Sermon: Myth #6, Christians Should Not Judge
Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:15-20
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
“Christians should never judge others.” This is a common belief among Christians and non-Christians, and is often used to justify a person’s behavior. The thought goes, “hey, don’t judge me for what I do or don’t do, it’s not your job.” Any behavior should be acceptable and no one has the right to say anything to the contrary.
Because this idea is so popular, many people are shocked to learn that the Bible teaches us that there are things that we should judge. For instance, Matthew 7:15-20 (see above) tells us Jesus encouraged us to judge whether or not Bible teachers are teaching the truth. In fact, He said that there would be some who would come and teach lies. He encouraged us to judge what they said and determine whether it was true. The Bible also teaches that we should judge ourselves. II Cor. 13:5 says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” We need to judge whether we are “in the faith,” i.e., whether we are truly Christians. And we should examine our actions, to ensure that we are living lives pleasing to God.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee interprets Matthew 7:1-5 in this manner: “These verses have really been misunderstood. To judge can mean “to decide, to distinguish, to condemn, to avenge,” and it actually can mean “to damn.” These verses do not mean that a child of God is forbidden to judge others, but it does mean that we are not to judge the inward motives of others in the sense of condemning them. We do not know or understand why a brother in Christ does a certain thing. We see only outward acts. God doesn’t forbid our judging wrong and evil actions, as we will see. The point is that if you are harsh in your judgments of others, you will be known as the type of person who is severe in his considerations of others. I know this type of person, and I am sure you do, also. Perhaps somebody has said to you, “Don’t pay any attention to what he says; he never has a good word to say.” You see, he is being judged by the way he judges. This is what our Lord is saying in these verses.”
Are there times when we should not judge? And how can we truly help a person in need? These are the questions we will be answering as we continue our sermon series, “Dumb Things that Smart Christians Believe” on Sunday. Hope to see you then!
