Some Thoughts on Judgment
I heard a fascinating quote recently. It was, “Don’t judge
me just because I sin differently than you.” While this is a true quote, there
are interesting imperatives that must be discussed.
First of all, nowhere in scripture are we told not to
judge. We make judgments every day. In fact, we cannot live our lives without
casting judgments. In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us not to judge lest we be judged
ourselves and then continues by saying that we are to remove the plank from our
own eye so that we can then remove the speck in our brother’s eye. In essence,
we are told to first make sure that we ourselves are right with God before we
make judgments on someone else so that we can accurately judge.
We must also remember, however, that our judgments are, in
no way, perfect. The only way we can make a perfect judgment is through prayer
and the guidance of Jesus Christ because he is the one and only perfect judge.
Therefore, our judgments are subject to Christ’s ultimate judgment.
We must also not neglect the fact that for believers, God
has ultimately judged us already when he did so through his son on the cross.
Therefore, any action taken toward a fellow believe in Christ should be for
correction, not judgment. I would submit that this should be the case with
unbelievers as well since we have no authority to judge ultimately. Judgment
then becomes a matter of correction, not punishment.
Finally, on the issue of judgment, no one is without sin.
Therefore, when it comes to corrective judgment, we must all be willing to
receive it and use it as an agent of change in our lives.
Our judgment must be done in righteousness, and therefore,
it must be done in Jesus Christ.
