To judge or not to judge.
As with other key topics, we often take an oversimplified approach to judgment, believing that judgment has no place in the Christian life.
However, Bible does call us to judge ourselves and each other, but only in a spirit of love and humility, and for the purpose of building each other up in love. This becomes apparent as we consider different Scriptures.
Because of the limitation of language the same word, “judgment”, is used for both loving judgment and loveless, hypocritical judgment. For clarity, I use “judgmentalism” to refer to the latter.
The example of Paul and the Corinthian church.
This first example, where Paul is writing to address sexual immorality in the Corinthian church, may sound harsh and could easily be taken out of context as a justification for being judgmental.
“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” (1Co 5:11-13)
To read this verse judgmentally is to misinterpret it.
Firstly, there is a move against judgmentalism in its caution against judging non-Christians. Unfortunately, this kind of judgmentalism, has become associated with the church in the world’s mind (sometimes unfairly, but often accurately). This is a separate issue in itself, requiring its own exploration of tensions, because Scripture also calls us to challenge the world and Jesus clearly said, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil” (Joh 7:7).
Focusing on the church now, this verse has to be read in context.
Firstly, it has to be understood within the context of the overall spirit of the New Testament, where the focus is on protecting, purifying and maturing the church (the painful “cut” in this verse is the healing cut of the surgeon, not the villainous cut of the murderer).
Secondly, it has to be understood in the context of the follow up letter of second Corinthians. Here it becomes clear that Paul’s first instruction was not given glibly, but with great difficulty and in a context of love and relationship. It is equally clear that Paul’s focus is healing and restoration and that he is in no way advocating extreme forms of judgment for their own sake (people who are trapped by a judgmental spirit have a compulsive need to judge and to do this in extreme and hurtful ways):
“”For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent–not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven–if there was anything to forgive–I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” (2Co 2:4-11)
Other verses related to judgement.
All the other Biblical verses on judgment, read correctly in context, display this life-giving tension; in the Bible one never finds love without truth, or life without discipline, etc.
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” (Rev 3:19)
“Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” (1Pe 1:17)
“And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” (Heb 12:5-6)
Judgment versus judgmentalism.
Judgmentalism, on the other hand, goes beyond this valid and loving discernment and discipline. It makes judgment an end in itself. It adds additional regulations and demands that God never requires of anyone or that God may only require of some people (and that, possibly only for a limited period – e.g. Num 6:20b), and then only when they are mature and ready. It is interesting that God gave us ten essential commandments, not hundreds of them, and Jesus summarized them in only two great ones (Matthew 22:36-40).
The Bible opposes judgmentalism.
The following verses show how Scripture opposes this kind of multiplication of unnecessary rules and the hard, proud spirit of the dispensers of these rules.
“The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”(Isa 29:13)
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”(Mat 23:1-4)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” (Mat 23:23-24)
Trembling humility rather than judgmentalism.
If we truly understand our own sinfulness and God’s holiness, we should tremble and receive God’s grace, forgiveness, favour and glorification with deep gratitude and humility. Once we realize that we have all been forgiven much, then we will love much (Luke 7:47): we will love God, our neighbour, and ourselves, much. Our hearts will become good soil where love can flourish (1Tim 1:5) and where bitter judgment finds it impossible to take root (Heb 12:15).
Verses that show how God is pleased with this humility…
Many verses capture this dynamic and show how God is pleased with this kind of attitude.
“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the LORD. “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”(Isa 66:2)
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luk 18:9-14)
“Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luk 7:44-48)
…..and displeased with a judgmental attitude
“Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you–who are you to judge your neighbor?”(Jam 4:11-12)
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”(Eph 4:31-32)
The hidden hypocrisy of judgmentalism.
There are also many verses that suggest a further interesting dynamic: when we are judgmental we are often guilty of the very same sins (albeit in an alternate and less obvious, but nonetheless equally culpable, guise).
“David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”(2Sa 12:5-7)
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” (Rom 2:1-6)
“you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Rom 2:21-24)
“Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” (Luk 13:14-16)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Mat 23:23-28)
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”(Luk 6:41-42)
Knotting a whip for one’s own back.
Secondly, when we are judgmental we are knotting a whip for our own backs, for there seems to be a principle in God’s divine economy that you reap what you sow and as you judge so will you be judged. The saying, “What goes around comes around” is a cultural version of this truth.
“For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king’s attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.” (Est 9:24-25)
“He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.”(Psa 7:15-16)
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luk 6:36-38)
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Mat 18:32-35)
In conclusion…
You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Rom 14:10-13)
