While having a wonderful fellowship with my dear friend, the topic of Judging came up. She and I have a different view of what judging means. She presented her beliefs and I presented mine….and now, I need to do a deeper study into the Biblical meaning of the word “Judge” or “Judgement” My friend also said she was going to do the same.

I think this is how growth comes about when we have fellowship with other believers who challenge what we believe. It should send us back in to the word to check our own beliefs while pondering what they shared with us. We need to guard against hardening our hearts in pride and refusing to examine our own beliefs. So the lesson on Judgment begins with Judging my own beliefs by holding it up to the word of God to see how it stands up or even where it’s weak.

Just pondering what I believe and remembering what my friend said, I feel a gray area that I need to examine closer… so I can get a clearer view of the topic. Gray areas come up in our beliefs when we are challenged by someone else and find ourselves without an answer from the bible… just an idea of what seems like its sound doctrine… but no scripture is coming to mind to back up the idea or feeling. Without further ado… I’m about to get all judgy.

Matthew 7

 ¹Judge not, that ye be not judged.

² For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

³ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

⁴ Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

⁵ 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.

This usage of the word judge, judged and judgment comes from the Greek word krinō , a verb. The usage in itself is neither good or bad… meaning, it needs context before it can be determined to be a good thing or a bad thing. So the word by itself is neutral and takes full meaning when it’s used to describe an action taken as a result of an event. For example, the word used in these two sentences.
The judgment of the court imposed the death penalty.
or
After looking at the evidence, this person was judged the winner of the vacation trip.
So the word is an action that can be a negative action or a positive action depending on the situation.

In the verse Matthew 7:1-5 it begins by saying not to judge anyone so you yourself aren’t judged. Then the verses go on to mention that we should not be fault-finding in the lives of other people and if we are so concerned with their sins, then we need to get rid of our own sins, get our hearts in line with God and then go to the person and speak to them about their sins. If we judge another person, we will receive the same mercy we gave to the other person when we are judged. Note: The same mercy is the key here…like if we look at someone and say they are so evil and bad they deserve hell, then we are judging them in the sense that we are stepping in to God’s place on the Great White Throne of judgment and handing down a sentence to them of damnation from our own sinful flesh. The instruction is to get right with God yourself then when your spirit is right with God, go and speak to your brother to lead them to repentance. The first case where you determine them worthy of hell verses the second case where you win them over to repentance.
Now having said that, the person who saw the splinter in the eye of their brother wasn’t wrong about the splinter, the splinter was there….where he went wrong was in his attitude about the splinter. His attitude was to show no love or mercy, just condemnation. That is the sin that brings judgment for yourself. When you step back a little more, you can also see this was a lesson given by Jesus to his Disciples…. who were already saved. The lesson was about the way Jesus wanted the disciples to go out as soul winners… how they conducted themselves. Another thing about this verse is the reminder that we are all sinners.

When we make a blanket call that judging is wrong, we cripple the Churches ability to address sinful behaviors…. and we cripple the believer’s ability to confidently judge prophecy or false teachers. Judgment on these things is not to condemn them to hell, but to expose the truth about their teachings.

John 7:24 ²⁴ Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Jesus gave instructions on how to judge.

Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Another example of unrighteous judgment. That‘s the point, judgment isn’t in itself bad, but it can be if applied incorrectly or sinfully. In Romans 2:4 Paul even gives a break down of what unrighteous judgment really is. God sent his only begotten Son, Jesus to die for us on a cross so that he could reconcile himself to us…. this was the most precious, powerful and loving gift we will ever know so, when we in our sinful selves look at someone who God sent Jesus to die for because he wanted a relationship with them and we determine them to be worthy of hell… God has a problem with that…. a BIG PROBLEM with that…. because his Beloved Son died for that person too… and he didn’t die in vain. Every chance will be given each one of us to repent and receive Jesus.

The verb Judgment in every case where one person judges another person as being worthy of hell and irredeemable is a sin. But not every instance of the word Judgment means this. -Tomorrow, Lord willing, I’ll come back and talk about those instances where Judgment is applied in the way God intended us to.
🙂