I propose that one of the reasons so many Christians in the West have been deceived by sin and have been “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13) is because we do not call one another to account. I know a number of Christians who have divorced for unbiblical reasons and no one (not the pastor and sadly not me) called them to account. I know many Christians that endorse or practice homosexuality as good and right and no one calls them to account. Some of this stems from the belief that Christians are not allowed to judge others. But is this correct? Are Christians really not allowed to judge others? Let’s see what the Bible has to say about judging and see if we have interpreted it correctly.
Christians are allowed to judge other Christians regarding truth and morality as long as they judge with right judgement (Matt 7:1–5; 1 Cor 5:9–13). Christians are not allowed to judge non-Christians, what a person eats or does not eat, or festive days celebrated (Rom 14:1–23; 1 Cor 5:9–13).
I will focus on three of the more prominent and well-known passages about judging others because it is not possible to analyse every passage on this topic in the current article. I’ll begin with what Jesus has to say and then proceed to the apostle Paul.
“Take the Log out of Your Own Eye” (Matthew 7:1–5)
Probably the most famous passage on judging others is Matthew 7:1–5, which begins with the command not to judge:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see 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,’ when there is the log 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
It should first be noted that Matthew 7:1–5 is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is given to his apostles (5:1) and is about how members of the Kingdom of God/Heaven should live their lives. Because Christians are members of the Kingdom of God/Heaven, what Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, including Matthew 7:1–5, is directly applicable to all Christians of all generations (for more information on biblical application, see my article on applying the Bible).
Jesus begins this segment of his sermon with the clear command not to judge: “Judge not” (ESV) or “Do not judge” (NET). What many neglect to notice is that the command is not and unqualified command. Rather, Jesus qualifies his command with a clause that denotes the goal of the command: Judge not, that you be not judged [by God].” The clause “that you be not judged” clarifies and qualifies Jesus’ command so that he is saying “do not judge if you do not want God to judge you the same way.” The point of Jesus’ command is to judge rightly because God will judge you with the same standards you judge others. One could then translate Matthew 7:1 as, “do not judge if don’t want God to judge you the same way.” This interpretation of Jesus’ command in Matthew 7:1 is confirmed in Jesus’ explanation in 7:2–5.
Jesus explains what he means in Matthew 7:1 about not judging in the following four verses (7:2–5). Jesus immediately follows his command not to judge with the following explanation: “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Jesus is clear that the qualification to his command (“that you not be judged”) refers to God judging the judger with the same standards as the judger judged (say that five times fast, ha!). The reason members of the Kingdom of God (i.e., Christians) must be careful in their judgement is because God will use the same standards in judging us. Thus, Jesus is not saying “never judge,” but rather “judge rightly; judge with correct standards.”
Jesus affirms the interpretation that his command not to judge means judge rightly in verses 3–5 with one of his most famous illustrations: the log and speck in the eye.
“Why do you see 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,’ when there is the log 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 7:3–5
Jesus is not saying, “never judge.” Rather, he says make sure you are viewing the situation correctly, biblically, truthfully, and without bias before you judge: “first take the log out of your own eye.” In order to judge others, we must first go through a process of self-reflection and ensure there are no logs in our own eyes to ensure we are judging rightly! Otherwise, God will judge us with same measuring stick we use, which is often rash, harsh, biased, graceless, without mercy, and sometimes completely unfounded. I don’t know about you, but that scares me a LOT!
The undeniable proof that Christians are allowed to judge is Jesus’ final words: “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.” To take the speck out of your brother’s eye means to judge him/her! Jesus ends his segment on judging with the claim that Christians may judge.
Finally, Jesus clarifies who Christians may judge. Notice the recurrence of the word “brother” (used in verses 3, 4, & 5). The term “brother” is an exclusive term and refers to fellow members of the Kingdom of God (i.e., Christians). In Matthew 7:1–5, Jesus is only speaking about judging fellow-Christians.
In sum, Jesus is commanding all members of the Kingdom of God/Heaven (i.e., Christians) to judge their fellow-Christians (“brothers”) rightly by self-reflecting and removing anything that may negatively taint their judgment (i.e., removing the log from our eye) prior to judging our fellow-Christian (i.e., removing the speck from his/her eye). Otherwise, God will judge us with the same standards we used, which is not what Christians should desire. In short, Jesus says, “Judge rightly, lest God judge you with your own standards.”[1]
“Who Are You to Pass Judgment on the Servant of Another?” (Romans 14:1–23)
The book of Romans is written to Christians of all generations. Thus, the teaching/exhortation section of the book (Rom 12:1–15:13) and everything in it is directly applicable to Christians (for more information on biblical application, see my article on applying the Bible).
Romans chapter 14 has a lot to say about passing judgment. Note the following three exhortations:
“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?”
“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother?”
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer . . . .”
ROMANS 14:4, 10, 13
If one were simply to read the above exhortations by themselves like I have listed them, one would think Paul were commanding Christians to never judge one another. Indeed, this is how many Christians have taken these verses. It is understandable to a degree because some English versions of the Bible, such as the popular ESV, title Romans 14 with the following heading: “Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another.” Unfortunately, the ESV heading is very misleading, as is reading the quoted verses out of context.
Romans 14 is about welcoming and not quarrelling with “weak” Christian brothers and sisters (Rom 14:1). Who is a “weak” Christian according to Romans 14? A weak Christian is one who adheres to Jewish food laws and Jewish festive days, such as the Sabbath, believing not observing these is sinful, while a strong Christian is one who knows consuming food of any kind is acceptable and not observing the Sabbath or any festive day is acceptable to the Lord:
“One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.”
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike.”
“The one who observes the day [the Sabbath Day], observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
ROMANS 14:2, 5, 6
When one reads the entire chapter of Romans 14, it becomes clear that the topic is about observing/not observing food and special day laws and regulations. Within this context, Paul is telling his Christian readers not to pass judgment on the weaker Christian who believes he/she must adhere to certain food and special day laws and regulations. The judgment of which Paul is speaking is limited to these two issues. Christians are not allowed to judge/condemn those who eat only kosher food or those who adhere to the Sabbath. Conversely, Paul says that Christians are not allowed to judge/condemn those who eat whatever they want and who do not adhere to the Sabbath or other festive days. Rather, amongst many things, Paul says,
“Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
ROMANS 14:3–4, emphasis added
In sum, Paul tells Christians not to judge one another regarding dietary laws and festive day laws, like the Sabbath. He does not comment on judging fellow Christians for anything else.
“Is It not Those Inside the Church Whom You Are to Judge?” (1 Corinthians 5:9–13)
The final passage about judging I want to consider is 1 Corinthians 5:9–13, which may not be as familiar as the other two passages, but is probably the most important of the three because it is the clearest on the issue, in my opinion. The passage is worth quoting in full in order to understand the context:
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’”
1 CORINTHIANS 5:9–13, emphasis added
Like Romans, the first letter to the Corinthians is for Christians of all generations and is, thus, directly applicable for modern Christians (for more information on biblical application, see my article on applying the Bible).
The topic of the entire chapter of Romans 5 is sexual immorality amongst Christians:
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.”
1 CORINTHIANS 5:1
After calling out the sin within the congregation of the Corinthian church, Paul proceeds to judge the Corinthian Christians and the individual who sinned, calling for him to be removed from the congregation for his unrepentant sin:
“And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.”
1 CORINTHIANS 5:2
Later in the chapter, Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are not to associate with any Christian who commits sexual immorality or a litany of other sins:
“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
1 CORINTHIANS 5:11
What should be noted at this point is that Paul calls for the judgment of fellow Christians by their peers! How else could a Christian congregation disfellowship with those practicing sin? Paul is calling for both the judgment of sinning Christians and discipline (disassociation).
In case he hasn’t made himself clear, Paul makes his two-pronged point obvious in 1 Corinthians 5:12–13: (1) Christians are to judge fellow Christians, but (2) they are not to judge non-Christians:
“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’”
1 CORINTHIANS 5:12–13
The question “Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” is written in such a way in the Greek language that the answer is “yes, we are to judge those inside the church.” I think the ESV and most English versions do a good job at wording Paul’s question to reflect the correct and intended answer. Thus, Paul’s question is, in effect, telling Christians that they are to judge fellow Christians, but not those outside the church (non-Christians) because God is the one who judges non-Christians. Paul concludes chapter 5 (but not the topic, which continues until 1 Cor 6:20) with the command to “Purge the evil person from among you,” showing the Christians what they are to do once judgment has been passed.
In sum, Paul clarifies that Christians are allowed to judge one another for the purpose of removing (or “purging”) those who are evil from the Christian congregation. Christians are not, however, allowed to pass judgment on non-Christians; that is God’s prerogative.
Summary and Concluding Thoughts
The three passages analysed give a clear picture about who a Christian is allowed to judge and when a Christian is allowed to judge (Matt 7:1–5; Rom 14:1–23; 1 Cor 5:9–13). First, Christians are only allowed to judge other Christians, not “outsiders” (i.e., non-Christians). Second, Christians are allowed to judge other Christians regarding issues of truth and morality (1 Corinthians 5:11 mentions both moral issues, such as sexual immorality, and truth issues, such as idolatry). Third, Christians are not allowed to judge other Christians regarding what they eat or what festive or Sabbath days they celebrate or do not celebrate. Finally, Christians must judge other Christians with right judgement because of the fear of being judged by God with the same standards.
I believe many Christians and churches in the West have become timid. We are so afraid of offending people, so afraid of losing friends or people from the church, and so afraid of what the non-Christian world with their monopoly of social media think of Christians and Christianity, that we turn a blind eye on truth and sin issues. This has resulted in heresy in the church, sin in the church, and apathy amongst Christians. Where are the churches calling out sexual immorality in the church and removing from the congregation those who do not repent, like Paul did in 1 Corinthians 5–6? Where are the churches and pastors who tell their married couples that divorce is wrong unless a spouse is committing sexual immorality? Where are the churches that are calling out the racism and prejudice of Critical Theory and its social movements? (click here to see my article on this relevant topic). We have become timid and scared when we should be bold and courageous. The church should judge itself and those in it, but in love and with right judgment.
[1] Luke 6:31–42 says much the same as Matthew 7:1–5. The point about judging is the same in both passages.
