Judge With The Heart Of Jesus Or Not At All
Brethren, hear this with love and urgency. The Lord did not call us to be blind, and He did not call us to be brutal. He called us to judge like Him. “Judge not, that ye be not judged” warns my pride and checks my tongue (Matthew 7:1).
“Judge righteous judgment” commands my conscience to see with truth, not appearances or gossip (John 7:24). I am not the final court. God is the Judge of all the earth and He will do right every time (Genesis 18:25).
Until that day, we walk in truth, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8), refusing hypocrisy, guarding our hearts, and restoring our brothers and sisters with meekness, for “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:2).
Friends, Praise be to God, this is not about winning arguments. This is about walking like Jesus.
The Tension We All Feel
Let’s be honest. Many of us have quoted “Judge not” as a shield to avoid hard conversations. Others have swung the sword of truth so hard we forgot we were cutting people, not sin. Jesus gives both the caution and the commission.
Do not condemn as a habit of the heart (Luke 6:37). Do judge righteously by God’s standard, not by looks, rumors, or tribe (John 7:24; 1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 18:13).
Two questions keep me anchored.
- Am I using God’s standard or my own?
- Is my goal restoration or superiority?
If I cannot say “restore” and “God’s Word” in the same breath, I should be quiet and pray.
What Jesus Forbids, What Jesus Requires
Jesus forbids hypocritical judgment. The picture is unforgettable. A beam in my eye, a speck in yours. “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam” so you can actually help your brother see again (Matthew 7:3–5). The order matters. Self-examination before confrontation.
Jesus requires righteous judgment. He rebuked surface-level assessments and legalistic nitpicking. He told people to stop judging by appearances and to render a fair verdict that matches the Father’s heart (John 7:24; John 5:30).
He showed us how in that tender scene with the woman taken in adultery. “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” holds mercy and holiness in one sentence (John 8:11). Truth without grace crushes. Grace without truth caves. Christ gives both.
Judge Inside, Not Outside
Paul shocked Corinth because they tolerated scandal inside the church and thundered at sinners outside. He turned the spotlight around. “Do not ye judge them that are within?” God judges those who are without.
We must pursue purity among those who name Christ, for their sake and the church’s witness (1 Corinthians 5:12–13). Friends, this is not witch hunting. This is loving discipline that aims at repentance and healing, followed by comfort and reaffirmed love when there is sorrow over sin (2 Corinthians 2:6–8).
When Opinions Masquerade As Holiness
Romans 14 sits us down like a wise father. Some eat meat, some abstain. Some esteem a day, some do not. “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?” Each one will stand before Christ, not before me, not before you (Romans 14:4, 10–12).
The command lands on my feet. “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock” before a brother (Romans 14:13). If Scripture has not called it sin, my preferences do not get promoted to law. Love limits liberty for the sake of another soul.
The Old Testament Still Preaches To Us
Righteous judgment is impartial. “In righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour” without favoritism to poor or rich (Leviticus 19:15). Jehoshaphat’s charge still burns: “Ye judge not for man, but for the LORD” so refuse bribes, refuse bias, reflect God’s character (2 Chronicles 19:6–7).
Nathan and David expose our blind spots. David thundered about a rich thief who stole a lamb, then heard the prophet say, “Thou art the man” (2 Samuel 12:7). We often punish in others what we excuse in ourselves. God have mercy.
Eli and Hannah warn against snap judgments. The priest saw lips move in prayer and assumed drunkenness. He was wrong and repented (1 Samuel 1:12–17). Job’s friends weaponized theology and misread suffering. God rebuked them for not speaking right of Him or Job (Job 42:7). Appearances deceive. Humility listens.
The Apostolic Path
Check yourself first. “If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31). Communion is not a snack. It is a searchlight.
Restore with meekness. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness” while watching yourself too (Galatians 6:1). Hard words land softly when the hands that bring them are scarred with prayer.
Quit slandering your brother. “Speak not evil one of another” because there is one Lawgiver and Judge, and it is not me (James 4:11–12). Mercy triumphs where pride would gloat (James 2:13).
Handle disputes like saints. Why are believers dragging each other to secular courts over small matters? “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? … we shall judge angels?” Paul says choose wise mediators inside the body and be willing to be wronged rather than ruin the witness of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:1–7).
How To Tell Righteous From Unrighteous Judgment
Righteous judgment is humble, biblical, impartial, patient, and restorative. It honors due process. It hears before answering. It aims for healing. It keeps Matthew 18’s order in view and the cross in the center.
Unrighteous judgment is proud, opinion-driven, partial, harsh, and hypocritical. It is quick to speak and slow to listen. It publicizes what love would cover. It demands punishment without offering a path home.
Ask simple tests.
Am I praying for this person more than I am talking about them?
Have I removed my beam before addressing their speck?
Do I have facts or only feelings?
Is Scripture clear here or am I elevating a preference?
Will my words make a door or a wall?
The Measure You Are Setting For Yourself
Jesus made it plain. “With the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38). If I mete grace, I meet grace. If I mete severity, I will meet it again.
Romans 2 says the self-righteous “treasure up wrath” when they judge others while doing the same things (Romans 2:1–5). Friends, that should sober every one of us.
But here is the hope. The work of righteousness shall be peace and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17). Handle things God’s way and watch peace return to your home, your team, your church.
Five Practices That Change Everything
1) Pray Psalm 139 before you speak.
“Search me, O God.” Let the Word be a mirror before it becomes a message to someone else.
2) Slow down and gather facts.
“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13). Ask questions. Clarify. Refuse secondhand outrage.
3) Separate Scripture from preference.
Hold people to God’s Word, not to your hobbyhorses. In gray areas, protect consciences and pursue unity (Romans 14).
4) Confront privately, restore gently, celebrate repentance publicly.
Follow Jesus’ order. If you must speak, do it for their good, not your pride. When they turn, reaffirm love (2 Corinthians 2:8).
5) Keep the cross in the conversation.
At Calvary, mercy and truth met and righteousness and peace kissed (Psalm 85:10). Point sinners to the Savior, not just to their shame.
Christ, The Judge Who Saves
The Father “hath committed all judgment unto the Son” and gave proof by the resurrection (John 5:22; Acts 17:31). He is coming again “in righteousness” to judge and make war against evil that will not repent.
Yet in His first coming He said, “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). That shapes our tone.
We warn, we plead, we point to the narrow gate, and we do it with moisture in our eyes. Friends, Praise the Lord, the Judge we will meet at the end is the Savior we can meet today.
A Pastoral Word To Two Hearts
To the harsh and tired. You are weary from carrying a gavel God never assigned to you. Put it down. Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Your Father’s mercy is not in short supply (Luke 6:37).
To the fearful and silent. Love tells the truth. If a brother is walking toward a cliff, a quiet smile is not kindness. Ask for courage. Speak life. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” when the balm of Christ is in them (Proverbs 27:6).
Call To Decision
Brethren, Friends, Praise the Lord. This is not theory. This is today. Is there someone you have condemned in your heart? Release them. Pray for them by name. Is there someone you must lovingly confront? Seek the Spirit’s timing and go in meekness. Do you need to confess a judgmental spirit? Judge yourself first so you will not be judged later (1 Corinthians 11:31).
Let love lead. Let Scripture rule. Let mercy triumph.
And let Jesus be seen in how we handle sin, sorrow, and one another.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for judging righteously and saving mercifully. Search us and remove every beam. Give us wisdom to discern, courage to speak truth, and hearts that restore. Make our churches places where holiness and kindness live together. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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