Judging. Judging is an important part of all of our lives. We judge every day whether we want to admit it or not, whether we are aware of it or not. We determine what kind of car we’re going to buy and drive, who we will and will not to vote for, what we’re going to shop for and buy, clothes that we’re going to pick out and wear, food that we’re going to either eat or not eat, who we’re going to marry, what people we’re going to hang around with and friends we’re going to have, classes to take, jobs to accept or reject. Our daily speech is filled with statements like “Boy, he’s really handsome” or “She’s really pretty” or “He’s a good ball player” or “She has an excellent voice,” and all these are judgments, whether we want to label them that or not.
In the religious part of our lives, we also judge. For example, today we are not, thank God, Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist. In addition to that, none of us have chosen to involve ourselves in pseudo-Christian cults Jehovah’s Witnesses, Worldwide Church of God, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
But it is interesting when it comes to Christianity, when it comes to in-house stuff, we put on the brakes. When we’re talking about a Christian pastor, leader, writer, evangelist, prophet, a message given through what is supposed to be a spiritual gift, the fruit in the life of a fellow believer, or the fruit of a Christian ministry, all of a sudden, in our minds stop signs go up, sirens scream, and red lights blink. We’ve bee so well-trained that the verse that is so often used, and inappropriately so, “Touch not mine anointed” (Psa. 105:15) automatically comes to mind. When it comes to the area of spiritual discernment, it seems like the main message is, “Put your brain in neutral and coast.”
Why is it that we experience this dichotomy, this distinction, between things that we allow ourselves to judge and things that we don’t allow ourselves to judge? I think that it’s primarily because we have heard Matthew 7:1 quoted so often that it has almost become an eastern mantra: “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Well, for those who still have their brains and their hearts engaged, let me suggest that this only produces a greater dilemma because this same Jesus also said in John 7:24, “Do not judge by appearances, rather judge with righteous judgment.” It was Jesus who said in Luke 12:57, “Why is it that you don’t judge for yourselves that which is right?” Finally, it was Jesus who said in Revelation 2:2 and 6, “I approve of your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate wicked men. You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and you have found them to be false. You have this also in your favor, that you hate the practices of the Nicolatians, which I also hate.”
What this means is that we’re in an even greater dilemma because this is no longer merely a matter of our own human inconsistency. What we’ve actually done is that we have allowed our interpretation and application of Matthew 7:1 to introduce an inconsistency and even a contradiction into the teachings of Jesus in Scripture!
Here’s an important principle that I hope we all learn. When Scripture appears to contradict itself, the problem is always with the human interpreter and not the divine author of Scripture. What we need to do is to return to Matthew 7:1 for a closer look than we’ve ever had before and this time, let’s take a look at it in its larger context.
Matthew 7:12: “Do not judge lest you be judged. R.V.G. Tasker has said that the form of the verb “judge not” indicates that this judging has to do with habitual, condemnatory, carping criticism. A Jewish commentator on the New Testament, Samuel Tobias Locks, has noticed that this passage, “Judge not lest ye be judged” is constructed in what is called “poetic paralellism” much of the Old Testament is in the same literary form. It’s a form of poetry where one line makes a statement and the next line comes along and says almost exactly the same thing, often adding to our understanding of the first line. If we study the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) appropriately, we will read them in context, and we will read them in comparison with one another. In other words, if there is a passage in Luke or Mark that will help us to understand Matthew, then we should factor this additional information into our interpretation as well. And as a matter of fact, in Luke 6:37, we have an exact parallel to Matthew 7:1: “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Luke, however, adds additional poetic parallels to this. His version states, “Don’t judge lest you be judged. Don’t condemn lest you be condemned and forgive so that you’ll be forgiven.”
Here Jesus is speaking in a format often used by authors in the OT—poetic parallelism. To illustrate this, pleas turn with me to Psalm 22. I’ve picked this out at random just because it’s a messianic psalm, Jesus quotes it from the cross, and therefore many are already familiar with it. Let’s take a look at some poetic parallelism where the B part (or second line) of the verse helps us to understand the A part (or the first line) of the verse.
Psalm 22:6: “But I am a worm and not a man.” Oh, really? Then I guess he is the shortest person in the Bible and not Nehemiah or Bildad the Shuhite. “I am a worm and not a man.” Does the psalmist intend for us to understand this literally? We’re left to our own devices unless we read the B part of the verse. “A reproach of men and despised by the people.” So, what he means is he is esteemed as low as a worm; he is not literally a worm. The B part of the verse has helped us to understand the A part of the verse.
Let’s take a look at one more example, verse 16: “For dogs have surrounded me.” Question: Does that mean that the psalmist literally has been surrounded by canine, fur-bearing mammals? Answer: the B part of the verse, “a band of evildoers has encompassed me” takes away all question as to what he means. He’s using the term metaphorically and not literally.
Now back to Matthew 7. When Luke adds “condemn not that ye be not condemned” and “forgive so that you will be forgiven,” these statements are poetically parallel to and amplifying the part of the teaching that Matthew records, namely, “Judge not and you will not be judged.” More importantly, by reporting the entire saying of Jesus, Luke has helped us see more clearly the kind of judging that Jesus is forbidding: judging that is condemnatory and unforgiving.
In Matthew 7:2 we read, “For in the way that you judge you will be judged and by your standard of measure it will be measured to you.” Again, using our synoptic methodology, what we should do is look at Mark 4:24, because in his version of this saying, Jesus continues, “The measure you give will be the measure you get.” Here, Jesus is using a technical legal phrase regularly used by the rabbis. We hear throughout the Mishnah and the Talmud the phrase Midah caneged midah (“measure for measure”). It is the way the rabbis expressed the OT principle of “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” and means the same thing our legal system means when it says says “quid pro quo.” The rabbis invoked this rule when they punished people who had intentionally caused harm to fellow covenant members. So, this kind of judging is intended to do harm, condemns and is unforgiving.
Verse 3 adds, “And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye and behold, the log is in your own eye?” (again, note the poetic parallelism). Here, Jesus is using exaggerated language to make a point. The illustrations He uses the speck and the log, or what the King James says the moat and the beam are illustrations of a spiritual truth. They’re taken right out of his carpenter’s shop. Literally translated, Jesus has said, “Why is it that you have a roof rafter (an I-beam, if you will) in your eye and yet you’re trying to take the speck of sawdust out of your brother’s eye?” Do you see the contrast?
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, these terms are used for the little, tiny olive sprig that the dove brought back to Noah as opposed to the roof beams that Solomon used to build the temple. That’s the kind of contrast that Jesus is using here. In fact, the term “log” or “beam” in the King James – looks and sounds a lot like a word that means to express a personal opinion or even to set an ambush or a snare for a person. So, if we read this text as a play on words, Jesus might be saying, “How can you say to your brother let me take the tiny little fleck of sawdust out of your eye when your perspective has been blurred by your own personal opinions and presuppositions and pet peeves, and your motives are to ambush and to ensnare the person you are pretending to try to help?”
In any event, whether it’s a word play or not, the person judging here is unqualified to render evenhanded, constructive criticism to others in the Body of Christ. The reason is that he has not dealt effectively with his own greater faults. Remember speck/sawdust versus I-beam? He’s not dealt with his own greater faults and therefore tries to deflect attention from his own shortcomings by nitpicking and pointing out the minor flaws in others. Getting people’s attention off of his big problems and onto the little, tiny, nit-picky problems of his brother. By placing himself as judge over others in some insignificant matter, he’s justified his own imperfections. He has majored on a minor, he’s focused on that which is insignificant, and he has lost sight of the greater needs in his own life for the purging, pruning, purifying work of the Holy Spirit. This is vividly seen in Jesus’ hyperbole, or exaggerated illustration, from the carpenter’s shop: the sawdust-speck and the roof-beam.
Verse 5: “You hypocrite! Take out the log from your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” See, this is where the rubber meets the road; this is the bottom line. This person is a hypocrite. He’s like those in Matthew 23:24 of whom Jesus said “strain out a gnat and swallow a camel” very similar exaggerated figures of speech, used to make a more powerful impact on the audience. Hypocrites are people who play spiritual games, correct? Hypocrites focus on the external, nitpick the innocent, and cover up their own problems by pointing to the less significant problems of others, never dealing with the matters of their own heart. Now, why do I introduce this matter of the heart? Because Luke does it! I’m not a very original thinker I got it from Luke because in that same passage in Luke where Luke says “Judge not, condemn not and forgive,” the bottom line is that in verse 45, he says it is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” So, Luke introduces this matter of heart, not me.
Now we’re beginning to see very clearly is who and what the prohibition in Matthew 7:1 is directed against. When Jesus says, “Don’t judge so that you be not judged,” is it against everybody, all the time, and for everything? No, it’s directed toward hypocrites; it does not involve the suspension of all critical thinking and all manner of spiritual discernment. It is directed against those with impure motives hypocrites who are playacting at their brother’s expense, not seeking their brother’s correction or restoration or forgiveness and reconciliation with God. This person intentionally injures another on pretense, on insignificant matters of personal opinion. His attitude is condemnatory, and it is unforgiving. He nitpicks others while covering up the serious spiritual shortcomings of his own.
So what does verse 5 add to the picture? It is actually offering a solution to the hypocrite’s problem, as the Bible usually does. The solution is not to suspend all faculties of spiritual judgment and discernment; rather, as in the rest of Scripture, the Bible’s answer deals with the root of the problem. Deal with the sin in your own life first, then you’ll be in a position to help out your brother. Take out the log from your own eye take out the Ibeam from your own eye and then you’ll be able to take some tweezers and help your brother to really fine tune his life and get his act together with God by pulling out the little fleck of sawdust. Verse 5: if we will take out the log then we will see clearly to take out the brother’s speck. Then we’ll have God’s perspective. If we will allow the Spirit to cleanse our own lives, we’ll have God’s perspective, we’ll have pure motives in judging, we’ll have God’s love and the best interests of the individual concerned in mind. We’ll build up and not tear down.
Now, the next methodological question: Does this square with the spirit of Jesus’ other statements we’ve already read, commanding and even commending those who judge? Well, I think so, but there are some other steps that we need to take before we decide 100 percent. The first thing is that we should look at the rest of the passage. It’s always good to read the Bible in context. Verse 6 says, “Don’t give what is holy to dogs and don’t throw your pearls before swine lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.” In this passage, Jesus is actually calling on us to make judgments, distinctions between things and people. Most commentators say about this verse that its Jewish background suggests non-involvement with Gentiles, pagans and the unclean in the feasts and in partaking of sacrifices. Whether that’s the case or not, Jesus is calling on us to be able to distinguish that which is holy and precious from that which is not. He’s also calling on us to distinguish between people who are dogs and swine and people who are not. Is Jesus calling on us in this same passage to judge things and people? The answer: is yes. No question about it.
Verses 15 through 20: “Beware of false prophets” same passage, same Gospel writer, same Jesus, same red print in the Bible” Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but are inwardly ravenous wolves” sounds like Jesus is calling us to make a value judgment on those individuals and their worth to the Body of Christ, doesn’t it to you? “You will know. . .” you, not Him, “You will know them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So, then, you (plural) will know them by their fruit.” You will know them by their fruit.
Therefore, in the same immediate context as “Judge not lest ye be judged,” we’re told that we’re to judge things, what’s holy, pearls, and fruit and we’re told to judge people dogs, swine, and false prophets. Therefore, we can conclude from Matthew 7 that it is not a matter of whether we judge or not. Rather, it’s a matter of what and when and how to judge. We are to judge things that are of a substantive, spiritual nature. We’re not to nitpick in gray areas, peripherals to the Christian faith, or personal opinion. We are to judge with the individual’s and the Church’s best interest in mind, not for the purpose of our own self-exaltation or to cover up our own hidden sins. Our judgment should be righteous and in that way should be exactly like God’s. Our goal should be to strengthen and edify both the individual and the Church by the way that we judge.
Having surveyed the teachings of Jesus on judging, let’s turn our attention to Paul and his teaching on judging. Let’s compare Jesus and Paul and see if the Scriptures are consistent and unified. Paul outlines the guidelines for proper judging in his letters. In 1 Corinthians, Paul says “the spiritual man judges all things” (2:15). Later in chapter 12, he lists among the gifts of the Spirit “distinguishing between the spirits” (v. 10). In so doing, Paul places the spiritual gift of “distinguishing spirits,” i.e., making a judgment, on equal par with tongues, healings, miracles, prophecy, etc. In fact, in matters pertaining to the exercising of spiritual gifts within the church, Paul required the Corinthians to pass judgment as to what they should accept and heed. In 1 Cor. 14:29, Paul says, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.”
Paul’s model for judging within the Church pertains to two issues 1) matters of morality and 2) matters of doctrine. In 1 Corinthinans 5, Paul called upon the Christians of Corinth to pass judgment on a member of the Corinthian Church living in immorality. In verse 3, Paul announced to the Corinthians that he, “already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man.” Then, he hands down his judgment, “deliver him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” Clearly, Paul’s purpose in passing judgment upon this man and calling the Church to do the same is for the benefit of the man. Because of being thrust out of fellowship with the body, he will have to face his need for true repentance, which is crucial to the saving of his soul. Paul did not judge this man in order to exalt himself or for selfish purposes; rather, he sought the redemption of the man’s soul. However, he realized that allowing this sin to go unjudged would hurt and destroy the larger body of believers (vv. 67). Paul concludes chapter 5 with a rhetorical question, “Do you not judge those who are within the church?” (v. 12). Concerning this issue, Paul puts his methodology to work by passing judgment on immorality and reminding the Corinthians of their responsibility to do the same (see vv. 911).
With respect to a believer’s responsibility to judge concerning doctrinal matters, Paul tells the Corinthians to “judge what I say” (1 Cor. 10:15). To the Galatians, Paul wrote that if he and his company or even an angel from heaven preached to them a gospel contrary to the one they already received, then, the party preaching a false gospel is to be eternally condemned (1: 8). Paul is so adamant about this that he restates the same command in verses 8 and 9. It is clear in this text that Paul is asking first century believers to make judgments concerning matters of doctrine. Paul saw the havoc that the false gospel caused for the Galatian church, so not only did he remind them of the true gospel, but he required them to make judgments about doctrine. Note in this passage that Paul called upon the Galatians to judge his own message as well, just as he did the Corinthians (1 Cor. 10:15).
But doesn’t Paul also say, “Who are you to judge the servant of another?” (Rom. 14:4), and “Why do you judge your brother?” (14:10). Could Paul, the one who admonished the Corinthians and Galatians to judge matters within the church, contradict himself and tell the Romans not to judge? A closer look at Romans 14 will reveal that Paul is addressing certain issues of judging. In 14:1, Paul says not to pass judgments on opinions . Verses 2, 3, 5, and 6 reveal that the opinions being discussed deal with eating and observing certain days above others. Paul, then, was saying here that he did not want the Romans to pass judgment on non-essentials. Matters of personal preference, opinion, or taste are not matters upon which the church is to pass judgment. Rather, the church must restrict spiritual judgment to matters of morality and doctrine (teaching and belief).
After surveying the teachings of Jesus and Paul, we should observe how the early church used and interpreted such teachings as they lived out these dynamics in their everyday lives. In Acts 5, the story of Ananias and Sapphira gives us a look at how the early church handled discipline. After Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property and lied about the amount of money they received for it, Peter rebuked them and said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and keep back some of the price of the land?” (v. 3) Peter has therefore made a judgment about Ananias by declaring that he had lied to the Holy Spirit. After their deaths, because Peter judged a matter dealing with lying within the church, the result in verse 14 is that revival spread through the community. In other words, when Peter judged properly (on matters of morality and doctrine) revival moved throughout the community.
Another example in Acts can be seen in Peter’s encounter with Simon the magician (8:2024). Simon tried to buy the Holy Spirit. Note Peter’s response, “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God ” (v. 21). Here, Peter clearly judges the condition of Simon’s heart. Today, most people think that no one can judge their hearts because one person does not know what is in anothers heart. However, Peter judges Simon’s heart by Simon’s actions (application of Luke 6:45).
Also in the book of Acts, Paul encountered Elymas the magician, on his first missionary journey (in Acts 13:612). Paul said to Elymas, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?” (v. 10). Then, Paul told Elymas that he would be blind. Again, look at the result. Because of Paul’s discernment and judgment upon Elymas, the Roman ruler of the entire island believed Paul’s message. Again, proper judgment leads to salvation, and ultimately, revival.
Moving onto other New Testament writings, the message remains the same. For example, Jude writes, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality (here he is judging on matters of morality) and deny Jesus Christ (here he is judging on matters of cardinal doctrine), our only Sovereign and Lord” (v. 4). All the way to the end of the NT, the message of the book of Revelation is no different. It has Jesus sending messages to the seven churches. To the church at Ephesus, He says, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false” (2:2). For their judging of false apostles, Jesus commends these Ephesian Christians. On the other hand, He chastises the church of Thyatira, “You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching (doctrine) she misleads my servants into sexual immorality (morality) and the eating of food sacrificed to idols (morality)” (2:20). Because the church did not judge immorality and false teachings in the church, Jesus strongly rebukes it. Clearly, He expects the Christians in the different churches to judge immorality and doctrine in their midst to purify themselves. From such passages, it is obvious that the early church took judging matters of doctrine and morality very seriously. Today, we focus almost exclusively on the love and kindness of the early church, but this was also a church that exercised strict and exact judgment.
Another issue related to judging today is the practice avoiding the naming of names when passing judgment on a teaching or behavior. This modern trend cannot be supported by reference to Paul, John, or Jesus. All three name people by name when they pronounce judgment upon them. In 2 Timothy 2:1618, Paul tells Timothy to, “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place (doctrine), and they destroy the faith of some.” Again, Paul names people in 1 Timothy 1:1920: “holding on to faith (doctrine) and a good conscience (morality). Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander , whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.” The apostle John, the one called the apostle of love, says, “I wrote the church, but Diotrephes , who loves to be first will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do do and puts them out of the church” (3 John vv. 910). Jesus also names people or groups, in the book of Revelation. “But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans , which I also hate” (Rev. 2:6). Revelation 2:20 (quoted earlier) mentions “the woman Jezebel”. Whether this is a metaphor or a real name is irrelevant because the people being addressed know who Jesus is referring to. As can be seen, Paul, John, and Jesus name people and groups. They specifically identify those whom they are judging.
CONCLUSION : From this survey of the rest of the NT, I trust it has become clear that Matthew 7, when properly interpreted, speaks to the issue of proper biblical judgment with the same voice as the rest of Scripture. The exercise of scriptural judgment is important for maintaining high moral and doctrinal standards among Christians and the church. Because of ignorance and misinformation, however, this important ministry and one of the gifts of the Spirit has been maligned and ignored. Despite the fact that Jesus and almost every author in the NT has commanded that biblical judgment be exercised by every Christian, not just pastors, it has been almost completely abandoned. Those who do attempt to exercise their spiritual responsibilities are usually denounced, being called judgmental, harsh, divisive, unloving, legalistic, un-spiritual, know-it-all, and “holier-than-thou.” Nevertheless, the command of Scripture to judge and to judge rightly still stands. Exercising biblical judgment is not an option to be exercised when you feel like it or if that’s part of your job description or if it’s part of your personal agenda or even your personality. It is simply to be a part of the life of every Christian. Leaders will have to rediscover its biblical foundation and its importance to the health of the Body of Christ. They will have to take the lead in exercising sound biblical judgment, and thus provide an example for others to follow. Those who refuse biblical correction and refuse to allow the Scriptures to inform their faith and practice should rightly be ignored.
When judgment is exercised, it has to be done in the right way. Biblical judgment must be restricted to matters of morality and doctrine, and cannot devolve into disputes over personal preferences and gray areas. It must be redemptive/restorative in nature, not unforgiving and condemnatory. It must be exercised with appropriate biblical humility and brokenness, with no intent to further injure or to exalt oneself at anothers expense.
To keep the church morally and doctrinally healthy, recovery and exercise of this important spiritual dynamic is an absolute necessity. On a personal level, to truly walk in love with our brothers and sisters, it has to happen (James 5:1920).
So are you willing to judge with pure motives, in the righteousness of God, with the best of the individual and the Church in mind not with attempts to cover up your own faults, without condemning, with forgiveness in your heart, with a desire to restore, without nitpicking, without focusing on pet peeves and gray areas? Will you judge yourself first and allow God to judge you, purge, prune you and have His way first in your life?
May the Lord bless you with the reading and study of His Word. May He apply it bountifully to your heart. Having heard the truth, may the truth set us all free.
Would you join me and your pastors in prayer that God would graciously restore this important part of normal family life to His family (the church), and that He would transform and empower us to be a part of what He wants to do in this area? Remember, church, all other aspects of having a healthy relationship with God and a healthy church will be decided by what we do with this issue, because Paul said when talking about the spiritual gifts and their relationship to one another, “When one member suffers, all the other members suffer with it” (1 Cor. 12:26).
Cf. the book by Terry D. Cooper, Making Judgments without Being Judgmental . IVP, 2006.
Cf. my article at enrichmentjournal.ag.org/199704/092_judging.cfm 12
