Judging Others

Chloe asked that I do a post on the topic of judging others. I read her comment last night and began thinking about it. Then this morning I received word that an older gentleman in our area unexpectedly passed away. As I thought about it I realized that I had been guilty of judging him! I found it interesting that this happened right after Chloe asked me to write about the subject. So I’ll share with you all what I have learned about the subject.




First of all I think we should define what we mean by “judging someone”. We are not speaking of those cases in which it is your rightful duty to judge someone. That is the duty of parents, pastors, rulers, and others. We are not speaking of that form of judging. Instead we are speaking of when you have no authority over a person and decide it is your responsibility to determine whether they are in the wrong. And just because you are correct in your judgment of someone, does not mean that it is right for you to judge them. I think we all realize that you can speak the truth, but be in the wrong. However many times when we judge others we are incorrect in our judgment of them. Appearances can be very deceiving. And when it is our place to judge we must be very careful to weigh all the evidence, before we pass judgment. But we are not speaking here about how to judge rightly but instead whether you have the right to judge. Now in some instances we must determine whether or not a certain person may be a suitable friend. We must judge their character to determine this for ourselves. But once we have made a judgment of them we should not go and “spread the word” to others because, as I said before, your judgment may be inaccurate. Now what did Jesus say about judging? In Matthew 7:1-2 He says “Judge not, that you may not be judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged;” For example if you decide that someone drinks too much soda, and start telling others what you think, then they will start watching how much you drink. Now does this mean that we should never condemn sin that we see, because we may fall into that same sin? No, instead I would say that we should condemn the person’s sin, not the person.



So what are some practical ways we can apply this to our lives? Well I would say, before you talk to someone about what you think of a person, ask yourself this “Is it my place to judge this person?” “Does this person I am speaking to really need to know what I think of so-in-so?” And most importantly “Would God be pleased with me sharing my judgment of this person?”. Now what if you have made a judgment of a person that you are not sure is accurate or not? Well for a young person I would say ask your parents. And for an older person talk to your pastor or some other godly adult that knows the person. And in talking to them make sure that you don’t just make it a gossip session, but instead sincerely seek their advice as to whether or not you have made an accurate judgment of the person. However some times you may not even need someone else’s advice. Many times your conscience will tell you whether it is a right judgment or not. And of course in all of this remember to go to God in prayer about the matter. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path.”