You won’t hear it if you mention someone robbing a bank or being rude to a neighbor, but if you mention someone living a sexually immoral lifestyle, it's very common to hear:
“It’s not our job to judge people. It’s our job to love people.”
Is this because sexual sins are less serious than robbery or rudeness?
No. God says sexual sins are serious (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).(1)
Is it because God tells us not to judge people involved in sexual sins?
No. James 5:19-20, 1 Corinthians 5:12, and 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 instruct us to judge and correct professing Christians who violate God's commands.
Ephesians 5:5-7, 1 Corinthians 15:33, 2 Corinthians 6:14, Psalm 101:3, and Ephesians 5 require us to judge all people so we can avoid ungodly associations and share Christ in appropriate ways.
So, is it our job to judge? Yes. Scripture says it's our job.
In fact, judging is actually part of love:
One way we love people is by sharing the truth that ungodly lifestyles damage their souls. It's a necessary and important part of evangelism. It must be done appropriately, carefully, and lovingly. But it must also be done unashamedly because it's our job (Matthew 4:17; Luke 24:46-47; Luke 5:32; Acts 17:30; Acts 3:19; 2 Timothy 2:19).
Whoever shared Christ with us loved us enough to tell us we needed to repent. If we genuinely love others, we’ll do the same, and we won't avoid sexual sins simply because they are culturally accepted.
Do you know your job description?
Note: Why has this phrase become so popular in regard to sexual sins? This 1-minute devotion helps explain: The New Shame Game.
See also: Sex Outside of Marriage: What Scripture Says and Questions, Not Answers. And I recommend this series of articles to help you respond accurately to false teachings about homosexuality: Gay Revisionist Arguments.
If you're still unsure about judging, check out the Bible Love Notes collection called Misunderstandings About Judgment.
Footnote:
(1) In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 we're told that it's our job to judge those within the church, but not those outside the church. This is referring to formal judgment, meaning that we have no business bringing a non-church member to the elders for correction. It doesn't mean that we are not to judge immoral behavior in unbelievers. There are many Scriptures (see some above) that tell us to do just that! However, there is a time, place, and priority to sharing things with unbelievers. See Put Things First When Sharing Christ.
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