Feb 16, 2009
When Christians Should and Should Not Judge
I’ve been studying judgment of late in scripture and have found it’s a rather complex subject. In trying to get a handle on it, I have broken down judgment into three rough categories. There’s a lot of gray and overlap, but this is the best sense I can make of it.
Judgment as Damnation/Condemnation
This is the kind of judgment that is reserved for God, in which Christians have no say and should not even speculate. A study of Jesus reveal he spent far more time telling people to believe and to enter the Kingdom, rather than saying point blank, “Turn or burn!” We are in a time of mercy where repentance is encouraged, let’s not jump the gun on the judgment part.
Judgment as Destructive Criticism
There are times when we evaluate and criticize the actions, words, or motives of others with the goal of tearing them down. Even if we claim to have good motives, carelessly judging others or paying no attention to our methods can be extremely destructive among both fellow believers and those who are not.
Judgment as Redemptive Discernment
While Jesus often shared strong critiques of the hypocritical leaders of his day, we do well to remember that we don’t carry the same kind of clout as Jesus. In fact, Jesus wants us to spend the bulk of our time evaluating ourselves, extracting planks from our own eyes. There are times when a rebuke of a fellow believer may be appropriate, but we will surely botch it if we haven’t spent the necessary time judging ourselves thoroughly. Paul also spends a great deal of time with the Corinthians helping them sort out immorality and judging those in blatant sin, however, even the most extreme cases aim for restoration in the end.
Final Thoughts
So these are my 3 categories on judgment. I’m grossly generalizing and there are obvious times when one kind can shift over to another, so I don’t harbor any illusions about these categories functioning as neat and tidy sections. Judgment is a tough issue, especially because we could point to any number of passages in scripture and use them to justify a certain kind of judgment. In the final conclusion, the guideline seems to be love one another and be merciful. If a Spirit-led believer cannot reconcile judging another with loving the same, then the best course of action is to reserve judgment.
I think you are on the right track.
A couple quotes from Augustine I read last week where he comments on Jesus’ words about not judging in the Sermon on the Mount.
“Let us judge, therefore, with respect to those [sins] which are manifest [i.e. obvious, blatant]; but respecting those which are concealed, let us leave the judgment to God.”
Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount Book II, ch. 18, 60. Online: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/16012.htm
“Rarely, therefore, and in a case of great necessity, are rebukes to be administered; yet in such a way that even in these very rebukes we may make it our earnest endeavour, not that we, but that God, should be served.”
Augustine, On the Sermon on the Mount Book II, ch. 19, 66. Online: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/16012.htm
Thank you for acknowledging that this is a complex issue–it’s not as simple as we should never judge or always be free to judge.
Also, it seems that often, judgment for discernment purposes is done in the context of community.
Thanks! Both comments touch on important points I’ve been working on developing, so it’s nice to see them expressed so succinctly. I appreciate your thoughts on this!
Just saw today at well Bill Mounce’s comments about ugly “judging” on blogs:
Does Eph 4:29 apply to blogs?
http://www.koinoniablog.net/2009/02/eph-429-and-blogs.html
It is good to think about times when judgment is necessary. The prophets also did plenty of judging, but it seems that every time they would judge Israel they would end with God’s restoration. So, I think that fits with category 3.
Tired of being judged, it’s time to grow up! “We all make mistakes at one point in our lives,” However, it’s important to recognise that these mistakes are ones to teach us, empower us, and are not to be used against us as warheads of mass destruction!
I find that people who judge others, are usually the ones you need to avoid, afterall, we have enouph baggage in our lives, without; someone heaping brimstone upon our heads!
It hurts, to be ridiculed and judged, and is universally taboo!
Thanks Marie for your comment. I think I’m tracking with you except for your first sentence, so I’ll wait for your to clarify in case that changes anything before replying.
Evan, that’s the hard part in scripture. There is a lot of evaluating and judging going on, however the tone and motivation are loving and restorative. That is where we screw things up.