(Published in The Christian Journal – Medford, OR – September 2018)
When Jesus expresses in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you not be judged,” He is not giving a command to not judge the actions of another or between right and wrong … It is, instead, a stern reminder that what goes around comes around. In the next verse, He makes this point clearly: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
It will go a long way toward our growth if we will realize that when we are quick to judge others, we really have a self-image problem. This is the problem the Pharisee had as he looked down on the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
God saw the best in us, not the worst, as He sent His Son to die for our sins. He loved us (John 3:16-17) and indeed, loves us! Paul reminds us how much God loves us when he writes, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly … But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6,8
When we see someone in sin, our first inclination should be to build him up. We must remember that the Holy Spirit had made it plain as Paul is inspired to write in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.”
When we have a proper image of ourselves … made in the image of God and righteous through Christ … we are more apt to respond, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness … Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1,2 (Read all of Galatians 6:1-5)
Looking for the best in others, both our fellow Christians and those in the world … seeing the potential, not the failing … and if we will be vigilant over our own lives first, it will be harder for us to judge when we should help, condemn when we should restore or hate when we should love.
When we remember that we will be judged by the same measure that we judge … we will likely be more forgiving, generous, thoughtful, and gentle. Will we be interested in the salvation of those around us rather than being certain of their destruction?