Thou Shalt Not Judge?
“Judge not that you be not judged.” Does Jesus really say that? Yes He does, in Matthew 7:1 . But, do not miss the context: Jesus is not saying that we shouldn’t judge at all. He’s saying don’t judge hypocritically . Continuing on, He says, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there’s a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” ( Matthew 7:4 -5) Did you get that? First take the log out of your eye and then take the speck out of your brother’s eye. By this, the Bible is actually telling us that we’re supposed to judge. Better is open rebuke than hidden love ( Proverbs 27:5 ) Open your mouth, judge righteously (Proverbs 31:9) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault… ( Matthew 18:15 ) Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment (John 7:24) The spiritual person judges all