Judging Others: Sin Or Human Nature?

The Bible is clear that judging others is wrong and is behaviour that should be avoided. However, believers can and should judge sinfulness from righteousness. Jesus taught that judging others by appearance is a sin, but that judging correctly is important. In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus exposes our desire to condemn others without examining our own hearts before God. When we judge others, we build anger and unfaithful desires in our hearts, which can be detrimental to our relationships. Instead, we must live by faith and begin to live in Christ instead of in judgement.

Jesus taught against hypocritical judging

> Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is 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.

Jesus is not condemning all forms of judgement, but rather hypocritical judgement that comes from a place of pride and ignores one's own faults. He encourages his followers to first address their own sins before judging others. This type of judgement can lead to a hardening of the heart, increased arrogance, and harm to those being judged.

Jesus taught his followers to judge correctly and to help others who are caught in sin. He instructed them to do so in a gentle, loving, and humble manner, always pointing people towards God and his righteous ways.

Judging others can lead to negative conclusions

Additionally, judging others can lead to a lack of understanding and acceptance of their beliefs and actions. We may think our viewpoint is the only valid one, preventing us from seeing beyond our own perspective. Judging can also restrict our ability to see the other person's side, limiting our thinking and our openness to new perspectives.

Judging others can also negatively impact our relationships and how others perceive us. It can lead to criticism and dissatisfaction with those close to us, hindering our ability to form happy and trusting relationships. Research has shown that people who negatively judge others are viewed more negatively themselves.

Furthermore, judging can be a sign of unhappiness and low self-assurance. We may put others down to make ourselves feel better or because we feel superior. This can lead to hardening of our hearts and an increase in arrogance, which are negative consequences for both ourselves and those we judge.

Therefore, it is important to be mindful of our judgments and strive to understand others without being quick to judge. By doing so, we can avoid the negative conclusions and impacts that judging others can bring about.

God wants us to speak the truth, but to do so in love

Judging others based on appearances or causing quarrels within the body of Christ is wrong and should be avoided. Believers can and should judge sinfulness from righteousness, and Jesus instructed his followers to "judge correctly".

The word "judge" means to draw a conclusion or opinion. The danger in judging others is that 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 petty way can lead to putting another person down.

Jesus helped his followers understand the danger of this type of judgment. It can be tempting to judge others when we begin to think we are more holy or superior, or because we want to focus on another person's wrong behaviour to deny or distract attention from our own flaws.

Scripture provides teachings about wrong judgment and gives insight into what it means to judge correctly. God wants us to be wise and observant of the people we encounter and what is happening around us. We should not be easily deceived or pulled away from His truth. Therefore, it is important to judge according to God's word and, in some cases, we will be able to judge correctly by the fruit one bears.

Jesus encountered a woman who had been judged and sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery. It was Jesus who stood to free her from this wrong judgment. Many scholars believe that Jesus wrote in the sand all the sins of the woman’s accusers, perhaps prompting them to consider and deal with their own sin first.

Part of judging correctly is that we must first deal with our own sin, and then we can see clearly to help others who are caught in sin. Judging others becomes sinful behaviour when we judge with pride, comparison, or to belittle another. This type of judgment can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt those we judge.

We should not judge others out of anger or deal with them harshly. The apostle Paul warned against contempt toward another and judging other believers over minor differences that cause internal strife. Wrong judgment can divide the body of Christ, draw us away from God, and hinder us from bearing the fruit of the Spirit and furthering God’s kingdom.

When we judge correctly, in love and humility, we honour both God and the other person by helping them pursue righteousness. God wants us to speak the truth, but to do so in love. This means that we should first deal with our own sin and then approach others with humility, knowing that it is by the power of the Spirit that they will be transformed.

We can model what Jesus did by inviting others to repent and turn from their sin. Jesus judged and pointed out sin so that he could invite people into righteous living and a relationship with God. The apostle Paul wrote that this type of judgment and restoration should be done gently and with caution, so as not to give into the same temptation and sin.

We should guard our hearts and work through our own sin before confronting another believer. We should prayerfully approach a fellow Christian who is struggling with sin, knowing that God can empower us to speak the truth in love. Rather than judging others harshly, we should show them love and point them toward God’s righteous and truthful ways.

Speaking the truth in love is a scriptural principle designed to bring blessings and foster growth. It is a concept that has been misused in harmful ways. The phrase comes from the book of Ephesians, where Paul shares the gospel and reveals God’s beauty for believers who mature:

> "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." (Ephesians 4:15)

Paul’s exhortation is designed to build up the body of believers, not tear it down. Both truth and love should lead us to connection with God and others. When truth is absent from love, or love is absent from truth, disconnection occurs.

Love is more than niceness. Sometimes loving acts don’t feel good because pride and past experiences fight against the transformation that is fostered by loving engagement with God and others. Love comes from being loved, and God’s source of love comes through engagement with His Spirit and through other people. We need to receive God’s love to give it.

Love is freely given. God’s abundant love prompts us to love in return. He never forces us to love Him; we are not duty-bound. This freedom of choice is a foundational principle of love. Love is expressed through words and actions. Words alone are not enough to convey love; loving actions give attention, offer practical support, and set limits for the sake of the other person and the relationship.

Love doesn’t deny the truth. If someone’s actions hurt them or others, love addresses the truth of what’s happening with the goal of healthy restoration. To ignore what hurts is to be dishonest with what’s true. Love that draws out another person’s internal truth in light of God’s truth is love worth celebrating.

Love doesn’t demand your way. Loving truth is not about telling a person what to do, trying to fix them, or expecting them to do things your way. It’s about nurturing growth and connection within themselves, God, and others. Love doesn’t prove you are right. Loving truth isn’t motivated by saying whatever is on our mind or proving we know what’s best.

Love is empathetic. This may be the key element to speaking truth in love. Empathy enters another person’s world, values their inner truth and experiences, and speaks truth and love from a position of understanding.

Speaking the truth in love helps us grow as believers. It brings about maturity for the individual and the church as a whole. It is how we pursue growth and maturity that edifies the community of believers.

When we speak the truth without love, it can be condescending, critical, commanding, curt, callous, and condemning. It’s absent the freedom and mutuality necessary for love to thrive. When we speak the truth with love, we are compassionate, empathic, honest, humble, and honouring of ourselves, God, and others. We are willing to bring good and bad into the light of relationship and allow others to do the same.

True love is a choice. Where fear exists, love cannot grow.

Judging others can be sinful when done with pride, comparison, or to belittle

Judging others can be sinful when it stems from a place of pride, comparison, or a desire to belittle. When judging becomes an act of hypocrisy, where one overlooks their own faults while only seeing the shortcomings of others, it falls into sinfulness. This type of judgment can lead to a hardening of hearts, an increase in arrogance, and hurt for those on the receiving end.

Jesus warned against such judgment, exposing our tendency to condemn others without first examining our own hearts. In Matthew 7:1-5, he instructs:

> "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. 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."

Here, Jesus is not condemning all forms of judgment but rather a specific type—a judgment that is blind, ignorant, and hypocritical, where one's own faults are ignored while only seeing the faults of others. This kind of judgment stems from pride, which makes it easy to see the shortcomings of others while being blinded to one's own.

However, Jesus does not forbid judgment altogether. He encourages people to address their own sins first and then approach others with humility and love. As stated in James 4:11-12:

> "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?"

Jesus instructs his followers to "judge correctly" (John 7:24), discerning situations and actions according to God's word to know sin from righteousness, truth from deceit, and believers from false teachers. This type of judgment, done in love and humility, honors both God and the other person by helping them pursue righteousness.

We should not judge others out of anger or deal with them harshly

Judging others is a complex issue that has been addressed by Jesus and various religious figures. While it is important to make judgments about situations and actions based on God's word, it is wrong to judge others out of anger or deal with them harshly.

Jesus taught that judging others based on appearances or causing quarrels within the body of Christ is wrong. In John 7:24, he instructs his followers to "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly". Only God can truly know the heart, motive, and intent of a person. Therefore, believers should focus on judging situations and actions by God's word to discern sin from righteousness, truth from deceit, and believers from false teachers. Judging by appearances is considered a sin.

When judging others, it is important to examine our own hearts first and ensure we are not being hypocritical. Jesus exposes our desire to condemn others without looking at our own flaws, which is an act of pride. In Matthew 7:1-5, he warns against such hypocrisy:

> 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?

Judging others out of anger or with harshness can lead to wrong interpretations of their actions and can cause us to wrongly estimate ourselves. It can also build anger and unfaithful desires in our hearts, affecting us spiritually and damaging our relationships. Instead, we should focus on living by faith and in love, helping our brothers and sisters in Christ without judgment.

Additionally, judging others with pride, comparison, or to belittle them is considered sinful behaviour. Such judgment can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt those we judge. The apostle Paul warned against contempt and judging other believers over minor differences that cause internal strife. Wrong judgment can divide us from God and distract us from bearing the fruit of the Spirit and furthering God's kingdom.

Therefore, it is crucial to judge correctly, in love and humility, honouring both God and the other person by helping them pursue righteousness. We should guard our hearts, deal with our own sins, and approach fellow Christians struggling with sin prayerfully, showing them love and pointing them towards God's righteous ways.

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