Dr Paul Allen

  “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” (Matt. 7:1 and Luke 6:37) Some have said that the most famous verse in the Bible is Jesus’s command not to judge. Jesus warned against judging since it will lead to our own judgment and condemnation ( Matt. 7:1 ;  Luke 6:37 ). Now, this should not be interpreted to mean that all evaluation of the lives of others is forbidden. Even in the context of Jesus’s command not to judge in Matthew’s Gospel, his followers are commanded to be discerning and not throw what is holy at dogs ( Matt. 7:6 ).  Elsewhere, believers are enjoined to judge one another and to remove from the church those who are blatantly disobedient and unrepentant ( 1 Cor. 5:12–13 ). Such cases call for gentleness and the recognition that we are liable to fall into the same sins ( Gal. 6:1 ), so there is no room for being supercilious and superior.  Having said all this, God has the prerogative to judge—something we humans don’t possess. As the Creator, the sover...

It is far too easy to judge others over their sins when our own sins are obvious, so here’s why we shouldn’t “sin shame” others when they sin. Condemning Others Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matt 7:1-2). The word Jesus used for “judge” has the connotation of condemning someone; similar to being the prosecuting attorney, jury, and judge all rolled into one. It’s so easy to judge others and have others judge us, but we can be wrong, and so can they.  We may not have all the facts, or we’ve got the wrong facts, so it’s best to give people the benefit of the doubt (1 Cor 13:7). The Apostle Paul didn’t care about hurting the church’s feelings because they were being judgmental. He chastised them, telling them that they “have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practi...

“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 ...