LESSON 46 – JUDGING OTHERS Lesson Plan

The Most Well-Known Verse… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). For centuries this was the most well-known verse in the Bible. There is now a new favorite in our time that is frequently quoted by those who ironically do not even hold to the truth in the Bible. It is Mathew 7:1, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” How often do we hear:  “Though I would never have an abortion, who am I to judge those who do?”  “How can anyone condemn homosexuality when they have their own sins?”  “It is judgmental to assume Christ is superior to other religious figures.” Oftentimes all meaningful spiritual dialogue is instantly muzzled when someone throws out (often in King James language!) the “do not judge lest ye be judged” card. Obviously Jesus taught in Matthew 7:1 that some type of judgment upon others is to be forbidden, but does that pronounce a moratorium on all critical thinking and the need to proclaim and defend biblical values?

Yes, Don’t Judge Others… Let’s first start off by looking at the sinful judgment that Jesus condemns. We’ll call this, “unrighteous judgment.” Here is the verse under consideration in its full context: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s 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,’ and behold, the log is 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 brother’s eye” (Mt. 7:1-5).

There is a noticeable contrast established in these verses from Matthew 7. We read in three of the verses about a “speck” being compared to a “log.” Or as the NIV version puts it, “sawdust” being compared to a “plank.” The point Jesus makes is rather obvious. Both of these metaphors represent degrees of sin. In other words, who am I to judge another for a sin when I am committing greater sin in that area myself? Simply put, I have no business seeking to remove a speck of sinful sawdust from another’s eye if I am running around with a large sinful plank in my own eye! We all know that’s hypocrisy and that’s the kind of judgment that our Lord is condemning.  Why is it easier to see the sins of others?  Why do other’s sins often seem much worse than our own?  Why do we judge others and judge them in a way stricter than we judge ourselves? Do you focus primarily on others with a critical eye in an effort to detect their sins?

OR

Do you focus primarily on your own life with a sincere desire for personal repentance?

In Romans 2 Paul basically says the same thing: “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Rom. 2:13).

Anything Else… Before we move on, let’s look at two other ways the Bible forbids judging others. 1. It is wrong to judge the motives of another.

1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts.” Though we cannot read hearts, we all have this insidious tendency based upon limited information to judge people as to what drives them internally and then jump to oftentimes the worst conclusions possible. In a nutshell, we draw an opinion about the intent of a person’s heart (oftentimes without ever even speaking to the individual) and then act upon that opinion as if our assumptions are infallible. This attitude is wrong because it is acting in a very unloving manner. Love believes all things. Love gives others the benefit of doubt. Love is not so quick to draw such hasty conclusions. Love does not vilify people based upon data that only God can comprehend.  Why do we judge another’s motives?  Why is this a form of self-righteousness?  How should we view another person’s motives? 2. It is wrong to judge the convictions of another. As it was presented in “Lesson 5 – Legalism,” many of the expectations for our daily conduct are not specifically outlined in the Bible. There are clear “black and white” principles that we must all follow as Christians (speak honestly, don’t steal, etc.), but what about the vast majority of other decisions we are required to make throughout the day? They should be God-honoring decisions as well! Therefore we should develop healthy personal convictions based upon general biblical principles, prayer and wise counsel both as individuals and families –for example, what television shows to watch, how to school our children, what to do with Halloween, etc. All believers, as long as they are following the Lord and personal conscience are free to make their own decisions in these “grey” areas. Problems arise when we look down upon others who do not follow our own personal convictions. This is another form of judging our Lord also denounces. We should hold firm to our convictions for ourselves, but we dare not press

our convictions upon others as if they are a biblical standard (Col. 2:16-23). Let’s remember, Jesus condemned the Pharisaic attitude that elevated tradition to a status on par with Scripture. This is “judging according to appearance” (Jn. 7:24) and “judging according to the flesh” (Jn. 8:15).  Do you look down upon others who do not share your convictions?  How is the Holy Spirit grieved when you judge another’s convictions?  How would you feel if another judged you in these areas?

So What’s so Bad about it… 1. Sinful judgment is prideful. We judge other people in the ways just mentioned for a reason. There is something in us that fuels this unbiblical response – pride! Pride wants to look down upon others. Pride wants to dethrone others to make ourselves appear more spiritual. Pride wants to have others answering to us. Pride wants other people admiring our actions. Pride wants to prioritize self over the value and dignity of another individual. So in an effort to justify ourselves, we find it very easy to condemn others. However, kingdom citizens are broken in spirit (Mt. 5:3). It is impossible to be broken in spirit and judge others at the same time. 2. We have limited knowledge. Sinful judgment is also wrong because we have limited knowledge. We do not have all the facts. We are biased. It is always easier to see things from our perspective and shade things to our advantage. When we judge others, we have a tremendous capacity for deception and more often than not formulate facts that are erroneous. How many times has someone totally written you off only to eventually find out that all the conclusions they drew about you were inaccurate? A woman was waiting at an airport one night, With several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shop, Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see, That the man beside her, as bold as could be, Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between, Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene. She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock, As the gutsy “cookie thief!” diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!” With each cookie she took, he took one, too. When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do. With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh, He took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her half, as he ate the other. She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother, This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude, Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!” She had never known when she had been so galled, And sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate, Refusing to look back at the “thieving ingrate.” She boarded the plane and sank in her seat, Then sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise. There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes! “If mine are here,” she moaned with despair, “Then the others were his and he tried to share!” Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief! 3. People are hurting.

We should avoid sinful judging is because everybody to some degree is hurting. Life is difficult, suffering is abundant and sorrow is common. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we could find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough, to disarm all our hostility against them.” Being judged has the ability to crush one’s spirit, a spirit that is often frail and battered and bruised already. We should be in the business of edification, not mortification! 4. God’s greater judgment is upon you. When we judge others in an unbiblical fashion, God’s judgment rests upon us in a greater way. Back to our text in Matthew 7 – look again at verse 1: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” Look at verse 2, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” Judging others is flat-out dangerous. For how can we suppose that we can act so unmercifully to God’s people and then expect to receive the mercy we desire so much from God? Be prepared, the measure of sinful judgment we extend to others will be proportioned back to us in like measure. One author said judgment is like a boomerang, it comes back and hangs you on its own gallows. Are we prepared to live by our own standards? If the way you internally judge others was measured back to you externally by others, you would be totally crushed and exasperated! And if the severity of judgment from others is a painful thought, consider the severity of God’s judgment applying to you the same standard you apply to others. The parallel verse in Luke says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned” (Lk. 6:36-37). In James 2:13 we read, “For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy.” On the contrary, the Fifth Beatitude states, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy” (Mt. 5:7). 5. You are not God. Probably the most important reason that unbiblical judgment is wrong is because acting in this way usurps the authority of God. When we judge in this

way we are stepping on God’s Throne and pronouncing our sovereignty and omniscience and declaring to the world that people are ultimately answerable to us. We are setting ourselves up as God, and in doing so, committing possibly the worst form of evil. Along these lines, consider these following verses: a. James 4:11-12, “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” b. Romans 14:10, “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” c. Romans 14:4, “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

So is all Judgment Sinful, Right… Based upon our Lord’s words not to judge and our lesson thus far, it would be safe to assume, as many do, that all types of judgment upon others is to be avoided. Yet not so fast! We can’t close our discussion on this topic just yet. Think about it to yourself for a moment. Would you really want to exist in a world where critical thinking and the evaluation of others was totally prohibited?  Could you imagine a parent that could not judge the actions of a child as it related to issues of safety, schoolwork, choice of friends and drug use?  Could you imagine a courtroom where judgment upon others was forbidden?  Could you imagine the chaos and anarchy that would result if laws were not drafted and then enforced based upon the judgment of elected officials?  Could you imagine a political debate where the candidates could not judge the other’s platforms?  Could you imagine not saying anything in fear of being judgmental while you watched a friend hurt herself with destructive behavior?

 Could you imagine a church where sin was left unchecked because no one wanted to be judgmental?

Absolute Truth… We live in a world where truth is relative. According to most, there is no absolute standard to determine right from wrong because truth ever-changing and subjectively suited to personal opinions and popular culture. Most want to believe this because at our core we want to be autonomous without any accountability and restraints. We want to be God. We want to be the sole arbitrator to determine right from wrong. So to bolster support for this driving tendency, many have used the Word of God for their justification. They have erroneously taken Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 not to judge as their shield for critique-free sinful behavior. It’s funny how they use our Lord’s words as a reason not to submit to the rest of our Lord’s words found elsewhere in the Bible! However, as we just witnessed above, such a position is contradictory to the inherent understanding of societal function and clearly a false interpretation of what Jesus intended. Our God is a God of truth (1 Jn. 5:20). When He inspired men to write the Scriptures, they wrote the Word of God without error (Psm. 119:160; Rev. 19:9). Therefore what we have in our Bibles is the only guaranteed revelation of who God is and what He expects from His creation. So let’s establish from the start that there is an absolute standard and that absolute standard is found in the Scriptures.

A Closer Look at Matthew 7… In Matthew 7 we learned that we are to avoid unrighteous judgment, but a simple consideration of the context proves that we are not to avoid judgment altogether. In Matthew 7 our Lord is calling for a “righteous judgment.” Verse 5 says, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Granted, this verse is calling for us to avoid making a hypocritical “unrighteous judgment” (get the log out first!), but we can’t go without seeing it is still ultimately calling us to the responsibility of making a judgment and removing the speck in a brother’s eye. Our Lord’s point is

not that we should avoid judgment; it is just that we should avoid judging with hypocrisy. Look at verse 6. “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Obviously Jesus is again calling us to make a judgment if we are to determine who are the “dogs” and who are the “swine” included in His reference. We are called to dispense God’s Word with careful discrimination. Obviously this calls for a wise judgment to be made. Finally, look at verses 15 and 16. Jesus said, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” False teachers will reveal themselves based on what they say and how they act. Based on these “fruits” we are expected to spot false teachers and avoid them. Again, all of us are thus required to make a judgment to determine who these individuals are.

Putting it into Action… The basic problem in the church is that we are committing too much of the “unrighteousness judgment” because we live too often in the flesh and have not executed enough “righteous judgment” because we have been brainwashed to accept the world’s exegetical conclusions of Matthew 7. So, as we have already stated what we should not do, let’s consider for the remainder of this lesson what we should do and how we should be doing it. How do we “judge with righteous judgment” (Jn. 7:24)? 1. Be self-examining. This is a call for serious self-examination. As we stated, the text is clear that we must go to another, but it is even clearer that we must diligently examine our own life before we ever go! Let’s remember, kingdom citizens mourn over their own sin (Mt. 5:4) and then respond with mercy (Mt. 5:7), peace (Mt. 5:9) and gentleness (Mt. 5:5). Also it is important to note that according to verse 5 in Matthew 7, it is not until we remove the log from our own eye that we will “see clearly to take the speck out of [our] brother’s eye.” Self-righteous faultfinders have distorted vision. Their vision is blocked with twenty 4x4’s in their

eyes. They do not see clearly and are therefore spiritually unable to assist others toward proper living. 2. Be charitable. Though we are to be “salt and light,” it does not mean that we are suddenly on the “sin patrol” seeking to point out every flaw in the others we encounter. Our goal toward unbelievers must be presenting the Gospel and our goal toward believers must be edification. Sure we are to discern the difference between light and darkness and we are to stand up for what is biblically right, but we must always act with the biblical virtues of love and kindness. Consider the Golden Rule (Mt. 7:12) – how would you like to be treated? 3. Be biblical. Remember that there is an absolute truth and that truth is found in the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word so when we tell erring people what the Scriptures say (something we are commanded to do – Mt. 18: 15; Gal. 6:1; 2 Thes. 3:15; Jas. 5:19), it’s not us judging the other person with our words, but it is God judging them through His Word. We are only mediators and ambassadors, presenting to people through our words and actions, God’s verdict on the situation. This is the most loving thing we can do since sin is destructive and God is the one that they will face regarding their actions on these matters. For example, how can we claim there is nothing wrong with the homosexual lifestyle when 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals…will inherit the kingdom of God.” How can we believe the biblical teaching and then not warn the unrepentant homosexual? We have to conclude that either we do not believe God’s Word (which is unloving to God) or have chosen to ignore the eternal damnation of a human soul (which is unloving to the person)! 4. Be uncompromising.

There is no doubt that we as Christians should be civil toward those whose opinions might differ from ours, but there is a world of difference between civility and affirmation. To say we need to approve of everyone’s beliefs without ever given the opportunity for disagreement is simply unrealistic and inconsistent with the principles that built our great nation of democracy and freedom! Moreover, it is also committing another act of judgmentalism. Isn’t telling someone that they can’t judge right from wrong actually an act of judging them for having a standard that they choose to abide by? Isn’t it rather judgmental to tell someone that they are being judgmental? In other words, people who do not want absolute standards have declared that all must follow their absolute standard that forbids judging others!

What about these Additional Verses… Consider the verses below. How can we ever attempt to apply them without being “judgmental?”  Romans 16:17-18, “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.”  Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”  1 Corinthians 5:11, “But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any socalled brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one.”  Titus 3:10-11, “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.” Suffice it to say that God wants His church to be – here is the word – “discerning.” Ephesians 4:14-15, “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Hebrews 5:14, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to

discern good and evil.” There is a right time to use our critical powers. There is a right time to make value judgments. And all of right judgment is not based upon our feelings or a worldly standard, but grounded firmly upon the Word of God. We are to use this Book to accept what is good and reject what is evil not simply to win an argument, but to love people and honor our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Bible Memorization… John 7:24- “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”