Judgment, Condemnation or Discernment?

Judgment, Condemnation or Discernment?  Matthew 7.1-5

Simply, we all judge. He who does not judge is a simpleton or a liar or both.  How can I make that statement?  The answer rides on the definition of ‘judge’.  Which begs the question, what did Jesus mean when he said, ‘Judge not, lest you be judged’?  The phrase must be the most oft-quoted words of Jesus in our oh-soo tolerant culture today.  Sometimes it is rather derisively said, other times just ignorantly—‘you’re a Christian, I thought you’re not supposed to judge!’

Step a little closer, wordsmith--was Jesus meaning to say do not pass judgment on another, do not condemn another, do not judge the actions of another, or do not use discernment?  Immediately the judgment dilemma becomes a little more clear—the English language has too many meanings for the same word or words, judge/judgment.

Let us then determine together what our Messiah meant in verses one through five of Matthew Seven.  Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:1–5)

Certainly we would all agree that it is prudent to exercise discernment in our reasoning, thinking and decision-making—the friends we pick, the framework by which we live our lives, the places we allow our dependent children to go, etc.—all of which require a modicum of discernment/judgment.  Sometimes a mother makes a parenting decision based on her intuition; she decides a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ from her inner instinct, from her judgment.  Surely that kind of judgment is not wrong.

I love what the old English preacher F.B. Myer said: OUR LORD evidently does not, in these words, condemn that honest judgment which, for our own safety and for the good of society, we are compelled to form of men and women with whom we come in contact. Such judgments are inevitable. But He condemns that censorious and uncharitable judgment which is always finding fault, always neglecting the good and dwelling on the bad, always spreading unfavourable and inaccurate reports, which are often founded on very superficial and insufficient grounds.”

Note:  Jesus says (in verse five) we are to FIRST get the plank out of our own eye, then go for the speck in another’s eye—therefore, he is not ruling out judgment, though we are to judge ourselves first before others.  So then the question becomes who or what might Jesus be referring to that is proper for the Christian to judge? 

Indeed, we are to make judgments about what is right and what is wrong according to our God-given convictions.  Stay with me hereàIf one does not profess to be a Christian or follow the dictates of God’s Word, then he cannot be judged on its basis—he never made a promise to uphold it, or even revere it. 

On the other hand, there are times when it is good and right for Christians to make judgments about another Christian’s behavior.  An illustration: years ago, I was leading a large women’s Bible study and it came to my attention that one of my leaders was telling lies.  It was my responsibility to find out the truth of the situation, and rectify it, even if that meant she could no longer be a leader.  Now, was I judging her?  Yes and no.  I was judging this particular behavior that impacted other people; it would have been negligent on my part to turn the other way as though I did not have knowledge.

Then there are times when Christians in community disagree on interpretation of Scripture, and sometimes the differences are simply doctrinal, and do not involve breaking a law of God; they just represent a difference.  But then, there are some issues revolving around key Christian beliefs, such as ‘Jesus is the only way to God,’ and issues of morality, including what constitutes sin and what does not, where there are schisms a mile wide. 

The elephant in the room:  homosexuality.