Few verses are more misunderstood or misused than the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, lest you be judged!" In our day of moral relativism, blame-shifting, and self-justification, this verse is regularly pulled out of context to silence any voice that dares to call sin what it is. Yet such misuse turns the Lord's words on their head, distorting both His meaning and His purpose.
First, what Jesus is NOT saying: He is not forbidding all forms of judgment. Scripture itself commands believers to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14), to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11), and to confront a brother or sister who is in sin (Galatians 6:1). In fact, just a few verses later in Matthew 7, Jesus warns against giving what is sacred to dogs (verse 6), and identifying false prophets by their fruits (verses 15-20) both of which require spiritual discernment and righteous judgment.
Clearly then, Jesus is not promoting a blind tolerance of sin, or moral indifference.
Nor is He forbidding the correction of others. His very command, "then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" implies that helping a brother overcome sin is a necessary and loving work. But it must be done with humility, self-awareness, and sincerity.
What Jesus IS condemning, is self-righteous, hypocritical judgment, the kind that sees minor faults in others, while ignoring major ones in ourselves. He is exposing the pride that delights in criticizing others from a position of moral superiority, while remaining blind to our own sin.
The image which Jesus paints is intentionally exaggerated in order to make His point: a man with a plank sticking out of his eye, trying to remove a speck of dust from someone else's eye. None are more unjust in their judgments of others, than those who have a high opinion of themselves.
Until we have first humbled ourselves before God, repented of our own sin, and been cleansed by His grace we are not fit to help others. We must first judge ourselves rightly only then will we be able to see clearly and act compassionately.
In the end, this passage is not a prohibition against loving confrontation. The real force of Jesus' words is this: Judge yourself first. Deal with your own sinful heart, before you presume to deal with another's. And when you do speak to others about their sin, let it be from a place of grace, truth, and godly love never from hypocrisy.
Judgment that aligns with God's Word, is exercised in humility and aims at restoration--is not only permitted it is commanded.
The problem is not judgment itself, but self-righteous, hypocritical, or unjust judgment.
[Charles H. Spurgeon]
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