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Christians are often told to follow Jesus’ command to not judge, often by non-Christians who perceive us, rightly or wrongly, of being nasty and judgmental. But is this command a blanket statement, or does it have limits?
Matthew 7:1
Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
The Greek word for judge here is κρίνω (krino). It’s a broad word somewhat like our word “judge.” It can refer to making a personal evaluation (Romans 14:5), to a committee making a declaration (Acts 16:4), or to trying someone in a divine or human court (John 7:51, Acts 25:10, 1 Corinthians 6:6, 2 Thessalonians 2:2).
The proper way to understand a word’s meaning is not to look at a list of its possible definitions and plug in the meaning we like the most, but to look at the surrounding context. What kind of judgment is Jesus speaking of?
To begin with, why does Jesus tell us not to judge? Because if we do, we will be judged ourselves:
“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).
Who will judge us? It is possible that he has other people in mind. When someone sees us, for instance, ruthlessly condemning some behavior in others and then turning around and engaging in that exact behavior, they will likely hold our standard up to us to show that we have condemned ourselves. If this is His meaning, Jesus is warning us against making personal judgments on others that will also condemn ourselves.
However, it is also possible (I would say likely) that Jesus had the divine judge in mind. If we look at people and deem them unable to be saved because of some sin in their lives, then God will remember that pronouncement of judgment and hold us accountable to it. Do you look at gay people and insist that there is no hope for them? Do so with great caution because Jesus informs us that it is as sinful to nurse lust in our hearts as it is to act on lusts. In this case, for us to “judge” is for us to act as the divine judge and pass sentence on those we despise. That is not our job, and if we insist on pounding the gavel, God will be there to make sure we eat our words.
This passage has a parallel in Luke which may be useful for understanding which kind of “judgment” Jesus has in mind:
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure– pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (Luke 6:37-38).
Note the use of legal language. Do not condemn (pass sentence), but forgive (release, set free). If you do so, it will be done for you–presumably by God. This strengthens the argument that in Matthew 5:1-2 judgment has a court room connotation–in particular the court room of divine judgment.
So, if Jesus doesn’t want us to judge hypocritically or condemn others to hell, does that mean we can make no personal judgments about moral behavior?
Certainly not! In this same passage He warns us to beware of false prophets and even gives us the tool to recognize them: “you will know them by their fruits… Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16-17).
So what’s the takeaway? Be wise to make judgments about bad courses of action and do not hitch yourself to prophets and movements that are opposed to godly principles. But also remember that God has forgiven you when you didn’t deserve it, so you better not treat mercilessly those whom God wants to show mercy to.
Music credit:
F E E F I F O by Failed Kingdoms. Available here: https://soundcloud.com/failedk