Matthew 7:2-5 clearly explains that the type of judging that Jesus condemns is a hypocritical and self-righteous judgment.įor with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. The issue therefore is not if we should judge, but rather the right manner in which we are to judge. ![]() Don’t be like the Westboro Baptist Church, but rather speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). This certainly does not mean that Christians have liberty to judge in a hateful and bigoted way, which happens all too often. They know that nobody wants to argue against Jesus, and if someone falls into their trap, they can then call them names like “bigot,” “hatemonger,” or “intolerant.” Many of the people who quote Matthew 7:1 care neither for the rest of Scripture’s content on proper discernment nor care to quote other sayings of Jesus like Mark 8:34, Matthew 5:27-30, or John 14:6. Truth matters and needs to be rightly discerned. God calls us to “judge with right judgment” (John 7:24 Proverbs 31:9), judge and avoid false teachers (Romans 16:17-18 2 Timothy 3:1-10), “test everything hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and judge those inside the church (1 Corinthians 5:11). Other passages in the Bible clearly show that one cannot make the blanket statement, “you should never judge.” That can’t be what Jesus had in mind in the Sermon on the Mount. Many people who quote Jesus saying, “Judge not, lest you be judged…” use it to judge others for judging. “You say _ is wrong? Didn’t Jesus say ‘judge not?!’ You are a bigot and hater!”Īrguing in such a way is self-defeating, and here’s why: It is seen a dagger to kill and demean whatever opposes their personal point of view. ![]() People who quote this verse often wield it as a trump card against judgment or discernment of any kind. The Bible is not usually quoted in these discussions, but one verse that will surely pop up more often is Matthew 7:1, in which Jesus says, The meaning of tolerance has evolved from “agreeing to disagree” respectfully, to mean that if you don’t accept and agree with a certain position, you are wrong and ousted as a ‘bigot’ or ‘hater.’ Our culture prides itself in tolerance and considers being judgmental taboo.
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