“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”
1st Corinthians 5:12-13
Christians today in our culture are often depicted and perceived to be judgmental of others. We are accused of judging the actions of others while often neglecting our own behavior. Being called judgmental is not a compliment. Instead, it is a condemnation of a Christian’s character if we point fingers at others for what they do while silently asserting our own righteousness. Sadly, this is sometimes the case and deservedly so.
While this characterization of Christians contains an element of truth, in my personal experience I have found that most Christians are not judgmental. Instead, they are generally faithful servants who are simply trying to explain and share God’s Word about sin with others. Non-Christians who are confronted with the truth about a sin usually react negatively to it and often respond defensively with something like “who are you to judge me?” They attack the person who mentions God’s Word about a sin as if they are accusing them of committing it and therefore judging them. And to be fair, sometimes Christians can come across that way. But the reality is that people don’t want their behaviors pointed out as negative or to be held accountable for them. This is true for Christians as well as non-Christians.
Why do non-Christians accuse Christians of judging them? One reason is that we live in a culture where God’s Word is not revered or respected and many people think the truth is relative. In other words, they think they have the freedom to determine what is right and wrong themselves. And they don’t like being challenged with a different viewpoint from a God they don’t believe in. They consider any reference to a behavior that conflicts with their personal values or choices to be a condemnation of them as a person and hence is judging them.
So, how should Christians speak the truth about sin and its consequences to non-believers without being perceived as judging them? I learned something years ago when I started writing my blogs which has helped me to avoid doing this. The key is to not make statements directed at an individual. We should always refer to issues in a general sense so that the person we are writing to or talking to does not take them as a personal attack. For example, we can write or talk about God’s view on abortion without attacking another person’s point of view or position on it. We need to respect different viewpoints while sharing our own and never make it personal. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
What I believe Jesus is saying here is that God’s law applies to everyone. We are all sinful and break God’s laws every day. We should be careful not to point out the sins of others when we ourselves are sinful too. Jesus said that before we tell someone else about the speck in their eye, we should remove the larger plank in our own eye (Luke 6:41-42). Christians must not condemn or judge others but should gently speak the truth from God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit convict others of that truth. The Apostle Paul clearly says in 1st Corinthians 5:13 above that we are not to judge those who are non-believers. That is God’s job, not ours. Our job is to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and let God be their judge (and ours).
But what about judging other Christians? Do we have the responsibility to do that? According to Paul in 1st Corinthians 5:12, the answer is yes and that we are to “judge those inside the Church”. In other words, Paul was telling the Church in Corinth to “judge” their fellow believers who were living in open rebellion to God’s Word. He was telling them to hold other Christians accountable for their faith and their behavior. We must do the same today!
Perhaps a better word to use than judge is to rebuke them. Rebuking refers to letting a fellow believer know that what they are doing is contrary to God’s Word, His standard for behavior, not ours. Rebuking someone is not judging them but rather reminding them of God’s commands and truth and encouraging them to repent and be restored in their faith. The goal of rebuking is to encourage obedience to God’s commands for their benefit!
All followers of Christ should already know that sin is what separates us from God. When we acknowledge and confess our sin, God will “forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In other words, when we repent, our sins are forgiven, and we are restored into a right relationship with God. But Jesus also said in Luke 13:3 that “unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Without repentance, our sin remains unforgiven, and we are not in a right relationship with God. It is a clear warning to all of us that if we don’t repent of our sins, we too will perish!
As Christians, we are accountable to God, but we are also accountable to each other. The Bible tells us as followers of Christ to encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11), love one another (John 13:35), confess our sins and pray for one another (James 5:16), and teach and admonish one another (Colossians 3:16). These are all ways that we as Christians can help each other to “live a life worthy of the calling we have received” (Ephesians 4:1) as His followers.
As Christians, therefore, let us not judge others. Instead, with non-believers, let us faithfully share God’s Word and Truth with them in the hope they too will find forgiveness and salvation in Jesus. With our fellow believers, let us humbly and gently rebuke our Christian brothers and sisters to encourage them to repent in order to restore them in their faith and walk with God.