#182 Can Christians Judge Others?
This question has haunted me for a while, but I haven't given it the time of day. I recently studied Matthew seven. Matthew 7:1-6 deals with judgment. Matthew 7:1 is quite clear; it reads, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” This verse is specifically related to judging a person, not the person's actions. It refers to being hypocritical or self-righteous thinking you're better than others just because you are a Christian, something that many, if not all, Christians are guilty of at some point. It is very easy to blur the lines between judging a person versus judging their actions.
We can very clearly see by Scripture many things that are wrong. Yet, like the Pharisees, we expand upon the law so that our personal preferences become law as well. When we cast our judgment on others, we open ourselves up for judgment from them. In turn, this also brings judgment on our religion and upon God, and God will judge us according to the standard we set upon others. For example, I once met an elder team at a church that believed the game Dungeons and Dragons was demonic. I would say you would be hard-pressed to prove that case, but nonetheless, it is this sort of judgment that we are all guilty of.
At the same time, Corinthians urges us to judge all things. 1 Corinthians 2:15, “The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments” (NIV). This would seem to imply that while what Jesus taught in Matthew is still correct, we are not subject to the judgments of other people. Therefore, when we judge them, it does not matter if they judge us back. Furthermore, since we have God with us, we are better informed to make judgments about others. This does not negate what Jesus taught but rather expands on the idea by saying that we discern what God has already judged by the Spirit that is within us.
At another point, Jesus says, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). This suggests that correct judgment does not cover surface-level issues, such as appearance. It would seem that God judges the heart of a person far more than surface-level issues, which may have their origins in a variety of things. When we judge, we are to judge in a righteous way, yet none are righteous except God. At the same time, our faith in God is credited to us as righteousness. Therefore, we are only able to judge insofar as we are of the same mind as God. We do not judge according to our own standard, but rather we understand what God may think about a particular situation. God’s overwhelming grace should be the chief consideration most of the time in any sort of judgment on our part as Christians.
Matthew 7:16 clarifies when it says, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” As Christians, we do not judge the actions of the world or the people in the world; rather, we judge the results. If we see that God is using people to bring others to faith, that is what we judge the fruits of their labor. And if God is not using a person, we may judge that as well. What we judge as Christians is very cut and dry: we judge with grace and love.
In fact, it would seem that we are to refrain so much from judging anyone whom we feel like judging that we should make one judgment only, which is to remove them from our assembly, as it says in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.” We judge only those in the church those are the only people whom we judge. We may judge the actions of outsiders, but we do not judge the people.
While none of the verses I have addressed have spoken of this subject directly, I would say that it’s rather clear that Christians may have jobs in the world that require judgment, such as being lawyers, policemen, or judges. In these cases, everything that has been said remains true: we do not judge the person, but rather we judge the actions according to some standard. A judge will judge the actions of a person according to the legal statutes in their given area and produce a sentence according to the law; they are not passing personal judgment or their opinion on that individual.
By way of conclusion, let's examine James 4:12: “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” When we keep the awesomeness of God at the forefront of our minds, any judgment that may come into our minds quickly fades away. Our neighbors may, in fact, be the easiest to judge. You can say, “Oh, they bought a new car but their house needs to be painted,” or, “They haven't mowed the lawn in three weeks. I can't believe it,” or, “Have you heard how much their dog barks?” These are all judgments. Those individual actions may be right or wrong according to our one and only standard, but when we say these things, we are judging the person. Instead, let us love the person and hate the action if it is sin.
When violence is done to Christians, we have an obligation to push for the law to be upheld, yet also to offer grace to the one who breaks the law.
