Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Matthew

[Mel B]

I have a question.

I know Jesus says not to judge others, but what does the Bible say about judging with caution?

I’m not sure if that makes sense. But for example I’ve made some new friends at college but I’ve been cautious recently because a lot of them have a lot of sinful habits. I love them and think they are good people at heart but it’s very hard not to judge them, even if it’s only between me and God where I let that be known.

Someone said to me that if you’re walking at night and see a guy with a knife you’re not just gonna say “let me not judge him” and proceed to walk towards him. I understand the point that’s being made but how can I back this up biblically?

[jimwalton]

First let’s talk about the real meaning of the passage (Matthew 7.1). Jesus is not referring to legitimate discussions about right and wrong, and helping to correct negative behavior. He is condemning finding fault in others based on our own sense of pride, prejudice, or meanness. He is teaching that such behavior will come back to bite you because your pride or meanness will be perceived, and you too will be weighed in the balances and found wanting.

R.T. France wrote, “What he is condemning is the habit of censorious and carping criticism, not the exercise of the critical faculty.”

John Stott: “The censorious critic is a fault-finder who is negative and destructive towards people and enjoys actively seeking out their failings.”

People are really lousy at seeing how they have been hurtful to other people. They’re much better at seeing how other people have been hurtful to them. Or, they perceive other people as hurtful, projecting their attitudes onto others, so they don’t have to face up to their own attitudes and behavior.

You’ll notice, then, he talks about hypocrisy (vv. 2 and following). Jesus is condemning the kind of judging each other that is just hypocritical: heaping criticism and condemnation on others without being willing to examine your own behavior.

Now, to your question in specific. When others are engaged in sinful behavior, we’re expected to recognize that (1 Cor. 5.12). Jesus was quick and harsh to call out hypocrisy in so-called believers. Jesus recognized sin when He saw it (though he seldom called it out). We have to be wise in when we speak and when we bite our tongues; we can see sin without rebuking the person about it .(Jesus seldom rebuked the sin around Him, but there were times when it was appropriate.)

If you’re walking at night and see a guy with a knife, either go in a different direction or scream. That’s not “judging.” We are wise to be fearful of danger or to try to stop perpetrators of crime, etc.

“how can I back this up biblically?” Jesus saw the sin of the woman caught in adultery (John 8.1-11), and even let her know He saw it, but He was gentle with her. Jesus saw the sin of the woman at the well, but He was gentle with her (Jn. 4.1-26). Jesus must have seen sin all around Him, but barely spoke of it.

The only time I’m aware that Jesus called people out on their sins was in his conversations with the religious leaders. Other than that, he was often in the middle of swarms of "sinners" and never breathed a word except to urge them that the kingdom of God was at hand, and they should repent and believe the gospel.

This is not to claim he was tolerant of sin, but he came to seek and to save, not to judge. I believe our commission is the same. Lk. 15.7: Seek the lost sheep. 1 Cor. 9.22: become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. Acts 1.8: Be his witnesses to the uttermost parts. Mt. 6.1ff. (also 1 Cor. 5.12): Don't judge. It's not your place.

That requires a great deal of restraint and compassion on our part, as well as tolerance. The kingdom doesn't advance by barbed words, but by the Spirit and in truth.

If we follow Christ's example, what we should be least tolerant of is Christian hypocrisy, "Christian" hatred, and "Christian" unchristlikeness.

Job 40.1-14 is a warning to those who would be quick to call out sinners on their sin. Is it always best to immediately identify and crush wickedness? Is the best approach to righteous and redeeming relationships to call out sin in others in righteous rebuke (Job 40.11-13)? Certainly it is within God’s and our power to do this, but is it always best and right? Do mercy and grace have no place in a truly just world?

Whenever human beings have the power to play God, and use it to punish the wicked, evil triumphs. The Spanish Inquisition and the holy wars are horror stories in human history. Prompted by the motive to identify and punish evil in the name of Christ, they concocted greater evil than they sought to punish. Cf. Mt. 26.52: Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Judge others, and you will be judged by the same measure you use to judge them (Mt. 7.2). So go ahead. Walk down the street and unleash your tirades of identifying sin, calling people to the dust, and righteously putting them in their place.

It's odd. I thought God called us, instead, to be agents of reconciliation. I thought God called us, instead, to become weak to win the weak, so that by all possible means we might save some (1 Cor. 9.22). We are to be priests, proclaiming the gospel of God that others might become an acceptable offering to God (Rom. 15.16). Jesus repeatedly doesn't call out people's sins, so that he can show the patience of redeeming grace.

But you know what? God has called each of us as he has called us. This is the bottom line: bring people to salvation in Jesus. If God has called you to do that by calling out sinners on their sin, then do it with relish, but also with wisdom. As long as the result is salvation in Jesus, then do it. But if the result is NOT salvation, then we all have right to question your call, because the point is to witness, to make disciples, and to be agents of reconciliation. And those who are called to show redeeming grace, then do that with zest, as long as the result is salvation in Jesus. But if the result is NOT salvation, then maybe the "soft" approach should be questioned, because the point is to bring people into the kingdom by every godly means necessary.

[Mel B]

Thank you! There was an instance yesterday where I met this girl who was Christian but was telling me about how she didn’t think adultery or even cursing mattered all that much because it’s more about your relationship with God. She said that if you feel convicted obviously don’t do it but otherwise everyone’s at different levels of their faith so she didn’t think it mattered that much. I didn’t really know what to say to that b/c I just met her and I felt like it was too wrong to say anything, so I just responded by telling her how it changed my faith not to partake in those things.

Is there a better way to go about those type of things? Did I go about it right? I felt this strong urge to reject that but I think I also hesitated because I felt like in some ways it’s true. I have made it through the Gospels and Acts now and have officially made it to Romans! I say this b/c what I last read about was Abraham's faith / faith by righteousness and it reminded me of the fact that we are not saved by our good works, etc, but there was one verse that said something like “does faith nullify the law? not at all! rather by faith we uphold the law” that’s what I looked back to in this instant. How should I go about this in the future?

[jimwalton]

It’s always a very difficult thing. I find that Christians are very resistant to being corrected, even if done in love and in truth. It’s always a matter of discernment, wisdom, and diplomacy because people are so bad at this game of receiving correcting/rebuking messages.

Sometimes you can think of things to say like, “I’d like to discuss that with you sometime,” because a discussion always gives you room to talk rather than just a reply.

The “Christian” girl you met is dead wrong. Jesus said, “If you love me, you’ll do as I commanded.” And there are MANY times when Jesus taught that obeying the Law (those moral rules in the Bible) was exactly what determined your relationship with God (Mt. 5.19-20; 7.24-26; 12.50; 19.18-19; Mk. 7.8; 10.3, 19; Lk. 10.28; 16.29-31; 18.18-30; 19.1-10). The Bible is clear about not participating in crude or coarse talk (Eph. 4.29; 5.4; Mt. 12.37) and even more clear about not participating in sexual sin. It sounds like she’s any normal compromising carnal Christian who accepts the parts of the Bible she wants to accept and ignores the parts she doesn’t, all-the-while justifying her sin (shaking my head while smacking myself in the forehead).

There are certainly actions that come under the rule of "everyone’s at different levels of their faith" (Rom. 14), but swearing and sexual sin aren’t two of them.