Judge not, lest ye be judged...

 Judge not, lest ye be judged? We've all heard it, we've probably even used it on others before... But what does the Bible really mean when it says that? Let's look at the verse in context with the whole text.

All scriptures are in NKJV unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 7:1-5

Do Not Judge

7 “Judge[a] not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what [b]judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

So, what does it mean? Does it say don't judge? Nope. Look closely... Judge not, that you be not judged. At first glance, it does look as though it says that, but if taken in context, it goes on to say, that you will be judged with the judgement with which you judge others. Many people, followers of Christ included stop after that first phrase. But as you can see, it goes on to say that you will be judged by the measure that you use to judge. What measure should we use if we judge? God's measure, after all, only His measure could be used since we are all sinful. In and of ourselves, we are not qualified to judge. But God is holy! So if we use God's measure of right and wrong, how can judging be wrong?  But it still goes further yet. 

Verse 3-5 says that we look to our BROTHER's eye and see the speck... but don't consider the plank in OUR own eye, notice two things here, firstly, it says our brother, This applies to our fellow believers in Christ. Again though, it does not say don't judge your brother, it says not to do so without considering the plank in your own eye first. The verses say to remove our plank FIRST, then we can see clearly to remove the speck. 

Secondly, this does NOT apply to unbelievers. In other words, we are NOT to judge unbelievers... they don't know God's laws... So although they are NOT exempt from God's laws, we can only point out to them what sin is. The scripture says in Romans 7:7 what the purpose of the Law is: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." The law, or 10 commandments served a few purposes:

1) Reveal God's standard of absolute righteousness. (There is no relative morality in scripture, in other words, I'm bad, but I'm not as bad as... Sin is Sin in God's eyes, no comparative shopping in the kingdom).

2) Convict us of our true guilt before Him. It is not my job to convict you of your sin, merely to tell you what sin is. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict you of sin. John 16:8 "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement:" This is Jesus speaking to the 11 remaining apostles in this verse. He is telling them, and us by extension, one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit that will come once He (Jesus) has ascended into heaven. He also states that the Holy Spirit cannot come while He remains on the Earth. (vv 7-8)

3) Provide an OBJECTIVE standard for measuring violations. NOT SUBJECTIVE! God's righteousness is righteousness, ours is as filthy rags. See Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:19-23. We cannot measure up to God's standard, if we could we wouldn't need Jesus' sacrifice. When we repent and take Him as our Lord, we put on His righteousness, that is ALL God sees after that. Romans 13:14, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Romans 1:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Jeremiah 23:5, Jeremiah 33:15, 23:6, 33:16 

4) Set Israel apart from other nations. Deuteronomy 4:1-14 illustrates this. 

5) Provides guidelines for worship and daily living.  Exodus 20:1-2, Matthew 5:17, Romans 7:12, Psalm 19:7 are but a few places that this is demonstrated.

6) Points to human sinfulness and the need for a Savior. Romans 7:7-25 demonstrates this principle.

7) Foreshadows the coming of Christ. Colossians 2:17, Hebrews 10:1 are two places where this is demonstrated. 

(Notice that the number of ways it does these things is 7? The number of completion look at what the 7th way is)

1 Corinthians 5:12-13 States: For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? (Outside of the brotherhood of Christ) Do you note judge those who are inside?(Inside the brotherhood of Christ) But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."

Clearly these verses speak of not judging those who are outside of God's law, meaning they don't know it, the way the believer knows it. But it does say to judge those who are believers. Again, let me be clear, Judging a person's fruits against the word of God (also called discernment) is totally different than convicting a person. We cannot say whether someone knows Christ truly as their Lord and Savior, but We can say that based on their words and deeds, if they match up to what scripture says or not. If not, we are to use the gift of Exhortation, which all believers have and are called to, some have a higher calling of this gift of the spirit in their lives, but all believers are to correct each other within the set standards in the word. The bible is clear on how this is to be done, First examine yourself and your heart, confess any sin that is unconfessed, this includes asking for forgiveness and maybe restitution with anyone that you have sinned against. Then go to that person and share your observations in light of God's word, if they will not listen, bring two others that your every word can be witnessed, these should be trusted believers, perhaps Elders, Deacons, Bishops, Pastors. Then, if they still will not listen and repent, you should dust your feet. This does not mean to stop praying for that person, however, walking away does not mean that the person is irredeemable. It simply means that you need to refocus on God's word and let the Holy Spirit do His job. 

Should that person later come back into the fold and repent and ask forgiveness to anyone that they have wronged, they can be welcomed back. However, this doesn't mean that they just resume where they had left off. You show them grace and mercy, but trust comes in different levels, and once broken, must be earned back over time and by them showing that they are truly repentant. 

The key as always, this must always be done through the lens of scripture, by the example that God set for us with Jesus's sacrifice. Forgive, for much has been forgiven you...

-Rev. Michael E. Washburn