Do not judge, or you too will be judged...” —Matthew 7:1

When Jesus gave this command, did He mean that we should withhold all judgment ever? Should we never say a critical word to anyone for any reason? Many people like to interpret Jesus' words in Matthew 7:1 as meaning, "You don't have the right to tell others they're wrong!" The mantra "don't judge" is probably one of the most quoted of all of Jesus' sayings—by Christians and non-Christians alike! "Don't judge" is practically ingrained into today's culture.

As widely quoted as "do not judge" is, it is just as widely misused because it's taken way out of context. The Bible is clear that we should have discernment as to what's right and wrong, thus, judging the righteousness or morality of a situation, action, thought, or word. There's a whole biblical book entitled "Judges," and these Old Testament judges were appointed by God Himself (Judges 2:18). Besides, Jesus gave a direct command to "judge correctly" in John 7:24. So what was He talking about when He said, "Do not judge"?

(1)Wrongful Judgment

The next several verses give us more insight as to what Jesus meant when He gave this command about withholding judgment. Look at Matthew 7:2: "For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." Would you want to be judged in the same way you judge others? Jesus rebukes those who are hypocritical in their judgments in Matthew 7:3-5. While some would love to judge a person on a certain matter, they may be guilty of far worse and therefore unfit to judge someone else.

To be clear, just because we are commanded to withhold judgment in certain ways, that doesn't mean everything is equally moral or that everybody's truth is different. The Bible tells us God's truth is based on His character alone, and we know God's Word is true. When a situation, action, thought, or word goes against God's nature or contradicts His Word, then it's considered sinful. We ARE allowed to discern (or judge) whether something is sinful or not, based on God's definition of sin. What we DO with our conclusions is where the fiddliness of "correct judgment" comes in.

(2) Correct Judgment

How can we figure out what Jesus would consider "correct judgment"? The Bible gives us plenty more advice as we investigate this topic, so let's explore some ways to judge righteously.

(3)Judge wisely.

Take into consideration the bigger picture when making a judgment. To simply judge a person based on their appearance, reputation, gossip, or rumors is foolishness (John 7:24; Proverbs 18:13; Luke 7:36-50). Make sure you have all the facts before you judge.

(4)Judge truthfully.

Going along with judging wisely, we need to be sure of the truth of what we say in judgment. To knowingly bear false witness is to lie and absolutely wrong (Proverbs 19:5). Titus 3:2 reminds us to "slander no one." When dealing with judgment, we should only speak what we know for certain is true.

(5)Judge humbly.

Before we judge another person for their alleged sins, we need to take a good, honest look at ourselves. Do we have any right to judge someone else's indiscretions or sinful mistakes in the state we ourselves are in? (See Romans 2:1 and James 4:6.) Jesus had many strong rebukes for hypocritical people in the church (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; Luke 18:9-14), and He very harshly warned against copying those actions (Matthew 7:3-5).

(6) Judge gently and mercifully.

Just because we recognize sin in another's life, that doesn't give us the right to hack them to pieces. Titus 3:2 tells us to always be gentle toward everyone. If someone were to confront you about a sin, how would you want them to go about it? Would you want them to be harsh and hurtful or gentle and compassionate? (See Matthew 7:2 and James 2:12-13.)