There are four times when it's appropriate to correct someone with the words "Judge not":
1. When they're judging another person's heart motives. God alone can do that (1 Corinthians 4:5).
2. When they're judging a fellow Christian's non-essential doctrines. God says it's not our place to judge those things (Romans 14).
3. When they're judging other people's sins, but not judging their own sins first (Matthew 7:1-5).
4. When they're passing along rumors or lies about others (James 4:11).
Aside from these situations, God commands us to judge a great many things.
Sadly, saying “Judge not” has become a popular form of hypocrisy, a way to silence people who are sharing God's principles about sin.
We cannot make wise decisions unless we judge circumstances, behavior, teachings, and yes, even people. And we're commanded to judge these things in order to live godly lives.
So let's quit taking a few words out of context to bash those who are doing what God commands.
1. When they're judging another person's heart motives. God alone can do that (1 Corinthians 4:5).
2. When they're judging a fellow Christian's non-essential doctrines. God says it's not our place to judge those things (Romans 14).
3. When they're judging other people's sins, but not judging their own sins first (Matthew 7:1-5).
4. When they're passing along rumors or lies about others (James 4:11).
Aside from these situations, God commands us to judge a great many things.
Sadly, saying “Judge not” has become a popular form of hypocrisy, a way to silence people who are sharing God's principles about sin.
We cannot make wise decisions unless we judge circumstances, behavior, teachings, and yes, even people. And we're commanded to judge these things in order to live godly lives.
So let's quit taking a few words out of context to bash those who are doing what God commands.
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Check out How, Who, and What to Judge According to Scripture.
Note: If people genuinely believe we have no right to judge others under any circumstance, they violate their own beliefs when they judge judgers. This is exactly the type of hypocritical judgment Matthew 7:1-5 addresses when it says, "Judge not."
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