To judge or not to judge

To judge, or not to judge

A Christian is not only permitted to discern whether someone's teaching or conduct agrees with God's Word; in certain circumstances, Scripture commands it. But we must never put ourselves in God's place as the final judge of another person's heart, motives, or eternal destiny.

1. We are commanded to judge teachers by Scripture

Jesus warned: "Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15

How are we to recognize them? Jesus says: "By their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:16

That requires discernment. We cannot obey this command without making judgments about what people teach and how they live.

The Bereans provide an excellent example: "Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true." Acts 17:11

They did not simply accept a teacher's claims. They examined them by Scripture.

2. We are commanded to judge false doctrine

Paul is extraordinarily strong: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!" Galatians 1:8

That requires a judgment: Does this teaching agree with the revealed gospel, or does it contradict it?*

Likewise: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world."

1 John 4:1

A Christian who says, "I never judge anyone's teaching" is actually disobeying this command.

3. We are even to judge serious, visible sin within the church

Paul says: "What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" 1 Corinthians 5:12

And concerning a professing believer living in grievous, unrepentant sin, Paul commands the church to take action.

This is not permission for Christians to become busybodies, constantly hunting for faults in other people. It concerns clear, objective sin and the spiritual purity of Christ's church.

4. Jesus forbids hypocritical, self-righteous judgment

This is where Matthew 7 is often misunderstood.

Jesus says: "Do not judge, or you will be judged." Matthew 7:1

But He immediately speaks about the hypocrisy of trying to remove the speck from another person's eye while ignoring the log in one's own eye:

"First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5

Notice that Jesus does not say, "Never help your brother with his speck."

He says, in effect, deal with your own sin first, so that you can see clearly enough to help your brother.

That is very different from hypocritical condemnation.

5. We must never judge the motives of others

This is perhaps the most important boundary.

We can say: "That teaching contradicts Scripture."

We can say: "That conduct is clearly sinful according to Scripture."

We can say: "That doctrine is contrary to the gospel."

But we should be extremely careful about saying:

"I know exactly why that person did it."

6. There is such a thing as righteous judgment

Jesus actually says: "Stop judging by appearances, and make a righteous judgment." John 7:24

That verse is especially helpful because it shows that the biblical answer to "Do not judge" is not moral indifference.

Jesus does not say, "Stop making judgments."
He says, "make a righteous judgment."

The issue is how we judge, what we judge, and by what standard we judge.

The Christian's standard is not personal preference.
Not politics.
Not personality.
Not tradition.
Not temperament.
Not "what everybody else thinks."
The standard is God's Word.

7. The most dangerous kind of judgment

There is one judgment that every Christian should practice with extraordinary seriousness: judging himself by the Word of God.

Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you unless you fail the test?" 2 Corinthians 13:5

Before I examine my neighbor, I must submit myself to the searching light of Scripture.

Before I expose another man's sin, I must ask whether I am harboring sin myself.

Before I pronounce upon another man's profession, I must examine my own.

Before I condemn another man's error, I must ask whether I am willing to be corrected by the same Word.

The biblical balance

So, yes, a Christian should judge others in the limited, biblical sense of discerning truth from error and righteousness from sin.

But he must do so:
* By Scripture, not personal opinion.
* With humility, remembering his own sinfulness.
* With justice, judging what is actually observable rather than inventing motives.
* With love, seeking restoration rather than humiliation.
* With patience, allowing room for growth and repentance.
* With self-examination, continually judging himself by the same standard.
* Without presuming God's place, especially regarding another person's heart or eternal destiny.

The Christian is not called to be judgmental.
He is called to be discerning.
And there is a vast difference.

The judgmental man looks down upon others from a throne of self-righteousness.

The discerning Christian kneels beneath the authority of Scripture and says: "God's Word is right. If I am wrong, let it correct me. If my brother is wrong, let me lovingly show him the truth. And if neither of us can see the whole matter clearly, let us both bow before the Word of God."

God's Word is the standard for judging

Isaiah 8:20. "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light within them."

This is one of the clearest Old Testament statements of the principle. What is taught must be measured against God's revealed Word. If it contradicts God's Word, it is not light.

God's Word is perfect and trustworthy

Psalm 19:7-11.
"The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart;
the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them indeed Your servant is warned;
in keeping them is great reward."

God's Word is our guide

Psalm 119:105. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

God's Word gives understanding

Psalm 119:130. "The unfolding of Your words gives light; it informs the simple."

God's commands are not to be altered

Deuteronomy 12:32. "See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it."

Error comes from not knowing Scripture

Matthew 22:29. "Jesus replied, 'You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.'"

God's Word will judge

John 12:48. "There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words: the very word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day."

The Bereans tested teaching by Scripture

Acts 17:11. "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

This is one of the clearest New Testament examples of the principle. The Bereans did not blindly accept even Paul's preaching. They examined the Scriptures to determine whether his teaching was true.

Even an angel must be rejected if his message contradicts Scripture

Galatians 1:8-9. "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!

As we have said before, so now again I say: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!"

This establishes an astonishing principle: the authority of the message is not established by the greatness of the messenger. Even an angel is to be rejected if his gospel contradicts the revealed gospel.

All Scripture is God-breathed and sufficient

2 Timothy 3:16-17. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work."

This is perhaps the foundational New Testament passage for the sufficiency and authority of Scripture.

Notice what Scripture accomplishes:

It instructs us.
It convicts us.
It corrects us.
It trains us in righteousness.
It makes the servant of God complete.
It fully equips him for every good work.

Test spiritual claims

1 John 4:1. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world."

The great biblical principle

When these passages are put together, a remarkably consistent doctrine emerges:

God's Word is the standard by which all spiritual truth is to be tested.

The preacher must be tested by Scripture.
The theologian must be tested by Scripture.
The denomination must be tested by Scripture.
Tradition must be tested by Scripture.
Prophecy must be tested by Scripture.
Spiritual experiences must be tested by Scripture.
Philosophy must be tested by Scripture.
And even an alleged angelic message must be rejected, if it contradicts God's revealed truth.

The believer therefore does not merely ask:
"What does my church teach?"
"What does my pastor say?"
"What does this respected theologian believe?"
"What have Christians traditionally believed?"

The fundamental question is: "What does Scripture say?"

Scripture alone is God's provision of an objective, infallible standard by which His people may know truth, expose error, discern false teaching, and follow Jesus.
(The above was AI generated.)