WHAT DOES THE BIBLE

SAY ABOUT JUDGING.

To judge is to form an opinion or come to a conclusion about someone, and
according to Scripture, Jesus had a great deal to say about judgement. There is a
heavy weight in judging the heart, and it is not something that Christians should
take lightly.
 BIBLE VERSES ABOUT JUDGING OTHERS

• 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. Why do you see the speck that is in your
brothers eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your
brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when there is the log in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck
out of your brothers eye. Matthew 7:1-5
•
• Weve already seen a glimpse of what the Bible says about judging others. But that isnt all there is
to learn about judgment in the Bible!

• While we may be tempted to pass judgment on others because of their individual sins, the Bible
is very clear that we should not. Our only job is to share the Good news of Christ. We are not
tasked with being the Bible-enforcers or anything like that. We are simply to show others what it
means to be a Christian a follower of Christ through love and compassion.
 GOD IS THE JUDGE OF ALL CREATED
THINGS
• Before we jump into what judging others looks like, we must have a right view of God as judge.
• Psalm 50:4 says: “He summons the heavens above, and the earth to judge His people.”
• God is the judge of all things and all people. And He is not a judge of outward appearances but
judges the heart.
• 1 Chronicles 28:9 says: "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve
Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands
every intent of the thoughts If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him,
He will reject you forever.”
 WHY DO WE JUDGE AND WHAT DOES
JUDGING LOOK LIKE?
• The sin of judgment is often rooted in insecurity and pride. It is easier in our awkwardness to make a comment to the
person beside us, than it is to hold the judgement that is on our tongue. And our pride often tells us that judgement is
okay because we are and know better than the other person. In essence, our insecurity and pride reveal the judgement
of souls through our criticism, gossip, and assumptions of others. But God is not fazed by our judgmental hearts. In
fact, He even called out the priest Samuel for judging by appearance in 1 Samuel 16:7:
• “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected
him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’”
• And in John 7:24 Jesus says: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
• As Christians we are not called to judge the appearance or outward perception of someone. Rather, we are called to
exhort and build up the church, humbly confront sin, and always seek reconciliation
 HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN IT IS OKAY TO
JUDGE SOMEONE?
• In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is very clear as he writes to the church about who we are and are not supposed to judge
• “For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders (non-believers)? Do you not judge those who are within the
church [to protect the church as the situation requires]? God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside
[the faith].” (1 Corinthians 5:12,)
• We are not called to judge people who are not self-proclaiming Christians. God is the judge of all and will judge
those outside the church. However, we are called to judge the sin of believers inside the church. Just a chapter
prior, Paul lays out a clear mandate for what is acceptable to judge in a fellow brother or sister.
• “We must not judge ‘the hidden . . . purposes of the heart’ of other Christians based on their decisions, actions,
perspectives, words, or personality that concern us if those things themselves are not explicitly sinful (1
Corinthians 4:5). We must not assume sin if we suspect sin, given how biased our suspicions can be.”
 WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOLDING
SOMEONE ACCOUNTABLE AND BEING
JUDGMENTAL?
• Accountability is holding someone to the standard of Scripture that you know without a reasonable doubt they have broken, and it often
comes with permission. Being judgmental is pinpointing, talking about, criticizing, and making assumptions about what is hidden in the
heart of a person and their intentions.
• Although we are called to right judgment of explicit sin, we must not confuse it with being judgmental. A judgmental spirit is a critical
spirit which is in direct contradiction to what the Bible teaches about building up the church. Wrongful judgment can turn into slander,
tearing down others, or unnecessary arguments.
• We should take careful watch over our mouths and minds as Ephesians 4:29 heeds:

• “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to
those who hear.”

• Accountability comes in with the intention of grace, restoration, and repentance

 WHAT DOES RIGHT JUDGEMENT LOOK
LIKE?
• Right judgement looks like restoring the person who is caught in sin (Galatians 6:1-6).
• Right judgment looks like confronting explicit sin in another believer out of love and for the
purpose of repentance and reconciliation. If we know we are not supposed to judge those outside
the church, and we aren’t supposed to judge the outward appearance (Leviticus 19:15, Romans
12:16-18), intentions, or hidden purposes of the heart, then what and how are we supposed to
judge?
 HAPPY SABBATH
29/10/2022
PREPARED BY VINCENT MWIRIGI