From: gotquestions.org
Question: “What does the Bible mean that we are not to judge others?”
Answer: This is an issue that has confused many people. On one hand, we are commanded by the Lord Jesus, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). On the other hand, the Bible also exhorts us to beware of evildoers and false prophets and to avoid those who practice all kinds of evil. How are we to discern who these people are if we do not make some kind of judgment about them?
Christians are often accused of “judging” whenever they speak out against a sinful activity. However, that is not the meaning of the Scripture verses that state, “Do not judge.” There is a righteous kind of judgment we are supposed to exercise—with careful discernment [“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” NASB] (John 7:24). When Jesus told us not to judge (Matthew 7:1), He was telling us not to judge hypocritically. Matthew 7:2-5 declares, “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.” What Jesus was condemning here was hypocritical, self-righteous judgments of others.
In Matthew 7:2-5, Jesus warns against judging someone else for his sin when you yourself are sinning even worse. That is the kind of judging Jesus commanded us not to do. If a believer sees another believer sinning, it is his Christian duty to lovingly and respectfully confront the person with his sin (Matthew 18:15-17). This is not judging, but rather pointing out the truth in hope—and with the ultimate goal—of bringing repentance in the other person (James 5:20) and restoration to the fellowship. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We are to proclaim what God’s Word says about sin. 2 Timothy 4:2 instructs us, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.” We are to “judge” sin, but always with the goal of presenting the solution for sin and its consequences—the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Related:
When you tell someone ‘do not judge’ you are being hypocritical
Is It Right: To Judge, To Expose Error & To Name Names?
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Naming Names? Is that Biblical?: Paul did — Those who teach “any other gospel” are “accursed” of God and to be marked
Greg Laurie: Don’t Judge? — We are to judge, but we are not to condemn. In fact, a better translation of Matthew 7:1 would be: “Do not condemn others, and you will not be condemned.”
Who are You To Judge? | Good Fight Ministries
(video) WHEN “JUDGE NOT” IS NOT BIBLICAL — The mantra “judge not” is grossly misapplied today. As Christians we are told in God’s Word to judge all things spiritually, in righteous judgment, because we have the mind of Christ
Paul’s Elders’ qualifications revisited: What does ‘BLAMELESS’ mean? — Most pastors are biblically disqualified
The Red Gate Prophecy — What If I Open It Just a Little Bit? The believers, not the non-believers, have opened the gate to sin, which is why this country has deteriorated
The Achan Factor — Because of one man’s disobedience the entire nation of Israel had to deal with the “Achan factor” among them before they could come under the umbrella of Almighty God’s blessings once again!
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The Didache (70-100 AD): Reconciliation was required to attend early church meetings! “Let no one who is at odds with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned.”
Dennis Cramer: “Most ‘Christians’ curse for the purpose of retaliation and vindication … ‘Christian’ leaders are even more vulnerable”
‘Christian’ Leaders James-3 Cursing People Example: Jesse
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Wes Hall to church leaders: “There’s a cry in your heart saying ‘I am not prepared to walk forward another step in dead works and dead religion”
Wes Hall: Many ministers weren’t even called into the ministry. “The reason you’ve gone to seminary is to prove to God…how dedicated you are.” • “Some of you should have been in ministry, and you went into business; and you tried to become the best you could to earn your father’s approval in the natural.”
Francis Frangipane: Beware, It is Easy to Fake Christianity — “The moment we stop obeying God we start faking . . . .” “If our Christianity does not work in this life where we can test it, it is foolhardy to hope it will successfully transport us into eternity . . . if we fail the test, we suffer eternal separation from God.” “Let us re-examine what we have been taught.”
[WordPOWER!] In Psalm 50 God Warns: “You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. … Now consider this…lest I tear you into pieces and there be none to deliver” (Hell?)
Who-Goes-To-Heaven Scriptures — Narrow is the Way | Who are the Children of God? — “There is therefore now *no condemnation* to those who are IN CHRIST Jesus, who don’t WALK according to the flesh, but ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT.”
Asbury Revival, 1970: “‘Dr. Kinlaw, I am a liar. Now what do I do?’ … Three days later, she came to me radiant, and she said, ‘Dr. Kinlaw, I’m free!’”
My 1990 Key-to-Revival Prophecy: “There is might and there is power and there is glory, but it is being withheld until these relationships are made right, until we love our brother enough to…”
The Welsh Revival of 1904-05 by J. Edwin Orr: A Countrywide Asbury-like REVIVAL! The 4 Points: #1 Confess any known sin, and put any wrong done to man right again. #2 Put away any doubtful habit. #3 Obey the Spirit promptly. #4 Confess your faith publicly.
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