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o not judge, or you too will be judged. These are familiar words to
many people - words that were spoken by our Lord Jesus during the Sermon
on the Mount. Recently, a well known radio speaker made the comment that
John 3:16 is no longer the most often quoted verse in the Bible. It has
been replaced by Matthew 7:1. I do not know if the statement is really
true, but there are many Christians who really know Matt. 7:1! Tolerance
is one word that characterizes our culture today. Tolerance of religion
(except for Christianity), different lifestyles, opinions, and peoples,
to name a few. I have had good Christians say they cannot judge me! They
cannot evaluate me as a Christian! Do not judge! Is this what Jesus meant
when He said,
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (NIV) Matthew 7:1-2 To Judge. Does this verse mean do not evaluate
others and draw conclusions about them? Does it mean people can do whatever
they want to do because it is between them and the Lord? Are we only
accountable to the Lord and to no one else? Today there are many who
believe this is the meaning of this verse. It sounds like a loving attitude
towards others. But Christians are increasingly following the attitude
of the culture.
Recently a voice has been heard in America. The statement is being
made that Christians are a threat to society because they are intolerant
of others. Christians are accused of being intolerant of homosexuals,
adultery, abortion, and the beliefs of others. Some view Christians as
a threat to society.
Unfortunately, some Christians have accepted this world
view and are becoming more and more tolerant of sin too! There are Christian
movements today that are encouraging us not to evaluate the beliefs of “other
Christians” and to emphasize love. They say, “Downplay doctrine.” But
this is not what Jesus is talking about. Unfortunately, the church is
increasingly looking like the world. We are adopting the culture’s
world view. Christians are compromising the truth of the Word on this
and other fronts.
Do Not Judge Others. What does it mean
to not judge others? In order to determine what Jesus means, we will
look at other New Testament passages and then at the rest of this passage.
Since God wrote the entire Bible, we can look at the rest
of the New Testament to understand God’s complete thinking on the
issue. There are passages that tell us not to judge others and there
are passages that encourage us to judge others. I prefer the word evaluate.
One of the most interesting passages about not judging others comes directly
from Jesus Himself. It is found in John 7:24. Listen to Jesus.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. (NIV) John 7:24 Jesus says, “Do not judge” and then tells us how to judge
- “with righteous judgment.” What is righteous judgment?
The answer is given in Psalms.
And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. (NASB) Ps. 9:8 Psalms 9:8 says that righteous judgment is objective, balanced, fair
judgment - equity! It is not biased and does not distort the truth. Then
later in John 7:51, Nicodemus gives the guidelines for evaluating others
according to the Old Testament Law.
Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” (NIV) John 7:51 An individual must have the right to defend himself so that we can understand
what he or she was doing. Jesus is talking about legal judgment. Notice
that Jesus did not prohibit judgment.
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| Sermon on the Mount | ||||||||
