While Scripture condemns self-righteous judgment or condemnation of others, the Bible does not prohibit appropriate evaluation and discernment that is guided by love. There are several kinds of inappropriate judgment that God’s Word clearly speaks against:
Hypocritical Judgment
As we saw in Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus condemned hypocritical judgment in which we harshly judge others for issues that we ourselves struggle with. The apostle Paul echoes this in Romans 2:1-3, “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?”
Harsh, Unloving Judgment
Though we are called to rebuke fellow believers at times, Scripture condemns doing so in a harsh, unloving, and prideful way. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6:1-2, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Unloving judgment is rooted in pride rather than love and seeks to tear down rather than build up.
Judgment Based on Outward Appearances
Rather than judging the heart, we often make the mistake of judging others based on external factors like appearance, race, socioeconomic status, etc. The prophet Samuel fell into this trap when he was sent to anoint a new king for Israel in 1 Samuel 16. When considering Jesse’s sons, Samuel assumed the oldest, who looked kingly, was God’s chosen. But the Lord told Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
Judgment Entrusted to God Alone
Finally, we are cautioned against judgment that tries to usurp God’s unique role. Examples include judging other people’s hearts, motives, or eternal destinies (Matthew 7:22-23, Luke 16:15, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5) or acting as a judge in areas where we have not been entrusted by God to judge (Romans 14:10, James 4:11-12). We are sinful, finite humans and simply do not have the wisdom, knowledge, or authority to judge certain matters the way only an omniscient, holy God can.
What Are We Called to Judge and Evaluate?
While sinful judgment is condemned in Scripture, that does not mean followers of Christ should not exercise any judgment whatsoever. We are called to assess, discern, and evaluate certain matters in a godly way, including:
Our Own Lives
The starting point for appropriate judgment is evaluating our own hearts and lives. The apostle Paul instructs, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Actions and Fruit in Others’ Lives
While only God can judge hearts and motives, Jesus tells us we can judge the lives of others to a certain extent: “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16-17). We are called to be discerning of sinful behavior and false teaching, but must do so with humility and love.
Disputes Between Believers
Scripture gives instructions for settling disputes between Christians, which requires the exercise of wise discernment. Paul writes of appointing judges within the church to settle such disputes in 1 Corinthians 6:5.
Church Discipline
There are instances where the church must make a judgment to remove unrepentant sinners from fellowship via church discipline. This is done for the purpose of correcting sin and protecting the church, not to condemn. Guidelines for this type of judgment are given in passages like Matthew 18:15-20 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.
Civil Matters
Government authorities are entrusted by God to judge civil legal disputes and punish wrongdoing (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17).
So in summary, while we should avoid sinful judgment based in pride, God does entrust and even command His people to exercise humble, loving judgment in certain circumstances for the good of His church and glory of His name. We can judge ideas, actions, behaviors, false teaching, legal disputes, and issues of sin in the church, but should avoid judging motives and eternal destinies.
Tips for Judging Righteously
How then should Christians approach judging in a way that honors the Lord? Here are some biblical principles for righteous judgment:
– Examine your own heart first before judging others. Deal with any hypocrisy, pride, or blind spots (Matthew 7:1-5).
– Judge righteously, not by appearances, and be willing to stand by the same standard you set for others (John 7:24).
– Judge by God’s standards of righteousness, not by flawed human standards (Isaiah 55:8-9).
– Judge in love, seeking others’ good and restoration, not in self-righteousness (Galatians 6:1).
– Don’t appoint yourself the judge over others in areas God has not called you to judge (Romans 14:4).
– Leave final judgment to God in regards to motives, hearts, and eternal destinies (James 4:12).
– Pray for wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit when judging any matter (Philippians 1:9-10).
– Take the log out of your own eye before taking the speck out of others (Matthew 7:5).
– Make sure any judgment is necessary, helpful, loving, and biblically based.
Following Christ’s Example
As “God with us”, Jesus perfectly modeled judgment that was humble, gracious, discerning yet loving. Jesus confronted sin, but also extended mercy to sinners. He rebuked hypocrisy, false teaching, and corruption, but also forgave, healed, and restored. He judged justly and righteously, yet also laid down His life to save the very people He judged.
Only Jesus is capable of perfectly balancing judgment and grace. We must rely on Christ’s example, Spirit, grace, forgiveness, and wisdom when called to judge righteously in a fallen world. Though we will often fail, our heart’s desire should be aligned with God’s: “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6) . Right judgment always flows out of steadfast love for God first, then love for others (Matthew 22:37-40).
Conclusion
In summary, the statement “Do not judge” was never meant to be a blanket prohibition against Christians exercising discernment or upholding moral standards. Rather, Scripture condemns self-righteous judgment that seeks to tear down rather than build up. Appropriate judgment that humbly seeks to love others, point them to Christ, protect the church, and uphold God’s standards is not only allowed but commanded at times.
The ultimate goal is aligning our hearts with God’s merciful heart, trusting Him fully to be the final righteous judge. By God’s grace, we can embrace the mind of Christ – who perfectly embodied both grace and truth (John 1:14). As sanctification continues, we can grow in our ability to judge righteously by relying on the Holy Spirit, saturating our minds in Scripture, and filtering everything through the lens of God’s love.
