Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)
Throughout church history, false teachings and outright heresies have arisen due to the faulty hermeneutic of taking Scripture, especially a single verse, or even a single phrase within a verse, out of context. So it is with the verse above.
The “lost” frequently stymie the witness of Christians by misquoting this Scripture – “Judge not” – and they stop there without reciting the remaining portion of the verse. The well-meaning, albeit unprepared, Christian studders and stammers not knowing how to respond. They think, “That’s true. Jesus said, ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ I don’t want to be a judge or be judged.” Thus, the Christian is defeated and the lost person continues in his lost condition thinking himself in a superior condition to that of the Christian.
Did Jesus really mean that we should suspend all judgment? We need to read beyond that single phrase or the single verse. In the verses that follow in the same seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives several examples where judgment must be employed, but let us first inspect the first verses more closely.
The Greek word translated “judge” in this verse is krinō which means, “to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish: – avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem…”[1] Simply put, it means to make a judgment for condemnation. Ultimately, that kind of judgment is reserved for God alone. However, the Christian is free to exercise discernment as to the condition of a lost person, and knowing the consequence of that condition, the Christian is obligated to try and redirect the lost one from the road to perdition to the way of salvation. Scripture is clear on this point. “When I [God] say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 33:8-9, emphasis mine). In order to recognize “that wicked man,” one must exercise judgment, not in a condemning way, but by way of discernment.
The verse (7:1) concludes with, “that ye be not judged.” In other words, “Do not condemn, so that you are not condemned.” In the Ezekiel passage above, judgment (discernment) must be exercised to identify the “wicked man” and “to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity.” The condemnation to the Christian comes for failing to warn the “wicked man” – “his blood will I require at thine hand.” It is not our place to condemn anyone, not even the “wicked man.” In fact, that is exactly what we do when we recognize a lost person, and we fail to witness to them. We have effectively condemned them to an eternity in hell.
Jesus continues: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2). Consider an occasion where you judge (discern) that someone is lost and you resist the Spirit’s prompting to share Christ with that person. Now consider Jesus looking at you with the same regard you gave to that lost person. Is that not a frightening thought?
Jesus gives self-examination as the prerequisite for making a judgment. He uses hyperbole in His example of inspecting a mote (speck) in someone’s eye while having a “beam” in one’s own eye. “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). We need to keep our own sin in check before trying to correct the sin in others.
Jesus does not call us to suspend all judgment. Indeed, the verse that follows cannot be accomplished without a certain degree of judgment and discernment. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6, emphasis mine). Jesus uses the terms “that which is holy” and “your pearls” synonymously to represent the precious Gospel that we have. “‘Dogs’ signify people who spurn, oppose, and abuse that doctrine; people of special sourness and malignity of temper, who meet it like growling and quarrelsome curs, Php_3:2; 2Pe_2:22; Rev_22:15. “Swine” denote those who would trample the precepts underfoot; people of impurity of life; those who are corrupt, polluted, profane, obscene, and sensual; those who would not know the value of the gospel, and who would tread it down as swine would pearls, 2Pe_2:22; Pro_11:22”[2] (emphasis mine). Obviously, one needs to make a judgment call to discern who are the “dogs” and the “swine.”
Identifying false prophets requires judgment. Jesus warns against false prophets who disguise themselves “in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (7:15). They can be known. Jesus says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (7:16). Their “fruit” is what they produce. Do they bear the “fruit of the Spirit”?[3] Paul sums up the fruit of the Spirit like this: “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9). If you suspend judgment when you come under a false teacher, how will you know that the teacher is teaching truth? If you suspend judgment, you will swallow everything a false teacher feeds you because, after all, he/she is a seminary graduate with a Ph.D.! Do not let letter suffixes cloud your judgment.
Do not be intimidated by those who misquote and misuse Scripture. Remember, Satan excels in twisting Scripture. He did it with Eve in the Garden of Eden,[4] and he tried it with Jesus in the wilderness.[5] Those who throw up the “judge not” roadblock are only parroting Satan’s tactics. Don’t fall for it. Stick to your guns. Stick to the Word. Don’t even flinch when you hear “judge not!”
Reader, do you know the Lord Jesus? If not, please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.” He is coming soon and you need to be ready. You can read more about that on my “Revelation” page.
Notes:
[1] Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, (Published in 1890; public domain).
[2] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, (Published in 1847-85; public domain).
Ernie's Musings 