
Jesus said the wrong way to judge is hypocritical judgment (Mat. 7:1-5). This involves a person who has a glaring error they will not correct in their own life, while trying to correct a smaller error in someone else. The Jews were guilty of this as well when they were condemning the sins of the Gentiles while they were just as guilty (Rom. 2:1-3). Today, this could present itself in a variety of ways: a smoker who shames someone for drinking alcohol, a parent telling their children not to use bad language when they curse regularly, a friend who calls others selfish when they never help anyone, etc. The list could even include a Christian who tells someone they need to obey God and worship regularly when they hardly make any effort themselves. It is also true that anytime a person judges a situation hastily and without full knowledge it is the wrong way to judge. That is why Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
So, if there is a wrong way to judge, there must be a right way to judge. The right way to judge is based on God’s Word where we can distinguish between good and evil (Heb. 5:14). We can judge between the ungodly paths to destruction and the holy path that leads to eternal life (Mat. 7:13,14). We can judge if someone is teaching false doctrine by what they say and do (Mat. 7:15-20). We can judge who is wise and who is foolish based on how they are building their lives (Mat. 7:24-27). We can make a judgement concerning those who live lifestyles of sin (1 Cor. 6:9,10). We can judge who is lost and who is saved based on Gospel obedience (Mark 16:16; 2 The. 1:8,9). We can judge if a Christian has turned from the faith back to error (James 5:19,20). We can judge if we ourselves are obedient to God (2 Cor. 13:5).
The ultimate judge is our Lord (Acts 17:30,31). He will decide in the end who has been faithful and will be welcomed into the eternal Kingdom (Mat. 25:34). He has left us with His Word that will judge us on the last day (John 12:48). Our duty is to follow His Word and help others do the same making righteous judgments every day (John 7:24; Pro. 17:15; 1 John 3:6-9).
~Derrick Coble