Whom are we to judge as Christians? The culture would tell us to judge no one. “That’s not nice.” The most known Bible verse seems to have shifted from John 3:16 to Matthew 7:1. “Judge not, that you be not judged” says Jesus and that was all he said… ever. No.
I’m sympathetic to some degree, however, with our culture. Not that they are right and that there is no place for judgment (because there is) but because Christians are often judgmental jerks. I’ve seen many a time, and to my shame I have been guilty of so doing, where a Christian just lets an unbeliever have it. They react to the sinful behavior they see in an unbeliever and they tell them what’s up.
What I mean is not that the believer gently but firmly points out their sin and need for repentance and faith in Christ for salvation, but that they belittle them and call them names and basically make them subhuman for living in sin and not feeling bad about it. Now I know that some will immediately react to what I have just said by replying “you can’t be soft on sin” or “Christians aren’t called to be doormats” or “Jesus and Paul were not afraid of harsh words.” All of these things are true and I agree. I am not saying that we back down or refuse to hold our ground and not say what needs said. I am saying that we need to be careful how we do it and we need to think carefully about the pattern laid before us in Scripture for how we judge.
I think it’s noteworthy that every direct teaching on the concept of judgment in the New Testament applies directly to believers dealing with other believers.
Matthew 7:1-5 “ “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Matthew 18:15-20 “15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.18Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 “9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters,since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
Here in this last passage Paul explicitly states that we are not to judge outsiders but to judge those inside the church. This is the pattern of teaching in the New Testament when it comes to passing judgment on people. We judge believers we do not judge unbelievers. But what then do we mean by “judgment”?
There is, of course, a sense in which judgment is unavoidable. Every decision we make is a judgment to one thing instead of another. When I tell my unbelieving friend that he is a sinner and that he needs to repent and believe the gospel I am making a judgment about him. But that’s not the kind of judgment that the Bible seems to have in view. If it were then it would be impossible to not judge “outsiders” while also keeping the commandment to share the gospel.
The kind of judgment that the Bible deals with is that of correcting, rebuking and, if necessary, disfellowshipping another believer. These passages are not pointed at how to deal with non believing people they are how to deal with sin in the church. Some of the Bible’s words about dealing with unrepentant sin in the church are incredibly strong. In Revelation 2-3 Jesus threatens to remove churches lampstands and to fight against them with the sword of his mouth because of their unfaithfulness.
In 1 Corinthians 5:3-5 Paul writes “3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”
Undeniably strong language when there is talk of handing people over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh! Jesus himself did not hesitate to call people a “brood of vipers” (Mt. 12:34) “Hypocrites” and “Whitewashed tombs” (Mt. 23:27). But you know what all of these really harsh statements have in common? They are directed towards those who consider themselves righteous before God. The harshest statements and judgments in the Bible are directed at those who claim to be believers but who are in unrepentant sin.
How does Jesus deal, on the other hand, with unbelievers and people who have no delusions that they are one of God’s people? The Samaritan woman at the well, for instance, is a person in serial adultery but she is not pretending to be righteous. Does Jesus have harsh words for her? He certainly speaks the truth when he says “you have had five husbands and the man you are with now is not your husband.” But he doesn’t berate her. Just as Paul instructs in 1 Cor. 5 we are not to have anything to do with the sexually immoral, not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, but those who bear the name brother and who persist in unrepentant sin.
When you see unbelievers acting like unbelievers does it make you angry? Christians often times seem to puff up in their self righteousness and condemn sinners for their wickedness. We write them off and avoid them and we talk down about or to them. How quickly we forget that we are them. The only difference between us and them is the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ that we do not deserve. “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Tim. 1:15)
When we see unbelievers sleeping around or participating in aberrant sexual behavior we should not act like we are the better moral person. We aren’t. Christ who lives within us is. When we are attacked by unbelievers for our stance on salvation in Christ alone, or traditional marriage, or for any other kind of truth that offends the non-Christian mind we should not retaliate in anger or in witty slams against “those wicked pagans.” We should instead remember that they are just like me minus Jesus.
We cannot forget our role and our place in dealing with unbelievers. We are not their judge. Our responsibility is to love them unconditionally (a difficult calling to be sure). God has called us to love them, to share the gospel with them, to return good for evil. “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:20) “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Pet. 3:9)
It is truly possible to speak what is true, to not back down for a second or compromise our values and principles, and at the same time to not belittle those who are lost and pass judgment upon them. We recognize that God is their judge and he will judge them and that they deserve his judgment. But our role is not to play God, it is to be his ambassadors and to plead and reason with people to flee from their sin and to come and know life in Christ. We must hold our judgment and harsh words against lost people. We must judge rightly within the church and we must be strong and clear, but the way we deal with internal matters and the way we deal with our external obligations as Christian cannot be conflated or we become self-righteous judges playing God.
Speak the truth always. Love always. Judge only where it is your place to do so.
