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I wrote a devotion about the harm of pornography and a woman wrote and told me, "Judge not." She said I shouldn't judge people's choices in reading materials because that was God's job.
Her misunderstanding is common. Many people think that the Bible prohibits us from judging anything beyond our own sins.
But the "judge not" passage (Matthew 7:1-5), when read in context, actually teaches us these points:
- Don’t judge others with a different standard than you judge yourself.
- Judge your own sins first, because unrepentant sin alters your "vision" (perspective).
- If you appropriately deal with your sins, you’ll be able to appropriately judge others effectively.
This passage prohibits hypocritical judging, not judging in general.
So why have we so easily accepted this "judge not" error?
Because Satan has been twisting Scripture from the beginning of time to confuse us and make us soft on sin.
But we can refuse Satan's counsel by checking everything, even out-of-context Scripture passages, against the full truth of God's Word.
If you have any doubts about this truth, please read How, Who, and What to Judge According to Scripture.
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Do Not Judge.
Bible Love Notes
Because Christ so often rebuked the Pharisees, Christians often claim that Christ hates hypocrisy more than other sins.
And non-Christians love to say that churches are full of hypocrites.
Why are these claims so popular?
I think it's because most of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, think we're not hypocrites.(1)
I once did street evangelism that quickly disproved that fact: We asked people if they’d ever violated the Ten Commandments, and most of them claimed they'd never broken a single command!(2)
Yes, hypocrisy is a common human problem, but it's more than self-righteousness.
We're hypocrites when we:
1. Celebrate sins that God forbids (John 3:19-20).
2. Excuse or justify our sins (1 John 1:8).
3. Judge people for judging (Romans 2:1).(3)
4. Repay good with evil (Proverbs 17:13).
5. Believe there's no God (Romans 1:20).
God hates hypocrisy, but it's not limited to religious leaders.
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Highlighted words are links to 1-minute devotions about those subjects.
(1) Even though Jesus frequently rebuked hypocritical Pharisees, Scripture does not say it's the worst sin. See A Lie Some Christians Believe.
(2) Perhaps these people never committed murder, theft, or adultery, but no one has perfectly obeyed the first commandment to worship God above all else. And most people have lied or coveted at some time in their lives.
(3) There are appropriate times to judge others, but some people claim it's never our job to judge. And these people often judge those who judge, thus violating their own belief.
Bible Love Notes
Broken relationships are often the result of immaturity. It's especially sad when immature attitudes ruin relationships with parents, children, and siblings.
Immature Christians define love as approval.
Romans 14 commands us to love others despite non-essential doctrinal disagreements, and that principle certainly carries through to other disagreements.
It's unrealistic to require complete approval and like-mindedness in every relationship. (See Does True Love Include Disapproval?)
Immature Christians also refuse to accept conflict.
Because we are all sinners, most relationships include some complaints, disagreements, and difficulties. Are we humble enough to work through the messy aspects of relationships, or do we give up when things aren't "perfect"? (See You Can't Love God if You Refuse.)
The most destructive habit of immature Christians is emphasizing the sins of others and excusing their own.
If we can't admit our faults or if we embellish the faults of others, we're the main problem. (See Refusing Correction.)(1)
Mature Christians fix broken relationships by accepting differences, working through problems, and humbly confessing sin.
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(1) If we've harshly criticized others, we should expect problems. Making broad generalizations like "You've always been a manipulative son" or "You've always been a critical mother" are effective ways of building walls. If you've made this kind of remark to others, you need to ask their forgiveness and ask God's help in seeing things realistically.
If you’re having difficulty with a relationship, why not read through the verses below each day. Or better yet, check out today's Bite Size Bible Study that contains the full text for each Scripture below with 6 Truths that Restore Relationships.
Matthew 5:23-24
Matthew 7:3-5
Matthew 16:24
Romans 12:16-18
Romans 14:19
Ephesians 4:29-32
Philippians 2:1-4
Bible Love Notes
