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The Gospel Truth
To judge or not to judge? William Shakespeare gave us the most famous line in English literature when Hamlet pondered the profound question, "To be or not to be?" It is now the standard by which all decisions are made. What about the matter of judging others? Did Jesus really mean we are never to judge anyone at any time? What about the "dogs" and "swine" in verse 6? Some judgement is required to determine who fits that description. The same goes for Christ's warning about false prophets in verse 15? Without exercising judgment, how do we identify a false prophet? Then, verse 20 tells us we can know, recognize, or evaluate people "by their fruits." Are we to judge or not to judge? The answer is, of course, yes. Like the other paradoxical sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ, this command comes with a catch. There is obviously a wrong, sinful way of judging others. And, there is a right, required way as well. What is the wrong way to judge? It is wrong to judge someone based on external standards. A grocery store clerk once wrote Ann Landers to condemn a shopper who bought a bunch of party items and paid for them with food stamps. Soon afterwards, the shopper-inquestion wrote a response. She had purchased those items for her young daughter's birthday party, which because of terminal cancer, would be her last. "Do not judge" fits very well right here. It is wrong to judge someone against your own selfrighteous standards. In my early days as a Christian, I was led to believe that everyone who did not share my strict, ultra-conservative Baptist beliefs were either liberals or heathens. In other words, I was a Pharisee. It is our nature to love ourselves so much that we condemn those who are not just like us. "Do not judge" like that. It is wrong to judge someone by unbiblical standards. This third category is closely akin to the previous warning, but I add it for clarification. I was once under attack by a fellow church member. I appealed to scripture for a reasonable defense. His reply was, "Don't bring the Bible into this." Well, if we are not going to bring the Bible - a right, reasonable, contextual interpretation of the Bible - into our judgments, then "do not judge." It is wrong to judge someone with total condemnation. The best interpretation of the word "judge" in verse one is "condemn." There is virtually no behavior of any kind that can condemn someone to hell. It may be an indicator, but not an arbitrator. Belief, not behavior, saves. Therefore it is unbelief, not bad behavior, that condemns. Go ahead, be a fruit inspector, but leave final judgment where it belongs, with God. The real kicker here for confessing Christians is almost identical to the passage on forgiveness. Haddon Robinson wrote, "Judging is the opposite of forgiveness. If you habitually judge people in these wrong ways, you too will be judged by God. So "do not judge" the wrong way. What is the right way to judge? Right judgment begins inside. Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Though this Greek predated the New Testament by four centuries, his wisdom was perfected by Jesus and the apostles. The tools we use to take the logs out include the living word and the written word. The task is not complete until humble repentance removes our sin and pride and closes the wound with truth and love. Then, love will lead us to reach out to the right people. Right judgment reaches out to the right people. The judgment of self-examination is good for the individual Christian and the Christian church. Christ's commandments in this passage do not exclude and intentionally include the specks of loving church discipline. Christians with eyes cleansed by scripture and the spirit are mandated to reach out to other Christians, to hold them accountable to their confession, and to admonish them to keep the standards of holy scripture. Right judgment rightly refuses to wrongly judge the wrong people. Careful adherence to this text, and the inclusion of verse six in the periscope, demands that right judgment be reserved for self, and brothers, but not others. "Dogs" and "swine" are words of exclusion, not insult. They are terms that describe nonbelievers, or lost people. While the "holy" is the subject of various interpretations, I understand to refer to God's standard of holiness, his moral commands and demands. Commandments are for saved people, but they don't save people. So it is futile to judge lost sinners for being sinful. What they need to hear from the church is not condemnation for their sins, but the gospel for their souls.
Here again is the sacred paradox that is the simple gospel. John 3:16-17 and Acts 17:31 are altogether true. For Jesus there is a time to judge and a time not to judge. And, so it is for those of us who follow Jesus, too. To judge or not to judge, that is the question, isn't it. The answer is "yes," as long as you judge like Jesus.
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