Request:
This post is the most viewed post on this blog, and I don’t know why. It hasn’t been linked to by a big blogger or web page. I do know that every day I get another hit on this post (or two or six). So I’m wondering, if you are new visitor to this post, could you tell me in the comments what brought you here? Thanks!
Intro:
A person who judges says something along the following vein:
That person is sinning / not sinning
(Or more descriptively)
That person is acting/ not acting according to God’s will
(Or more secularly)
That person in acting in a harmful/non harmful manner
(Or more comparatively)
I am acting in a better/ worse manner than that person
Most people are uncomfortable with these statements, because, by themselves, they imply too much. In many cases, a person who says one these statements is judging sinfully. But not always.
When people say that you shouldn’t be quick to judge, they don’t mean a person shouldn’t have in mind what is right and wrong. They know that everyone has an idea of what is right and wrong. Their problem is with the condescending, or prideful attitude shown in many (if not most) examples of judging.
The tricky part is that when people have difficulty with these statements, they have difficulty with them for different reasons, all of which fall under the same name in our current lexicon – judgmentalism.
Thesis:
When a person calls someone else “too judgmental” or “too quick to judge,” they typically mean at least one of six different types of errant judging, which often happen concurrently: (A) Single-Sin-Focusing, (B) Conclusion-Jumping, (C) False-Prophesy, (D) Outward-Action-Policing, (E) Forgetting God’s Grace, and (F) Neglecting the Person’s Situation.
Further Definition:
Spelling out these six forms a little more . . .
If you think a person is sinfully judging, then you probably think they are either –
(A) Judging a person based on too narrow a slice of their actions – putting too much stock in one behavior,
(B) Judging a person based on wrong assumptions – assuming wrongly or assuming more than they know about the other person,
(C) Judging a person with wrong standards – using an incorrect definition of godliness
(D) Judging a person based solely on words or deeds – forgetting that most, if not all sinful behavior is in the thought life,
(E) Judging a person’s standing with God – thinking that a person who sins more has less of a relationship with God, or
(F) Willfully ignoring a person’s situation – purposely ignoring the fact that the “sinner’s” circumstances might be completely different than the judger’s circumstances.
Examples/Illustrations of judging sinfully in the six ways.
(A) (Single-Sin-Focusing) I hear Peter talking about an R rated movie that he saw. I thought he was a good person. Now I don’t know if I can trust him.
(B) (Conclusion-Jumping) I saw Peter go into a tobacco shop. I didn’t know he smoked.
(C) (False-Prophesy) No, the Bible doesn’t say that a person shouldn’t take out a home mortgage; I just know it to be true.
(D) (Outward-Action-Policing) Peter’s house is way too big. It doesn’t matter that he has ten kids.
(E) (Forgetting God’s Grace) God wouldn’t love a person who parents the way Peter does.
(F) (Neglecting the Person’s Situation) It’s too bad that Peter has been unemployed for more than a year, but a father should clothe his kids better than that.
Biblical Support:
Both Christians and Non-Christians point to Jesus’ words (“Do not judge, or you too will be judged” – Matthew 7:1) and suggest that this means “do not ever declare another person’s action to be sinful.” So if anyone ever declares another to be sinful, they are doing wrong. I will treat the irony of those sentiments with benign neglect, but here is the Bold Statement: When Christ chastises the Pharisees and law teachers for improper judging, it not for their mental act of discerning what is right and wrong behavior. Rather it is always for one or more of these six things.
(A) Single Sin Focusing – Christ suggests the leaders consider their own sin before they stone the adulterous women. (John 8:4)
(B) Conclusion Jumping – The Pharisees assume that Christ is doing tawdry things when he spends time with the tax collectors and sinners. (Mark 2:15-17)
(C) False Prophesy – The Pharisees chastise the disciples for picking grain on a Sabbath, and Christ rebukes them. (Matthew 12:1-8)
(D) Outward Action Policing – Christ tells the Pharisees to worry about the inside of the cup and then the outside will be clean as well. (Luke 11:39 – 41)
(E) Forgetting God’s Grace – Christ says “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
(F) Neglecting the Person’s Situation – The Pharisee thinks that the prostitute is not worthy to pour perfume on Christ’s feet. (Luke 7:39)
The Right Way:
Theoretically, however, if a person is able to avoid these six aspects of sinful judgment, they are not judging sinfully. In other words, using the above statements of judgment – found at the very beginning of this post) a person who says (or thinks) the following is not sinfully judging:
(A) Regarding only the action/behavior that I am talking about,
(I realize that this action is only one aspect of this person as a whole being and that other sins that others do might be worse)
(B) Considering only what I know of that person,
(I am trying to only speak of those things that I know for a fact about that person)
(C) Assuming that my definition of God’s will is correct.
(I realize that your definition of what is sinful may be different from mine and that I had better be certain of what scripture says before I judge)
(D) and Speaking only of outward actions,
(I realize that some people who outwardly look good are inwardly sinful and vice-versa)
That person is sinning / not sinning
(Or)
That person is acting/ not acting according to God’s will
(Or)
That person in acting in a harmful/non-harmful manner
(Or)
I am acting in a better/ worse manner than that person
(E) But (even in light of this) he is not more/less entitled to God’s Grace and Love,
(I realize that everyone sins and that God’s love isn’t based on how upright a person is)
(F) And (even in light of this) I am not a better/worse person
(I realize that, put in the same situation, I might do the same as him and ‘but for the grace of God, there go I’)
You might say, now wait a second, no one says or thinks all of these things when they judge. I admit, it would be rare. This is, I would assume, why Christ advises against it.
The Responsible Puppet 
11 comments
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May 10, 2007 at 9:19 am
6 Kinds Of Bad Judging « The Responsible Puppet
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October 20, 2008 at 6:29 am
Chris
Regarding the mortgage example. I once asked at a church business meeting (oh, how I regret it–still praying that some people will forgive and forget) what the biblical basis was for taking out a loan to build onto the church because I had heard Larry Burkett say that God never accomplishes his will through loans. I didn’t mean that I thought no way should we be taking out a loan, but I just wondered what our biblical basis was (I thought there must be one–I just hadn’t heard of it–only the opposite). We had only been at the church a few months.
A few days later I read in the Bible the verse that says, in essence: A wicked man borrows, but does not repay. It doesn’t say it is wicked to borrow, but that the failure to repay is wicked. I wish I had read that BEFORE I asked the question at the meeting. The pastor was caught off guard and flustered, and although the both of us recovered from that awkward moment and got a long well after that, in some people’s eyes, I don’t think I’ll ever belong here.
How important it is to be quick to listen and slow to speak…
October 20, 2008 at 8:01 am
Chris
Thinking about it some more, I’m sure I was being humbled. Even though I didn’t think it was horrible to take out a loan, I did think we should wait and save or pursue other legal options.
Even though both of our homes were bought with loans, deep down, I would rather do things without borrowing, so I felt if I can’t live up to what I really think is best, I’d like my church to do the best thing.
October 20, 2008 at 9:39 am
jamsco
I have heard one pastor say that taking out a loan on a home (or a church building for that matter) is different from almost every other load in that it (normally) doesn’t depreciate immediately (like a car or a couch) so it is more like an investment.
This makes sense, but it still isn’t a reasoning sourced by the Bible.
I am guessing, assuming you don’t have evidence to the contrary) that fewer people remember your meeting question than you think.
October 20, 2008 at 9:39 am
jamsco
I have heard one pastor say that taking out a loan on a home (or a church building for that matter) is different from almost every other load in that it (normally) doesn’t depreciate immediately (like a car or a couch) so it is more like an investment.
This makes sense, but it still isn’t a reasoning sourced by the Bible.
I am guessing, assuming you don’t have evidence to the contrary) that fewer people remember your meeting question than you think.
October 21, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Chris
I think you’re probably right.
Perhaps it’s not a bad thing that it still bothers me a little bit, though, because it has helped me not to speak too quickly since then.
It has taken me a long time to learn that it is sometimes better not to immediately speak everything that comes to mind. Timing can be so important.
And thanks sharing the additional perspective on loans, too.
June 4, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Barth Netterfield
What is the point of ‘judging’ someone?
To protect them from from behavior that is destructive to themselves or others?
Not really judging the person – just the danger of the activity. “…gently restore him…”
To ascertain whether a person is trustworthy for a position of, eg, teaching, or if they are otherwise a threat?
“I am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
The focus is on the safety of others and again, on the activity, not the person.
To declare their guilt or innocence?
I kinda think God’s got that covered. It is blasphemy for us to presume to do this.
June 4, 2009 at 10:24 pm
jamsco
How about declare their guilt or innocence based on what God has revealed to us of his will.
June 16, 2009 at 11:03 pm
yunyun
Interesting discussion of the distinct forms of judgement.
November 21, 2009 at 9:08 am
John Coombes
This is a terribly divisive topic. But we are in fact called to judge rightly, else how would we be able to discern the fruits of false teachers, for example? Or how would we be able to exhort fellow believers when they stray?
Consider Joh 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Or Ezekiel 33. If the watchman does not warn the sinner(s) that God is about to judge them, who will? So he (the watchman) has to exercise discernment (diakrisis), which is judgement between right and wrong.
We are ALL sinners, but that does not mean that we are called to meet sin in others with silence. Surely that is contrary to NT love? Else why did our Lord have to come to save us and from what? When He ascended, He commanded His followers to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Is the Gospel only about Salvation? Or is it also about repentance and obedience.
While some may not agree with everything that Jacob Prasch preaches, nevertheless this article on the various forms of judgement cannot be faulted technically in terms of the Greek meanings. Try it.
http://www.moriel.org/pfp/sermons/judge_not.htm
If i am in a state of sin and a brother-in-Christ does not warn me, then i do not consider him a true brother. In order to do this, he would have to “judge” me and my actions.
Lastly what does Paul mean in “1Co 5:12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?
13 But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES. ”
Be blessed and vigilant. (Watch and pray).
November 21, 2009 at 2:18 pm
jamsco
Good thoughts.