Thoughts from the Well
Who Are We to
Judge?
Did Jesus forbid us from
judging others?
By Lewis
B. Smedes
In three words, blunt and
absolute, Jesus commanded us, "Do not judge" (Matt.
7:1). But did he really mean that we should never
judge others? He goes on to suggest that it's not
the act of judging but the attitude with which we do
it that God is most concerned about -- "For in the
same way you judge others, you will be judged" (Matt
7:2).
There are other Scriptures that either cloud or shed
light on the issue. Paul told the Christians in Rome
not to judge one another (Rom 14:13) but taught the
Corinthians that they were to judge sinful believers
and leave people outside the church to God (1 Cor
5:12-13). James said he who judges his brother
speaks against the law (James 4:11) but also implied
that our judgments of others must be done with mercy
(James 2:12-13).
Common sense suggests that if no one ever judged
other people, there would be no real human
community. In a sinful world, no community can exist
for long where nobody is ever held accountable: no
teacher would grade a student's performance; no
citizen would sit on a jury or call a failed leader
to account. And, when you come to think of it,
nobody would ever forgive anyone for wrongs he had
done; we only forgive people for what we blame them,
and we blame them only after we have judged them.
I would suggest that, in our day and age, we need
more -- not less -- judgment. Modern Americans
suffer from a fear of judging. Passing judgment on
the behavior of fellow human beings is considered an
act of medieval, undemocratic intolerance.
Why? Read the rest of this article:
http://ChristianityToday.com/ct/2001/012/29.70.html
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