Does the Bible teach, “Do Not Judge?” (Part One)

From the heart of Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible teacher & expositor. As Christians, we live in a world that increasingly strives to (supposedly) promote the idea of tolerance, but actually becomes intolerant of Christian absolutes as it does so! As Christians, we must understand and embrace that truth is not relative but absolute! The idea that truth is relative and therefore is determined by the individual, has led many people to come to the conclusion that making judgments on anyone (especially coming from believers) is wrong because the Word of God says, “Do not judge.” Interestingly enough, those who reject the notion of God or the authority of the Scriptures often attempt to use the Scriptures (e.g., by misquoting verses or quoting verses out of context) to excuse their behaviors and actions when they are presented with the gospel and the plight of sinners for rejecting it! What does the Bible mean when it says, “Do not judge”? Jesus’ command not to judge others could be the most widely quoted of His sayings, even though it is almost invariably quoted in complete disregard of its context. Here is Jesus’ statement: “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. (Matthew 7:1-5). Many people use this verse in an attempt to silence their critics, interpreting Jesus’ meaning as “You don’t have the right to tell me I’m wrong.” Taken in isolation, Jesus’ command “Do not judge” does indeed seem to preclude all negative assessments. When Jesus said not to judge others, He did not mean that no one can identify sin for what it is, based on God’s definition of sin. There is much more to the passage than verse one. Jesus didn’t teach, “Do not judge.” What did He teach? We’ll continue in Part Two. Be encouraged!