Judging Right Judgment

By P. Amsterdam  link

There exists some confusion at times in our Christian walk between when to fulfill Jesus’ commandment to “judge not, that ye be not judged,”1 and when to “judge righteous judgment.”2 We are commanded both to not judge and condemn others and to make right judgments—which entails discerning, evaluating, and differentiating between right and wrong, and “choosing the good and eschewing [or turning away from] the evil.”3

One of the pitfalls that we face as Christians, and which is part of the process of growth and becoming a mature Christian, is the tendency to want to pin blanket labels or judgments on people or situations, or to categorize issues in a black-and-white way, in order to more easily discern and judge what is right and what is wrong. We are called, as Christians, to have conviction and to be willing to “give an answer to anyone that asks us a reason of our faith and hope,” while we are also to “yet do it with gentleness and respect.”4 Part of Christian discipleship is identifying and categorizing issues, attitudes, or actions as right or wrong, as acceptable or unacceptable in order to judge right or correct judgment; and yet in our interactions with others and sharing our faith and convictions, we are called to do so with gentleness and respect.

Christianity provides a clear moral code, and the Bible teaches us what is expected of believers. Throughout the Gospels Jesus taught the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, God’s will and self-will, and the apostles expounded on that and created rules and policies to govern the church, providing timeless principles of sharing God’s love and following Jesus’ example to live a godly life.

While Jesus spoke against judgmental attitudes and conduct toward others, it’s clear that as individuals, we still have to “judge righteous judgment”5 as far as evaluating and discerning whether something is a good choice or a poor one, or whether something is morally right or not. Those decisions don’t always come our way clearly marked and straightforward, and it’s natural to ponder attitudes, actions, or conduct that we see around us and to attempt to categorize them as right or wrong, good or bad, a good choice or a poor choice.

Not being judgmental doesn’t mean that we can’t or shouldn’t evaluate the rightness of things and measure things by the standard of God’s Word, and build our convictions accordingly. For instance, if someone does something that is morally reprehensible, you would certainly reach the conclusion that their actions are morally wrong, and you might feel led to speak out, particularly if these actions were influencing or harming others.

However, there are times when right and wrong are not so clearly delineated; the right or wrong choice is not so evident, or something that might seem right or wrong at the time later turns out to be the opposite. Sometimes we make mistakes in judgment and learn through our mistakes. Or something that is generally wrong, such as violence, might be right in the rare case when it is necessary to defend oneself or others who are in danger.

Of course, many things are clear and they are always black and white; right and wrong are immediately apparent. For example, we know that it is wrong to intentionally hurt others, to cheat people, to steal or take advantage of others, etc. We have clear markers for our conduct and what God expects of us, and He’s also given us a conscience, which speaks to us when we do something that is wrong in some way.

But it’s not always possible to place a simple “right” or “wrong” label on the decisions of others, or on situations or events. Jesus said that we would be able to recognize or discern things by their fruits,6 which may mean that we won’t know if something bears good fruit for some time, until it has played out and we are able to better discern the ultimate results of certain decisions or situations. This is why seeking the Lord’s tailor-made guidance for situations and decisions is often necessary in order to better understand how to apply the principles in His Word to specific situations.

While it’s normal, and at times necessary, to evaluate and reason out the decisions and actions of others and to weigh them on our moral scale, it doesn’t follow that we should then treat people in an unloving, judgmental way, or be quick to condemn others because of the choices they’ve made. Only God is in a position to pass wise or fair judgment. We can’t know the burdens and weights that people carry, or all the reasons why they make the choices they do. We can certainly pray for them and try to offer support, counsel, or advice when appropriate. But it’s unlikely that people will be receptive to counsel and advice that comes packaged in a judgmental spirit.

As Christians, we shouldn’t feel compelled to judge every attitude or action of others. We should be more concerned about helping people and loving them into heaven than judging them on earth. God is the judge; He knows the hearts of people and He understands everything about them in a way that we would never be able to. He doesn’t need our help to judge people; that isn’t what Jesus commissioned us to do.

So while it’s natural to internally process someone’s actions, it’s how we treat the person and how we react to them that ultimately counts. Of course, we do need to teach our children and new believers to make moral choices and to discern between right and moral behavior and wrong and ungodly behavior. We need to be grounded in the Scriptures in order to understand biblical and Christian morality, so that we can make decisions based on the Word of God. But in doing so, we also can’t lose sight of Jesus’ boundless love for all people.

We are all sinners and men and women of like passions, who desperately need Jesus’ love, mercy, and forgiveness. We are called to share His love with others, and His power to forgive sin and to conquer its foothold in our lives. Jesus’ love is unconditional and can cover the multitude of sins.7 There is no sin that Jesus can’t redeem and wash away with His blood.8

Originally published September 2010. Adapted and republished February 2017.

1 Matthew 7:1.
2 John 7:24.
3 1 Peter 3:11 KJV.
4 1 Peter 3:15.
5 John 7:24.
6 Matthew 7:20.
7 James 5:19–20; 1 Peter 4:8.
8 1 John 1:7.

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Judging Right Judgment

By P. Amsterdam

Audio length: 7:29

Download Audio (6.8MB)

There exists some confusion at times in our Christian walk between when to fulfill Jesus’ commandment to “judge not, that ye be not judged,”1 and when to “judge righteous judgment.”2 We are commanded both to not judge and condemn others and to make right judgments—which entails discerning, evaluating, and differentiating between right and wrong, and “choosing the good and eschewing [or turning away from] the evil.”3

One of the pitfalls that we face as Christians, and which is part of the process of growth and becoming a mature Christian, is the tendency to want to pin blanket labels or judgments on people or situations, or to categorize issues in a black-and-white way, in order to more easily discern and judge what is right and what is wrong. We are called, as Christians, to have conviction and to be willing to “give an answer to anyone that asks us a reason of our faith and hope,” while we are also to “yet do it with gentleness and respect.”4 Part of Christian discipleship is identifying and categorizing issues, attitudes, or actions as right or wrong, as acceptable or unacceptable in order to judge right or correct judgment; and yet in our interactions with others and sharing our faith and convictions, we are called to do so with gentleness and respect.

Christianity provides a clear moral code, and the Bible teaches us what is expected of believers. Throughout the Gospels Jesus taught the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, God’s will and self-will, and the apostles expounded on that and created rules and policies to govern the church, providing timeless principles of sharing God’s love and following Jesus’ example to live a godly life.

While Jesus spoke against judgmental attitudes and conduct toward others, it’s clear that as individuals, we still have to “judge righteous judgment”5 as far as evaluating and discerning whether something is a good choice or a poor one, or whether something is morally right or not. Those decisions don’t always come our way clearly marked and straightforward, and it’s natural to ponder attitudes, actions, or conduct that we see around us and to attempt to categorize them as right or wrong, good or bad, a good choice or a poor choice.

Not being judgmental doesn’t mean that we can’t or shouldn’t evaluate the rightness of things and measure things by the standard of God’s Word, and build our convictions accordingly. For instance, if someone does something that is morally reprehensible, you would certainly reach the conclusion that their actions are morally wrong, and you might feel led to speak out, particularly if these actions were influencing or harming others.

However, there are times when right and wrong are not so clearly delineated; the right or wrong choice is not so evident, or something that might seem right or wrong at the time later turns out to be the opposite. Sometimes we make mistakes in judgment and learn through our mistakes. Or something that is generally wrong, such as violence, might be right in the rare case when it is necessary to defend oneself or others who are in danger.

Of course, many things are clear and they are always black and white; right and wrong are immediately apparent. For example, we know that it is wrong to intentionally hurt others, to cheat people, to steal or take advantage of others, etc. We have clear markers for our conduct and what God expects of us, and He’s also given us a conscience, which speaks to us when we do something that is wrong in some way.

But it’s not always possible to place a simple “right” or “wrong” label on the decisions of others, or on situations or events. Jesus said that we would be able to recognize or discern things by their fruits,6 which may mean that we won’t know if something bears good fruit for some time, until it has played out and we are able to better discern the ultimate results of certain decisions or situations. This is why seeking the Lord’s tailor-made guidance for situations and decisions is often necessary in order to better understand how to apply the principles in His Word to specific situations.

While it’s normal, and at times necessary, to evaluate and reason out the decisions and actions of others and to weigh them on our moral scale, it doesn’t follow that we should then treat people in an unloving, judgmental way, or be quick to condemn others because of the choices they’ve made. Only God is in a position to pass wise or fair judgment. We can’t know the burdens and weights that people carry, or all the reasons why they make the choices they do. We can certainly pray for them and try to offer support, counsel, or advice when appropriate. But it’s unlikely that people will be receptive to counsel and advice that comes packaged in a judgmental spirit.

As Christians, we shouldn’t feel compelled to judge every attitude or action of others. We should be more concerned about helping people and loving them into heaven than judging them on earth. God is the judge; He knows the hearts of people and He understands everything about them in a way that we would never be able to. He doesn’t need our help to judge people; that isn’t what Jesus commissioned us to do.

So while it’s natural to internally process someone’s actions, it’s how we treat the person and how we react to them that ultimately counts. Of course, we do need to teach our children and new believers to make moral choices and to discern between right and moral behavior and wrong and ungodly behavior. We need to be grounded in the Scriptures in order to understand biblical and Christian morality, so that we can make decisions based on the Word of God. But in doing so, we also can’t lose sight of Jesus’ boundless love for all people.

We are all sinners and men and women of like passions, who desperately need Jesus’ love, mercy, and forgiveness. We are called to share His love with others, and His power to forgive sin and to conquer its foothold in our lives. Jesus’ love is unconditional and can cover the multitude of sins.7 There is no sin that Jesus can’t redeem and wash away with His blood.8

Originally published September 2010. Adapted and republished February 2017.
Read by Jason Lawrence. https://anchor.tfionline.com/post/judging-right-judgment/

1 Matthew 7:1.
2 John 7:24.
3 1 Peter 3:11 KJV.
4 1 Peter 3:15.
5 John 7:24.
6 Matthew 7:20.
7 James 5:19–20; 1 Peter 4:8.
8 1 John 1:7.

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“Judge Not”- Just What Did Jesus Mean?

By Dennis Edwards:

          I wanted to write a little on the subject of not judging which seems to be a phrase often used today against any who have religious convictions.

          Jesus is quoted in the famous Sermon on the Mount as saying, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) People use this verse to justify the politically correct doctrines of the moment. We are told we need to have tolerance of behaviors that for hundreds of years were considered sins such as; homosexuality, swearing or cursing, abortion, devil and demon worship or witchcraft, euthanasia, bestiality, etc. Today we are admonished to accept the behavior of others and “judge not.”

          However, a simple reading of the rest of the paragraph (Matthew 7:2-5), we can see that Jesus was criticizing the hypocritical religious leaders for the manner in which they were passing out judgments. In John 7:24 Jesus says, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”  God told his prophet Samuel when seeking a replacement for the disobedient King Saul, “Look not on his countenance or his height of statue because I have refused him, for the Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)

          But how do we as modern day believers judge righteously and look on the heart? Are we to put on some special glasses which will give us help to look into the heart, soul and mind of others? The answer is simply, yes, we are. God has given us His glasses for He has told us to put on the mind of Christ. Jesus when questioned what the most important commandment was said, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39) Today, when we talk about God’s commandment, we usually mean doing unto others as we would want others to do unto us. But we forget the first part of Jesus’ answer which admonished us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Without first loving God, we will never be capable of doing the second part, loving our neighbor as ourselves.

          Paul admonished the Corinthians, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5) It’s interesting that in the Portuguese “casting down imaginations” is translated as “destroying arguments.” In other words we should defend the faith in a manner that we destroy the arguments lifted up against Christ. 

        Jude also expresses the importance of “earnestly defending the faith.” (Jude 3)  While Peter states, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15) Here we see the same principle of loving the Lord first and spending time with Him and His word in order to be able to give an answer to the unbeliever looking for answers. Paul goes on to say, “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves….” (2 Timothy 2:24, 25)

          Jesus said, “The words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) ) The author of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Jesus told his disciples, “Now you are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3) Reading, studying, meditating, memorizing God’s word has a cleansing affect on our spirits and gives us discernment. 

        David said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”  (Psalm 119: 11) God’s word is the standard by which we judge all things. But we need to “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Because as Jesus taught and showed, the word needs to be ministered in love and mercy. The letter kills, but the spirit makes alive.

          Too often God’s word has been ministered by the letter in self-righteousness which only causes others to fall away from the faith. This is why Jesus so harshly condemned the self-righteous religious leaders which ultimately led to his death on the cross.

          Please do not neglect the reading of God’s word, the Bible. It is food for your soul and will gives you strength for the everyday battles of life. Paul admonished, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:3) “For we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11) Don’t let the enemy of your soul keep you from God’s word. You desperately need the spirit food it contains. If you need help in understanding what you are reading search out a reliable Christian friend who you trust and whom you feel comfortable with and ask him/her to help you. There are waters to swim in and wondrous things to behold through reading and studying God’s word. Come on in. The waters are great. You won’t be disappointed.

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Judge Not

By Peter Amsterdam

Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”1 When He taught us to “judge not,” it was clear that He was referring to the wrong attitude of condemning and criticizing others. He also censured the self-righteousness of spirit that is present when we are critical and judgmental of others.

My Uncle Dave often spoke against self-righteousness, which he considered to be one of the worst sins for Christians:

A critical spirit and a harsh, condemning attitude toward others come from self-righteousness! But if you know you’re a mess yourself, then you don’t go around looking down on and criticizing other people for their mistakes. But if you think you’re so righteous, that’s when you start picking on others.

That’s one thing I’ll say for my mother who was an evangelical speaker, she always tried to speak well of people. She was one of those people who cast a veil over countless sins.2 ... So try to have a little sympathy, a little empathy with others; put yourself in their shoes and try to think how you would feel if you were there. Remember that scripture, “Love covereth a multitude of sins!”3 …

The drunks and the harlots, the publicans and the sinners didn’t go to the harsh, rigid, self-righteous, unyielding, unforgiving, critical, and condemning church leaders, who told them to be perfect or go to hell, and laid on them religious burdens that were more than they were able to bear.4 But they came to Jesus, for His love and mercy, forgiveness, encouragement, and patience! And He treated them tenderly, kindly and forgivingly, and gave them hope, love, and strength! Do you?

So what we all really need is more love! And less pride! Love is humble! Love is humility! And humility is the absolute opposite of critical, self-righteous pride! …

Please give us love, Lord! “Above all things have fervent love one toward another.”5 Let us not condemn in pride; let us not be as the Scribes and the Pharisees: “I thank Thee, O God, that I am not as this man,” the publican, the sinner. If we’re lifted up in pride and glad we’re not like the sinner, Lord, then we’re even worse! We’re self-righteous and hypocritical! Help us, Lord, to know that except by Your grace we wouldn’t even be here! We would be worse off than those we are tempted to look down upon, except by Your love and Your mercy and Your grace!

You said, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” We must spend time alone with You to learn what this means! Give us great love, great patience, great humility, littleness in our own eyes. Help us to mete unto other men’s bosoms as You have meted unto us. Help us to forgive other men’s sins as You have forgiven us, to have mercy upon others as You have had mercy upon us.6—David Brandt Berg



Jesus condemned the harsh judgmentalism and self-righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day. This was the one group of people that Jesus spoke against repeatedly in the Gospels. He took them to task for the heavy burdens they imposed on the people, and for preventing others from finding the way to heaven.7

Jesus was angered at how they had commercialized the faith by allowing merchants and moneychangers in the temple. The only recorded time of His manifesting anger so visibly was when He drove the moneychangers from the temple and told them to stop turning His Father’s house into a marketplace.8 He even said that the tax collector who acknowledged his sin was more righteous than the Pharisee.9 Considering that tax collectors were viewed as extortionists and traitors to their people, it was clear that the self-righteousness of the Pharisees didn’t rank highly with Jesus.

Many conservative Christians today pronounce judgments on people that are often harsh and lack in respecting the fact that God loves all people, even the people who seem to reject Him or haven’t understood His message. We believe that He is “not willing that any should perish,” and that He wants to redeem all people and bring them into a close, loving relationship with Him.10

Showing love and tolerance for people, and respecting the fact that they were created by God and have an inherent right to be treated with dignity doesn’t necessarily mean that you condone their actions or embrace their beliefs. For instance, as Christians, we don’t believe that it is right or godly to perpetrate wars on other nations. We don’t believe that governments should impoverish their people and neglect the vulnerable. We don’t believe that it’s right that countless lives are harmed through the drug trade. And yet, when we interact with people who are either caught up in such moral wrongs or don’t believe them to be wrong, we are still called to treat them with respect as individuals created in God’s image, and offer them truth, salvation, hope, and God’s love.

Of course, at times we’ll feel called and convicted to speak up against wrong or evil. The key in doing so, however, is to bear in mind that, as Christians, we are first and foremost to show Jesus’ love and forgiveness to others. Jesus repeatedly taught by His words and example that mercy and forgiveness must be part of the equation in judging people and situations. He set that example in the case of the adulterous woman who was to be stoned for her transgression, or in healing people on the Sabbath, which was not in accordance with the way the Ten Commandments were enforced in His day.11 He showed the religionists of His day that right judgment also included love and mercy.

We don’t condone or support the wrong, and the Lord may lead us to speak out against it in certain situations. But there’s a difference between speaking the truth in love and giving way to judgmentalism.

Intolerance, judgmental and critical attitudes, prejudices or animosity toward people of other races, religious beliefs, color, or sexual orientation, or feelings of superiority or that we have the right to criticize and condemn others, are not compatible with the teachings and example of Jesus. Our beliefs and mission are rooted in God’s Law of Love. We are called to love, and judgmental attitudes or prejudices should have no place in our hearts or our faith.

Judgmentalism is one of the primary manifestations of self-righteousness. We may not agree with people’s beliefs or actions. We may have the conviction that someone’s actions are not good or godly, but we are still called to love, even as we stand up for our convictions and strongly held beliefs. We are called to be faithful representatives of Jesus’ love when interacting with others, and to consider how He would respond in such situations.

Let’s always be known for our love. Let’s not be hasty to judge people. God’s love is the greatest power in the universe, and He can take even the most challenging situation or circumstances and somehow use it for a witness.

As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

… They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”—John 8:3–11 NLT



Originally published August 2010. Excerpted and republished November 2013.


1 Matthew 7:1.

2 1 Peter 4:8.

3 1 Peter 4:8.

4 Matthew 23:4.

5 1 Peter 4:8.

6 Originally published March 1986.

7 See Matthew 23, Luke 11:37–54.

8 John 2:13–17.

9 Luke 18:9–14.

10 Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9.

11 John 8:3–11; Matthew 12:10–14.

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Judge Not! What did Jesus mean?

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/JudgingWithRighteousJudgment.html
Borrowing characters from C. S. Lewis, imagine this dialogue between a junior demon named Wormwood and his wicked uncle Screwtape.

Wormwood: Believers have so many weapons at their disposal. It is difficult to neutralize them. It takes a huge effort just to slow the work of a single Christian.

Screwtape: Your one-on-one approach is inefficient. This is the age of Madison Avenue and mass marketing. If you can undermine their whole group at once, then you’ve accomplished something.

Wormwood: Unfortunately, I’m not highly productive. In the time it takes me to frustrate one believer, I could tempt a dozen heathens.

Screwtape: Don’t lose heart, Wormwood. We are imple­menting a plan to impair the whole Church with a single ploy.

Wormwood: I don’t see how that will be possible. I see Christians dedicated to warning others about hell. It’s all I can do just to get one of them distracted for a short time.

Screwtape: We are going to use their Leader’s own words.

Wormwood: No! Please don’t. Don’t even joke about using His words. I can’t take it.

Screwtape: If you’re ever going to grow up to be an effec­tive demon, you’re going to have to learn to use the Enemy’s words against Him.

Wormwood: It just seems so dangerous. Which words are you going to use?

Screwtape: “Judge not!”

Wormwood: I don’t understand why He would tell them not to judge. That’s confusing. He commanded His followers to rebuke, admonish, and judge hundreds of times in His Book. And that’s what they’re out there doing. And I might add, it’s causing me grief.

Screwtape: When their Leader said those words, He was speaking to hypocrites. “Judge not… you hypocrite,” as He said later in the same paragraph.

Wormwood: Yeah, but how are we going to use “Judge not” to neutralize the whole Church?

Screwtape: We’re going to get them to ignore the fact that He was talking to hypocrites. He said that hypocrites should not judge, at least not until they stop doing the wrong deed themselves. But we’re going to make them think none of them should judge, ever.

Wormwood: That’s bril­liant… if you can pull it off, that is. I mean, if we can get them to stop judging, then they won’t rebuke the wicked. And they won’t be able to admonish those who are sexually immoral.

Screwtape: It is even more brilliant than you realize. If we can seduce Christians into fol­lowing the instructions for hypo­crites, we will turn them into hypocrites. It’s like government workers who follow foolish rules so precisely they are transformed from human beings into bureau­crats; drones who mindlessly dis­pense red tape regardless of the misfortune they cause. The slave who willingly obeys his master, begins to conform to the master. If believers willingly submit to an instruction for hypocrites, they will conform to hypocrisy. Eventually, with a little evil luck, we might stop them from con­fronting unbelievers altogether because, as you know Worm­wood, to confront requires judg­ing. And if they don’t judge un­believers, they are hypocrites, professing the Gospel but deny­ing its power.

Wormwood: Ha, ha. I’m excited. When do we start?

Screwtape: Everything is underway already. Just do your part.

Wormwood: And that is…?

Screwtape: Make sure your targets read as little of the Book as possible. Don’t get too wor­ried if they stick to their favorite twenty cliché verses. But make sure they remain ignorant of most of the Word.

Wormwood: Master, you are brilliant.

Screwtape: You can call me Master if you want, but don’t let the boss hear you.

Hopefully the Church will see Judge Not headed for retirement replaced with Judge Rightly. For as Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
http://kgov.com/should-christians-judge

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