1. ‘Must not judge others’ is a Church LIE
A common church lie is saying ‘we must not judge others.’ Religious people say this to protect the sinful behavior of themselves and their own people. They claim it is not Christ-like to point out and avoid lying preachers or sinning church people. But is that what Jesus meant when He said "judge not"? There are 3 instances in the Bible where Jesus used the exact phrase "judge not." But He was not telling his followers to stop judging all others. Jesus was warning people to judge NOT as the unrighteous, to judge NOT as the hypocrite, to judge NOT as the unmerciful. In John 7:24 Jesus said, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." In this very sentence that He said "judge not," Jesus also makes clear we ought to judge—the point is to be just, merciful, truthful when judging. It is particularly important to judge those who claim to be servants of God, or claim to be fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, to discern if what they say is true. Who you include in your spiritual fellowship can either help or hinder your spiritual growth. So, Jesus teaches his followers to judge righteous judgment according to other’s fruits, works, deeds.
2. Letter KILLETH, but the Spirit giveth LIFE
Let’s look at the context of where Jesus said "judge righteous judgment." At that time the Jews were considered God’s people. Their temple leaders were Pharisees, scribes, chief priests and so on who had God’s oracles. But these religious leaders were hypocrites. For their own selfish glory, they held on to the letter of the law to put on an outward show of being godly. But their crooked hearts rejected obeying God’s commandments in spirit and truth. So, these religious hypocrites were spiritually dead people. As 2 Corinthians 3:6 says, "...for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." In John 7:19 Jesus said, "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?" Despite claims of being servants of God and people of God, they truly were enemies of God and sought to kill Jesus. Jesus exposed their evil disobedient ways, so, they looked for underhanded ways to trap, accuse, and destroy Him. John 7:1 says, "the Jews sought to kill him [Jesus]" John 7:12 says, "And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him…others said, Nay; but he [Jesus] deceiveth the people." John 7:20 says, "The people answered and said, Thou [Jesus] hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee?" Religious people accused Jesus of having a devil and deceiving people, but these very things were actually true of themselves.
3. Judge RIGHTEOUS Judgement
These unrighteous people are who Jesus instructed to ‘judge not,’ because they judged unrighteous judgement using the letter of the law rather than the spirit of God’s law. They zealously followed religious ceremony such as circumcision on the sabbath day, yet desired to accuse Jesus for healing the sick on the sabbath. John 7:23-24 Jesus said, "If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Jesus is not telling his followers to never judge others. Rather, he is saying to not make unrighteous judgements. Religious zealots were willing to break the Sabbath’s rule of absolute rest to perform religious ceremony, or for their own selfish purpose of saving their livestock; yet, they sought to attack Jesus for having compassion on a desperate, suffering man in need of healing. Matthew 12:9-14 says, "…he [Jesus] went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him." The religious people’s crooked intent is using the letter of the law to accuse and destroy Jesus, yet they themselves disobey God’s spiritual principles of truth, mercy, and righteousness.
4. Judge NOT according to APPEARANCE, Judge NOT as HYPOCRITE
Hypocrites only care to appear godly to gain people’s praise. But God rejects them as He knows their sinful heart. God judges not according to appearance, rather He judges with righteous judgement looking at the inner intention. Romans 2:28-29 says, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." The purpose of an outward ceremony such as circumcision or water baptism is to mark you are now God’s people, and choose to live obeying His commandments from the inside out. Religious Jews may praise a hypocrite as a man of God simply because he followed the outward ceremony of circumcision, but God judges based on obedience from the heart. Nowadays, religious Christians may praise a hypocrite as a man of God simply because he follows outward ceremony such as water baptism, but God judges based on obedience in spirit and truth.
Christian hypocrites judge others for not zealously holding unto ceremony, tradition and ordinance, while they live unrighteous lives that disobey the very commandments of Jesus. Jesus warned against judging this way, and said God will reciprocate to harshly judge such people in the same manner. In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." Hypocrites judge others on minor issues, while blatantly disregarding that they themselves violate the far more weighty, important commandments of God. Jesus says to judge not as a hypocrite.
5. KNOW them by their FRUITS
So, how and when ought believers judge others? Believers must judge who are true servants of God, so as not to be deceived. It is not accepting anybody who has a religious appearance or declaration, rather it is knowing them by their fruit. In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.…A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." False servants try deceiving you by appearing in sheep’s clothing, but the inner intention is to take advantage of you for their worldly gain of money and power. Look at the deeds or fruit of their life to see if they obey Jesus’s commandments, and see if they serve and lead people to obey Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus warned of false preachers because those deceived to follow them will fall in the same fiery ditch of Hell. Similarly, believers must judge who are true brethren in Christ, to determine who may be included in their spiritual fellowship. We are to judge those who claim to be fellow Christians based off whether their life’s fruit or work are good or evil, righteous or unrighteous.
6. PUT AWAY the Wicked
It is not making an eternal judgment of whether their soul will go to Hell or Heaven. But Scripture instructs us to judge and exclude from spiritual fellowship those who continue in wicked deeds. 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 says, "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." Please notice the instruction is to judge and exclude from our company evil sinners who claim to be within the Christian group or church. It is not judging and avoiding the people of the world, otherwise it would not be possible to live and work in the world as needed. Scripture names the specific sinners to be excluded. Fornicators (or those engaging in sexual immorality outside the boundary of marriage), covetous (or those desiring others’ belonging for themself), idolater (or those who do excess partying, or worship that which is not God), railer (or those who revile others with abusive language), drunkard (or those who drink to excess), and extortioner (or those use undue force to take things from others). Put away or exclude from spiritual fellowship those who commit such serious, wicked sin. Scripture specifically states not to exclude weaker believers based on small matters; such as belief of eating vegetarian versus eating meat, or differences on day of worship (that reference is found in Romans 14).
7. Judge NOT as the UNMERCIFUL
While true believers must judge others claiming to be Christians, the righteous way to judge includes compassion towards those who are worthy of it. It is of eternal importance for our own soul to judge not as the unmerciful. If we desire God’s forgiveness for our sins, we must forgive trespasses of repentant brethren. In Luke 6:37 Jesus said, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven…" God will not give a free pass to wicked people simply because they do not judge or condemn others. The point is not having compassion for unrepentant sinners who are fornicators, murderers, extortioners or so on. Rather we ought to have compassion on repentant fellow brethren who trespassed against us. Trespasses are small faults that occur between close people, they are not evil criminal acts. If we desire God forgive us of our past sin (which are far more serious than minor trespasses), instead of holding grudges, we must have mercy and forgive repentant brethren of their trespasses.
The parable of the unforgiving servant teaches that at judgement God will not forgive the sins of those who are unforgiving of others’ smaller wrongs against them. In this parable a servant owes the king a large sum of 10,000 talents. Because he is unable to pay his debt, the king commands he, his family and all his possessions be sold for payment. The servant begs for patience and says he will pay it all back. So, the king has compassion, releases him, and forgives his debt. But this same servant then finds and grabs by the throat his fellow servant who owed him a mere 100 pence. When the fellow servant begs for patience to pay the debt back, the first servant mercilessly has him cast in prison. The king comes to learn of his servant’s lack of compassion, so, he revokes forgiveness for his original large debt and casts him in prison. In Matthew 18:32-35 it says, "O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses." At judgement time, God will not forgive our past grievous sin if we did not forgive our repentant brethren of their minor trespasses. We must have a merciful heart for God to have mercy on us.
8. Follow Jesus to Judge Righteous Judgement
Do not believe the church lie that ‘you must not judge others.’ When Jesus said ‘judge not,’ he meant judge NOT as the unrighteous, judge NOT as the hypocrite, judge NOT as the unmerciful. Be a true follower of Jesus—judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgement. Your soul’s eternal life depends on it. You must judge those claiming to be servants of God, and you must judge those claiming to be fellow brethren in Christ. Not for eternal judgement, but to judge if they are true or false. Know them by their fruits—whether they do good or do evil, whether the live righteous or live unrighteous. Light has no fellowship with darkness. Good has no fellowship with evil. Truth has no fellowship with deception. So also, a true believer will not have spiritual fellowship with false preachers and unrepentant sinning churchgoers. Obey Jesus and judge righteous judgement. May God bless you.