Only God Can Judge Me

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Non-Christians and Christians alike, commonly use the first two words of this verse. Both have “judge not”, memorized and commonly use the phrase to justify their behavior and/or lifestyle or to ignore sin altogether in our society. Many non-Christians use it to do whatever they want, shaking their fingers if anyone dares to question their behavior or lifestyle. On the other hand, some Christians often use the phrase to turn a blind eye to blatant sin.

Many people use this verse in an attempt to silence their critics, interpreting Jesus’ meaning as “You don’t have the right to tell me I’m wrong.”

In this passage, is Jesus really telling us to universally accept any lifestyle, behavior or teaching?

Let’s define this word, “judge.” It means to condemn, damn, or determine punishment. Placing condemnation and damnation on people is not our responsibility. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people of their wrong thinking and actions. However, should we just simply accept sin?

Since I cannot see a person’s heart, how do I know what's in their heart?

There has to be some sort of assessment. Let's use a tree for example. I cannot see the heart of a tree. How do I know what kind of tree it is? The leaves? The fruit? The structure? I have to look at and examine something to tell what type of tree I’m looking at. If I see apples on a tree, I can safely assume it is an apple tree. The apples on the tree are proof and evidence that what I see is an apple tree.

Did I judge the tree?

Or was there enough evidence to bring me to this conclusion.

Similarly, we can apply the same logic to people. If there is enough evidence that there is blatant, ongoing sin in their life, we can assume they need Jesus or they are in rebellion.

No matter what conclusion I come to, I am still called to unconditional love. If we walk in love, we can be an example of the Savior to people who need Him most. We can truly have a voice in the lives of those we most want to change if we truly walk in love and express an interest to really know and reach individuals with the same love we have received.

The Christian is not called to unconditional approval; however, we really can love people who do things we do not approve of. And be open to the voice of The Holy Spirit because He may lead you to admonish them in love by giving them a course correction.