Judging Others: A Sinful Act Or Necessary Evil?

The Bible contains several passages that address the question of whether or not it is a sin to judge others. While some interpret these passages as a command to judge not, others argue that this phrase is taken out of context and that the Bible instead instructs believers to judge correctly or judge righteous judgement. According to some, judging others becomes a sin when it is done with pride, comparison, or to belittle another. However, believers are encouraged to judge situations and actions by God's word to distinguish sin from righteousness, truth from deceit, and believers from false teachers.

Jesus teaches that judging others is wrong

> "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37).

Jesus also says:

> "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Matthew 7:1-2).

Jesus instructs his followers to first address their own flaws before judging others:

> "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, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:3-5).

Jesus warns against the dangers of judging others. When we judge others, we may come to a wrong or negative conclusion about someone based on what we see rather than the whole truth. Judging others in this way can lead to putting another person down. Jesus says:

> "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me" (John 8:15-16).

Jesus teaches that only God can see the whole picture and truly know the heart, motive, and intent of a person. Therefore, it is important to judge according to God's word and not by appearances. Jesus says:

> "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly" (John 7:24).

Jesus demonstrates the importance of judging correctly through his actions. When Jesus encountered a woman who had been judged and sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery, he freed her from this wrong judgment (John 8:7). Jesus teaches that judging others becomes sinful behaviour when it is done with pride, comparison, or to belittle another. Judgment like this can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt those we judge.

Jesus instructs his followers to be kind, caring, and compassionate towards others, rather than judgmental, hateful, and prideful.

Only God can judge

While the Bible does state that "judging others is a sin", it is within a specific context. The Bible teaches that God can and will judge each one of us, and believers can and should be able to distinguish sinfulness from righteousness.

Jesus taught his followers to "judge correctly", and not to judge others based on appearances or to cause quarrels within the body of Christ. Only God can see the whole picture and truly know the heart, motive, and intent of a person. However, believers can judge situations and actions by God's word so that we know sin from righteousness, truth from deceit, and believers from false teachers.

Jesus emphasised that one must judge oneself first before judging others. This is evident in the following verses:

> “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, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." (Matthew 7:1-5)

Judging others with pride, comparison, or to belittle another is considered sinful behaviour. Judgment like this can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt those we judge.

Therefore, while it is important to distinguish right from wrong, we must leave the final judgment to God, as He is the only righteous judge.

Judging others with pride is a sin

The Bible tells us that pride is a sin (Proverbs 8:13, 18:12; 1 John 2:16). The original sin was rooted in pride, which ultimately led to disobedience to God. Pride is a common sin for humans to fall into because it is the original sin.

Pride makes us obsessed with ourselves, our successes, and our achievements. It makes us believe that we are better than others and sometimes even superior to God. When we judge others, pride is usually involved. We think we are helping someone, but most times, our "help" is actually self-righteously judging others.

Jesus tells us not to judge others. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). Jesus later goes on to say that we should first clean out the speck in our own eye before we try to remove the speck from our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5).

Judging others with pride can also lead to negative consequences. It can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt the people we judge. It can also divide the body of Christ and draw us away from God and the work He is doing in our lives.

Instead of judging others with pride, we should extend love, mercy, and kindness to others. We should help others without judging them and treat them as Jesus would. We can offer true, loving, and caring help to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling without judging them or putting them down.

In conclusion, judging others with pride is a sin. It goes against the teachings of Jesus, leads to negative consequences, and is not in line with God's desire for us to be kind and compassionate. Instead, we should focus on helping others and extending love and grace.

We should not judge others out of anger

While the Bible does instruct Christians not to judge others, it is also acknowledged that it is impossible to avoid making judgements entirely. As humans, we are all sinners, and so any of our actions can become sinful, especially when the wrong motive is involved.

Jesus teaches that we should not judge others, as we too will be judged in the same way. He says, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). He also teaches that we should first address our own flaws before trying to address the flaws of others (Matthew 7:3-5).

Judging others out of anger is specifically warned against by the apostle Paul, who cautions against treating other believers harshly or with contempt (Romans 14:1-13). Wrong judgement can divide the body of Christ, drawing us away from God and the work He is doing in our lives.

However, it is also important to note that believers can and should judge sinfulness from righteousness. Jesus instructed his followers to "judge correctly" (John 7:24), and to "judge with right judgement" (John 7:24). This means judging situations and actions according to God's word, so that we know sin from righteousness, truth from deceit, and believers from false teachers.

Therefore, while it is important to avoid judging others out of anger or hypocrisy, it is also necessary to use righteous judgement to discern right from wrong and to help others pursue righteousness.

We should correct others in a loving way

While it is not our place to judge, Jesus taught us that we should correct others. However, this should be done in a loving and gentle manner.

Jesus said, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). He also taught that we should first address our own shortcomings before trying to correct others: "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, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:3-5).

Judging others with pride, comparison, or to belittle them is a sin. This type of judgment can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt those we judge. However, if we judge others correctly, we can extend compassion, love, and kindness to them. We can help them see their errors and guide them towards God's righteous and truthful ways.

Jesus himself demonstrated this when he encountered a woman caught in adultery. Instead of condemning her, he freed her from the wrong judgment of those who wanted to stone her. He then told her, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:7). Similarly, when Jesus encountered a sick man, he embraced him, corrected his error of belief, and invited him to turn from his sin and live for God (see John 5:14).

The Apostle Paul also wrote about correcting others in love. He instructed believers that if someone is caught in sin, they should be restored gently, with caution, and in humility (Galatians 6:1). We should pray for and approach fellow Christians struggling with sin, knowing that it is by the power of the Spirit that they will be transformed.

In conclusion, while we should avoid judging others hypocritically or condemningly, we can and should correct others in a loving, gentle, and humble manner, always pointing them towards God and His truth.

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