To Judge or Not to Judge
Of all the teachings and sayings of Christ, one of the most well-known is, “Judge not that you be not judged” (Mt. 7:1). Often, when sin is rebuked, there will follow an accusation of being judgmental and a quotation of Matthew 7:1 by the one being rebuked. Many people have not read this passage in its proper context, and they use it (as well as other passages) entirely inappropriately. I used to think this was an argument employed by worldly people and denominations, but I have heard individuals and groups within the Lord’s Church also resort to this tactic in recent years. So we have some important questions before us: When is it appropriate to judge someone else? When is it appropriate to judge a group of people, such as a congregation or a religious body? Is it ever allowed for humans to judge humans? As with all important questions, we should turn to the Word of God to find our answers and our guidance.