Judge Not

“Don’t judge me.”

We’ve all heard that one.

Sometimes said in jest, but mostly said in seriousness masked by an air of sarcasm. 

Where did this phrase come from? And how has it wormed its way into our society? And why, I must ask, has it most successfully invaded the daily vocabularies of college women, even Christian women?

Is it insecurity? Are we so unsure about our actions that we need a go-to verbal defense? If we’re confident enough to make a decision and follow through with it, why do we need to announce that others’ opinions don’t- in fact, can’t- matter? Are we so above reproach that our choices- even our bad ones- are excluded from all rebuke?

It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s pleading the “5^th” when put on trial. It’s saying,  “Yes, I’m going to call myself a Christian, but I would prefer you not hold me to the standards of Christianity. I’m going to live how I want to live, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

But is this the attitude Christ requires of us? Is this what He means when He commands us to “judge not?”

I don’t think so. As Christians, we are part of the body of Christ, and are therefore accountable to the other members therein. It’s not about appeasing the opinion of others. It’s not about trying harder or being better. It’s about using the power of the Holy Spirit to submit to the authority of Christ in all areas of our lives.

In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Therefore, if we love Him, yet are consistently breaking His commandments, we leave ourselves open to correction. It is simply not right to call ourselves followers of Christ yet not be expected to live as such.

Of course, people make mistakes- lots and lots and lots of mistakes. We all do. I probably make more mistakes than anyone.

And of course, judging people, the Bible clearly states, is wrong. I am not denying that. I also acknowledge that there are judgmental Christians out there, more than we would like to admit. We are all tempted to be judgmental, to look down upon others and thus think of ourselves ‘more highly than we ought.’ (Rom 12:3)

A couple years ago, a friend and I had a conversation about drunkenness. While I argued that getting drunk is not in accordance to Christ’s teaching, she retorted with Romans 8:1,“There is . . . no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” In other words, “you can’t judge me.”

And she was right. I can’t judge her, only God can. But what she wrongly assumed was that those who claim to be Christians can do whatever they want without consequences, accountability, or a need for repentance. She forgot, as we all do at times, Romans 6:1, which asks,

“Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

If we claim to be followers of Christ, that means we have died to our old selves and now walk in “newness of life” with Him. As I’ve previously stated, this does not mean a life of perfection. It means that by God’s grace, we “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:24) This sanctification- this “new life”- requires submitting to God’s Word and to the loving rebuke of fellow believers. (See Matt. 18:15-17, Luke 17:3, 2 Thess. 3:14-15, 1 Tim. 5:20-21, 2 Tim. 4:1-2, Titus 2:15, Heb. 10:24-25)

But enough of my opinion. Let’s look to the true Authority on this matter- none other than Jesus Himself. 

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus warns,

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (ESV) (See also Romans 2:1, Romans 14:10)

Jesus doesn’t really need help with my interpretation. He’s pretty clear: pronouncing someone as guilty or wrong for their actions, their words, their appearance, etc. is not acceptable; it’s simply not our place. He points out that doing so is hypocritical: how can we seek to fix another’s problems when we haven’t even taken care of our own?

But the footnotes in my handy-dandy study Bible point out something I find interesting:

“Jesus does not forbid all evaluation or even judgment of others, for ultimately the one who feels grieved and humbled over his own sin can help remove the “speck” from others. What Jesus does rule out is pride that views oneself as better than others.”

Ah, back to the crux of all matters. The heart. Once again, it’s not so much the actions with which Jesus is concerned, but rather our motives behind them. He’s not excluding all admonition, instruction, or exhortation of those around us, but he is demanding a prerequisite of honest humility before doing so.

I think the life of the apostle Paul best verifies this. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul outlines his previous offenses: “I was a blasphemer, prosecutor, and insolent opponent.” As the self-proclaimed “worst” of sinners, Paul exudes the humility required of all who instruct and admonish the body of Christ. He teaches that we, too, after examining our own hearts, have the responsibility of rebuking our Christian brothers and sisters (see above references)…Notice I said Christian. Without digressing too much, I want to point out that Christians are not called to admonish non-Christians. We cannot expect non-Christians to act like Christians, or to hold themselves to the same standard that we do. It's not our job to point out their problems. That is pride. That is forgetting the grace by which we’ve been saved. That is the “judgment” Jesus warns us against.  (1 Cor. 5:12-13)

What it comes down to is this: first and foremost, Jesus has called us to love- first the Lord, then our neighbor. Love should be the motivation behind all the Christian says and does. According to 1 Corinthians 13, Christ-like love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude, it doesn’t insist on its own way, it isn’t irritable or resentful, it doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all, believes all, hopes all, and endures all. This is the mark of a true believer. Criticism of others does not fall under God’s definition of love, but neither does tolerance. Our position as a Christian does not give us the right of condemnation, but rather it frees us to love, encourage, and “spur each other on” for the sake of the body of Christ.

If we truly desire to be like Jesus, we will welcome the humble rebuke of others. If we long to reach the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” we will receive the admonition of our brothers and sisters with gratitude. If we want to build up the body of Christ, we will not shy away from loving exhortation. If our aim is to carry out Jesus’ greatest commandment, we will gladly submit to and carry out His instruction.

No one is perfect. I am far from it. No blog I ever write will be a reflection of my own perfection, but rather the perfection of my Savior. I praise Him knowing that His power is perfected in our weakness and that His success shines through our failures. I rejoice knowing that we don’t have to put our defenses up. We don’t have to justify our actions to others. If we are living for Christ, even our mistakes are used for good. There’s no need to pridefully announce, “don’t judge me” to potential critics. We are free to humbly listen and respond to the admonition of fellow believers, and we can thus be equipped to help others remove the “speck” out of their own eye. Let us pray to be stripped of defensiveness, fear of criticism, or any propensity toward prideful judgment, and instead be filled with the confidence, love, humility, and boldness that reflects Christ.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” –Ephesians 4:15-16