"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. Matt.
7:1-5 (This is possibly the most often
quoted, mistranslated, misinterpreted verse in the Bible. Christians and non-Christians
alike both love to quote this verse to escape any kind of accountability from
their actions or words. Once they quote this verse, you can no longer correct
anything that they say or do. The first phrase’s meaning is lost in
translation. I will show that it contradicts the rest of scripture, so it must
be interpreted another way because the Bible doesn’t contradict itself. The KJV
translation is: Judge not, that ye be not judged. It is more clearly understood
if you read it as follows: That ye be not judged, judge not. So unless you have
been judged yourself FIRST by either yourself or someone else, you are
instructed not to judge others. BUT if you have been judged and have repented
and been forgiven of all your past sins, then you are authorized to judge
others of faith. After this first phrase it explains how we should judge
mercifully because if we judge harshly, then we too will be judged that way.
Then the emphasis is on hypocrisy. We are not to judge others if we ourselves
are unrepentant and thus still unforgiven of our own sins. BUT if we have
repented and been forgiven of our past sins, THEN we are authorized to remove
the speck from our brother’s eye. It doesn’t say that we should NEVER judge or
NEVER remove the speck from our brother’s eye, Jesus is simply specifying to
judge ourselves FIRST and not be hypocrites. You will see in the following verses
that it is our duty as Christians to judge others of faith so long as it is
done mercifully, righteously, gently, not hypocritically, not to unbelievers,
not to disputable matters, and in truth. Jesus doesn’t condemn judging others,
it is who we judge, who is authorized to judge, and how we judge that is
emphasized.)
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment. John 7:24 (This is a
commandment to judge, the emphasis is on how we judge.)
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with
great patience and careful instruction. II Tim. 4:2 (NIV)
But he that is spiritual
judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. I Cor. 2:15
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law
before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world
shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye
not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge
who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that
there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge
between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before
the unbelievers. I Cor. 6:1-6 (Paul is
condemning the idea of taking disputes to unbelievers. If we are unable to
judge small matters pertaining to this life, how will we be able to judge the
world at Christ’s return?)
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.
Gal. 6:1 (NIV) (This is a call to action
to restore our brother in sin. The point is about how we go about doing this,
which is that we should do it gently.)
Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in
spirit. And I have already passed
judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. I Cor. 5:3
(NIV) Don't you know that a little yeast (sin) works through the whole batch of
dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as
you really are. I Cor. 5:6-7 (NIV) (Paul
makes no apologies for passing judgment on this particular sinner in the
church. He goes on to explain that we must cut off sin from among us. So if the
sinner refuses to repent when confronted of his sin, they must be expelled from
the church so that they do not influence the rest of the church. This is a very
serious warning that few churches today listen to. Many churches today rely on
their own understanding and chose to “love” the sinner and not expel him as God
commands. No wonder many of our churches are apostate. The unrepentant sinner’s
influence spreads to the rest of the church like yeast on bread. We are to
“love” the sinner, but hate the sin, but that doesn’t mean we should allow the
unrepentant sinner to remain among us.)
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but
rather expose them. Eph. 5:11 (NIV) (In
order to discern the fruitless deeds of darkness we must judge others fruit.
And if they have bad fruit, we are commanded to expose them.)
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Matt. 7:15-16 (This requires judgment of
others. We must judge them by their fruit. If we do not judge, these false
prophets would never be exposed.)
The way of peace they know not; and [there is] no judgment in
their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall
not know peace. Isaiah 59:8 (These
future people know no peace because they refuse to judge as God commands.
Perhaps they have accepted Satan’s lie that we are to NEVER judge.)
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and [that] there be no divisions
among you; but [that] ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment. I Cor. 1:10 (Why would Paul say that if judging is
wrong?)
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou
canst not bear them which are evil: and thou
hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: Rev. 2:2 (God was pleased with these Christians for
judging the false apostles among them and finding them liars. To find someone a
liar requires judgment.)
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. I Cor.
11:31 (We are commanded to judge
ourselves.)
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. Rom. 14:1
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your
mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. Rom.
14:13 (Paul is not saying to NEVER pass
judgment. The context of this verse is condemning passing judgment on
disputable matters.)
Open thy mouth, judge
righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Prov.31:9
My son, preserve sound
judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; Prov. 3:21
The mouth of the
righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. Psalm 37:30
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil
of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and
judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but
a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art
thou that judgest another? James 4:11-12 (This
verse is referring to judging one’s salvation. God is the only judge of our
salvation. This is not in reference to judging the fruit of others.)
Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my
judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. John
8:15-16 (I believe we have to
differentiate judging on right/wrong and judging on salvation. Jesus is saying
that the Father is the only judge of our salvation. This is not referencing
judgment between right and wrong.)
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and
said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her. John 8:7 (Jesus is condemning the
act of stoning the woman. He doesn’t condemn righteous judgment. In this case,
the Pharisees are hypocrites and therefore their judgment of the woman is
condemned by Jesus. True Christians are authorized to judge righteously. The
Pharisees were not true Christians. At the end of this story, Jesus tells the
woman to leave her life of sin. Jesus judged the woman’s behavior as sinful. In
no way did Jesus excuse the woman’s sin. He addressed it, but stoning her was
not the answer.)
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone
else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same
things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is
based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you
think you will escape God’s judgment? Rom. 2:1-3 (Read the previous verses for the proper context. Paul is speaking
about those that do evil and are passing judgment on others at the same time.
He is condemning the hypocrites that are judging others, not believers that
judge believers. The hypocrites are doing the very same things that they are
judging others for.)
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