Yes, Christians Should Judge
Of all of the negative things people say about Christians, there are two that seem to stick out above the rest. One: that Christians are hypocrites. And two: that Christians are judgmental.
And honestly, the people who say these things are right–at least part of the time. Christians can be hypocritical and judgmental. Not all of us all of the time, and of course no one wants to be hypocritical or judgmental, but we’re all human and we all mess up sometimes. It happens, as unfortunate as it is.
So, when facing people who call us hypocritical or judgmental, we *should* be able to fess up and say “Yep. I can be sometimes, as much as I wish it weren’t true! Thank goodness for a loving and forgiving God that takes me back every time I mess up, because I do frequently!”
But we don’t. Instead, many Christians have gone in the opposite direction. Many Christians, scared of being labeled hypocritical or judgmental, are refusing to take a stand, and have stopped identifying sin as sin at all.
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How Can You Speak Up About Sin — and Still Evangelize?
Is it possible to speak out against sin — without completely wrecking your relationships? What does the Bible say about upholding God’s teaching AND showing God’s love?
I answer these super practical questions (and many more!) in my brand new book, Follow God’s Will: Biblical Guidelines for Everyday Life, along with the Follow God’s Will companion workbook.
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Follow God’s Will is designed to help you answer questions including:
- How should I navigate relationships with those who think, act, or believe differently than I do?
- How can I make a difference right where I am?
- What does God want me to do?
- How do I apply the Bible’s instructions to my life today?
- Where is God calling me personally?
- And so many more!
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Should Christians Judge?
How often have you heard a Christian say “It’s not my job to judge?” This sentiment, which actually comes right out of the Bible, is based, in part, off of Matthew 7:1, which states: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” Pretty clear, right? Except, to quote just that passage is to take the verse completely out of context. Consider the rest of the passage:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” –Matthew 7:1-5
In this oft-quoted passage, Jesus wasn’t saying “Don’t judge ever.” Instead, he was telling the hypocritical Pharisees, who LOVED to catch others breaking the law: “tend to your own sins first, and then you’ll be in a better condition to address others’ sins.”
In fact, just consider these other verses which make it pretty clear that Christians SHOULD judge:
“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” –John 7:24
“The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments” –1 Corinthians 2:15
“Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” –Proverbs 31:9
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” –1 John 4:1
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” –Matthew 18:15 (How could we possibly address someone else’s sin if we weren’t allowed to judge that it was a sin to begin with?)
When you don’t just pick one verse out of the Bible, but you look at the issue in terms of the Bible as a whole, things shift dramatically, don’t they?
Friends Don’t Let Friends Run Off Cliffs
I heard a fantastic analogy a few years ago. The preacher of the church we were attending at the time made a very strong (and animated, lol) case that we NEED to tell our friends and family when they are messing up.
It’s like watching someone run straight for a cliff. If you really care about the person, do you just sit back and bite your tongue? Do you say, “Well, I wouldn’t do it, but it’s not my job to judge?” Do you say, “Well, I know it’s wrong for me, but they should be allowed to decide what’s right for them?”
NO! You stop them! You shout: “STOP!! YOU’RE HEADED FOR A CLIFF!!! WATCH OUT!!!”
Can you even imagine watching your friend heading into obvious danger and just sitting by, not saying something to warn them? What kind of friend would you be?
When Judging is the Loving Thing to Do
So, if you would stop your friend from running off of a cliff, why wouldn’t you stop your friend from ruining his/her life in other ways? For example, what if your friend was:
- Having an affair?
- Bad-mouthing her husband?
- Drinking a little too much on the weekends?
- Thinking about having an abortion?
- Neglecting her children?
- Lying to her boss?
- Hanging out with the wrong crowd?
- Dressing provocatively to get attention?
- Skipping church more and more regularly?
- Dabbling in other religions?
Would you just sit by and watch your friend make a mess of things, saying “It’s not my job to judge” or “I don’t want to interfere?” Or would you stop your friend from making a horrible mistake he/she would regret later? What would be the loving thing to do?
(Or do you not believe the Bible when it says these things are wrong–which is a different matter altogether?)
And this doesn’t just apply to your close friends and family either. Like the Parable of the Good Samaritan shows us–every one is our neighbor. Pointing out sin to those you aren’t close to is certainly more difficult, but if you’re the only person for the job, then you’re the person for the job.
A Life Without Judgment
Many Christians love to say “It’s not my job to judge,” but what would happen if we all followed that sentiment and agreed to stop judging each other once and for all?
- Pastors and deacons would have to be elected at random, since we couldn’t examine their characters to judge whether or not they would be good, Godly leaders.
- We’d have to marry at random too, since we couldn’t judge our husband’s character.
- Our children might get sucked in to the wrong crowd. After all, who are they to judge which friends are good or bad influences?
- Child molesters and murderers would go free, because no one could judge whether their actions were right or wrong.
Clearly, that wouldn’t work. Christians should judge. For the good of ourselves and others. It’s how we make good decisions, avoid falling into sin and help others avoid sin as well.
As Christians, we need to be discerning. We need to be able to take a stand and say “This is right” or “This is wrong.” We need to be able to make wise decisions and help our friends and family do the same. As Christians, we should judge, and we should judge wisely. Our Christianity, even our lives, depend on it.
**Note: I’m not saying we should think we are better than others or go around screaming others’ sins in their faces (obviously). Just that we need to be brave enough to judge the difference between right and wrong and act accordingly (AND lovingly).
Ready to Learn More About Loving Others and Speaking Up?
Want to learn how loving others intersects with God’s will for your life — no matter your situation or circumstance? Or are you hesitant to say you’re a Christian because you’re still figuring out how to live that out?
Don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back from truly loving others and speaking up for what you believe!
In my new book, I offer practical tips and real-life stories about loving others in ALL situations, and I’d love for you to check it out! The book is Follow God’s Will: Biblical Guidelines for Everyday Life, along with the Follow God’s Will companion workbook.
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Follow God’s Will is designed to help you answer questions including:
- What does God want me to do?
- How do I apply the Bible’s instructions to my life today?
- Where is God calling me personally?
- How can I make a difference right where I am?
- How should I navigate relationships with those who think, act, or believe differently than I do?
- And so many more!
Want to start reading for free?
Simply enter your first name and email below, and I’ll send you an exclusive “first-peek” right away, right to your inbox!
Do you struggle to call sin a sin? Why do you think that is?
This is a great article and I agree with most of it. However, I think we have to be careful that we don’t judge non-Christians by the same set of principles as our Christian friends. They are not bound by the same rules as we are. Yes, we can lovingly speak to them and guide them and try to point out they are heading in the wrong direction but we cannot ‘judge’ them in the same way we can our friends who claim to be Christians.
With brothers and sisters in Christ we can be firmer and point out areas of their life where they are out of alignment with the way they should be living as Christians, but only if we know for sure they have publicly acknowledged Jesus and stood up as Christians. Always, always, always our corrections and discussion must be done gently and lovingly in a Spirit of restoration.
Yes, I agree! It takes a completely different approach with Christians and non-Christians! and of course both should always be done in love.
Beautifully written and so very TRUE! Thanks!
Thanks, Janelle!
I know this is an old thread but I want to comment. Love, love, love this post. I have relatives who say we shouldn’t judge. I’ve also gone through a pharisaical phase. Discernment and prayer are needed before judging, especially with those close to us. Now, I want to respond to those earnest Christians who believe we Catholics aren’t Christians. This is so incorrect. We both believe that living in a constant state of not surrendering to the Lord separates us from Him. Protestants tend to say such a person wasn’t saved; Catholics say they’re Christians (because of baptism, which is powerful and all Grace) but they have made a shipwreck of their faith by committing mortal sin. Same result–repentance and conversion needed. But historically we were the first Christians! The mother church. We’re called “catholic” because it means universal and was used early on to distinguish true Christians from various gnostic and other sects that were springing up. The Reformation was needed but it became, sadly, western Christianity’s bitter divorce. But please–don’t judge any Christian group by the behavior of some of its members! Look at the teachings. We believe in one God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus is a divine person with a human nature and a divine nature. We believe all the Biblical teachings. Even prayers to saints comes from a belief that our dead are not dead but alive in Christ. We differ on serious things, yes–but we are all Christians. Research the early Church Fathers and what they believed. And they, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, determined our Scriptural canon. We hold Scripture in highest esteem–we even process with the Gospels (similar to the way the Jews process with the Torah).
Glad you enjoyed it! I have close relatives who believe the same as yours do too 🙂
Hey, by the way, did you see the whole series I did on Catholic teachings? You might find it interesting if you haven’t read it already. Here’s the link: https://equippinggodlywomen.com/my-journey/
Hi Brittany-thank you for replying! I’m reading through your journey and the comments now. I love the positive and fruitful tone of the conversations. Looking forward to reading more!
Me too! We actually have a lot of that here – friendly, edifying debate and discussion. I love it! 🙂