Judging

Since we were children, we have heard Jesus warn us somberly, through the voice of a long succession of teachers, "Judge not lest you be judged," (Matthew 7:1). And, taking his words at face value, most of us have found it increasingly uncomfortable, if not impossible, to draw doctrinal and/or moral lines — even within the church. Diversity and pluralism have become the church's only indisputable values.

WHAT DID JESUS MEAN?

Most scholars, however, are not inclined to take Jesus' words woodenly. Better, they are quick to point out that there is a meaning to them that goes beyond the surface meaning, and that the New Testament is full of other counsel that both broadens and fills out our understanding of the subject of judgment.

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus is talking about hypercritical judgments and quick condemnations, pointing out that they are like boomerangs — they have a way of exposing those who engage in careless fault-finding to the very same kind of treatment. Therefore, we must exercise care not to condemn someone else for those things of which we are also guilty. To put it another way, before we criticize a brother or sister for bad theology, we'd better be willing to have our own theology subjected to review.

Calvin puts the matter this way:

"These words of Christ are not to be taken exactly in the sense of condemning the function of judgment ... The faithful should not be so blind as to notice nothing, but they should hold themselves in, and not go beyond the limit of strictness, should they ever have any occasion to make judgment upon their brothers. ... Whoever judges by the Law and Word of God, and directs his judgment according to the rule of charity, always begins his censure with himself, and this preserves in judgment a proper limit and order."

JESUS TEACHES THAT WE HAVE A DUTY TO BE DISCRIMINATING

It used to be a compliment to say that someone is discriminating. In this positive sense of the word, discrimination refers to the ability to make distinctions, to be discerning, to differentiate. Today, however, the word is used almost entirely in a negative way to mean to be unjust or unfair.

Jesus urges that we be discriminating in the first sense of the word — that we learn to think analytically about issues and behaviors . In Luke 12:57, Jesus asks, "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" In John 7: 24, He tells some of his critics, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

So, in warning us about judging, Jesus is not calling Christians to be credulous (I.E. gullible, naïve, innocent or uncritical). We are given both the ability and the responsibility to make perceptive and thoughtful distinctions between various behaviors and ideas.

For example, in I John 4: 1, the apostle tells us not to believe every spirit. Rather, we are to "test the spirits to see whether they are of God; "

In Jude 1:3, we are instructed to "contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."

In 2 Timothy 4: 1-3, Paul charges us to "preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths."

Testing the spirits, contending for the faith, convincing, rebuking and exhorting all require that we make prudential judgments about what is true, good and beautiful. This is precisely the opposite of the "spirit" of our age which tells us not to judge, to be open, to accept anything and everything, to encourage a pluralism of ideas about God and morality, and to make an idol out of diversity.

As Christians we must constantly form estimates of the conduct and character of others, and the content of what they are teaching. We do this for our own guidance and safety, and to remain useful to the Kingdom of God. "By their fruits you shall know them" (Matthew 7:16). The prohibition of judging in Matthew 7:1 is not opposed to this.

THE STANDARD

And the standard by which we are to engage in this kind of positive discrimination? The magisterial Reformers said, "Sola Scriptura" — Scripture alone.

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

It may also be necessary for us to judge more officially. Human government is divinely authorized. And the exercise of judicial functions is essential to all government. All judges, however, are to remember that they are subject to the judgement of God, and to exercise their office equitably and with due moderation (Romans 13: 1-5; I Peter 2: 13-14). Therefore, if we are summoned to jury duty, Jesus' words in Matthew 7 are not to be used as a blanket excuse for not exercising our civic responsibility.

CONCLUSION

While we are forbidden to pass rash, unjust, uncharitable and needless judgments, we are — at the very same time, and without contradiction —required to think carefully and to choose wisely between various ideas and behaviors, because not everything that is taught is true, and not every behavior that is advocated in pleasing to God.