I Judge No one
Let us judge one another no longer.
We judge by appearance. False perceptions lead to errors that ripple. The Bible has a great deal to say about the exercise of our judgment as individuals, particularly towards others.
For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. Do not judge, and you shall by no means be judged, and do not condemn, and you shall by no means be condemned.
Being judged or condemned can wound us deeply. By practicing “do not judge”, we are kept from harming others and ourselves. Much trauma is caused by condemning judgments. We are prone to judging others according to our perceptions and our own will.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge the righteous judgment. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me. I can do nothing from Myself; as I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.
Right judgment requires self-transcendence. Sound reasoning and self-righteousness are inadequate bases for true judgment. “I judge no one” are the words of Christ we would do well to take to heart. The “I” is not to judge alone. I cannot judge the self of another. “I and the Father” is required for true judgment. A life in Christ involves a transformation in the way we make human judgments.
The apostles also speak about judging, issuing strong admonitions to “every man who judges.”
Paul: O every man who judges, for in what you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. He who eats, let him not despise him who does not eat; and he who does not eat, let him not judge him who eats, for God has received him. One judges one day above another, and another judges every day alike. Let each be fully persuaded in his own mind. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Therefore, let us judge one another no longer, but rather judge this: not to put a stumbling block or cause of falling before your brother. So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes…
We can be fully persuaded in our minds about what suits us, but let us judge one another no longer, and certainly not judge before the time. Our judgments of others can condemn us. Our judgments can cause others to stumble. We suspend our judgments about others “for God has received him.”
Paul also gives us another insight into his point of view:
In fact, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.
The teachings of Christ, as well as of the apostles, are strong, clear, and unambiguous in the matter of judging our fellow man. Here is some more from James, Peter, and Jude.
James: Have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil reasonings? Do not speak against one another, brothers. But who are you who judge your neighbor? Do not complain, brothers, against one another lest you be judged.
Reasoning is used to defend our judgment. But if the outcome is divisions and distinctions, could the reasoning be justifiable?
Peter: Who, being reviled, did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten but kept committing all to Him who judges righteously; Whereas angels, though they are greater in strength and power, do not bring a reviling judgment against them [the unrighteous] before the Lord.
Jude: But Michael the archangel, when he contended with the devil and disputed concerning the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him but said, The Lord rebuke you.
When confronted with things that threaten our way of thinking and our preferences, we can become more judgmental. The temptation is great. We may reason that it is okay to revile something because it is “bad”. The contrarian teaching of the Bible is not to judge, even that which is evil in its appearance. The New Testament has a uniquely radical stance that is in sharp contrast to prevailing human norms.
Embracing this teaching and letting it transform the way we see things is a real challenge. If we suspend judgment, will evil not run rampant? That is the mental dilemma.
Divisions, distinctions, and dissensions result from reviling judgments. Where angels fear to tread, humans have run wild with reviling judgments. Strife, violence, and injury are the end, both at a personal level and globally. Judgments intended to prevent evil end up perpetuating evil. The false judgment of men who represented the political and religious establishment played a huge role in the crucifixion. The codes of conduct they had constructed for themselves were used to rationalize the false judgment of Christ.
We are taught to withhold reviling judgments against all that appears wrong to us. Things we think need to be stopped, including the devil, do not qualify for a judgment of reviling. Even angels (God's messengers) don’t do that. That is the scriptural standard. It is a hard teaching that stands against core human impulses, including the natural desire to stomp out perceived evil.
Christ, on the other hand, “being reviled did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten but kept committing all to Him who judges righteously.”
That is the model established by Christ. The cross shows us that fallen man’s way is to judge, and Christ’s way is not to judge apart from oneness with the Father.
Even though the Father has given all judgment to the Son, the Son had this to say while on earth.
I judge no one. I have not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Neither do I condemn thee.
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.
Embracing the teaching—do not judge according to appearance —requires us to deny the self and its perceptions.
Our judgments define our identity, drive our actions, and give us a sense of control. It sits at the core of our life’s operating system. We fear anarchy if we suspend judgment.
To deny oneself and take up our cross has much to do with denying our judgments the place they occupy in us. To forgive is to let go of our judgments. The root of bitterness grows in the soil of our judgments. Much of our unhappiness with ourselves and with others stems from our false judgments. We can stop wounding one another with our false judgments.
Religious institutions define their boundaries through their judgments, determining who is in and who is out. Organized religions fabricate cloaks of righteousness woven from threads of reasoning that often incorporate scripture. The leaven of judgment leavens the whole lump. The few who embodied radical nonjudgment were either vilified or granted sainthood, sometimes both.
We struggle to receive the teaching about judging and have fumbled the ball. Christians today cannot collectively stand with Christ and echo the words, “I judge no one.”
The ego's need to preserve its identity, the need of Christian institutions to demarcate their territory, the urge to establish our righteousness, and the resistance to the inner transformation needed have all played a role in the open, rampant, ongoing, and deeply destructive practice of judging our fellow man. The pain caused by “judging by appearance” is incalculable. All relationships are challenged by false judgment, and many succumb to such temptation.
The Lord will judge His people on the last day. We must wait for righteous judgment, which has an appointed time. Today is not that day. Judgment also has a designated place — the throne of God. While on this earth, our minds are not the place of judgment. The foundation for judgment is His righteousness. Self-righteous judgments are unreliable because we can be easily misled. There is an appointed time, place, and foundation for judgment, and we are not there yet. We must not confuse God's divine right to judge with a human license to pass judgment.
We are called to enter a realm of awareness where God reigns. This is a realm beyond good and evil. In our present life, we do need to make personal choices and have discernment.
Choose gently, without condemnation. Lean not on your understanding, but acknowledge the Lord, so there can be a way to receive inner guidance. For matters that are not purely personal, we can “keep committing all to Him who judges righteously”.
A life in Christ is without judgment of self or others. Love grows in such an atmosphere, and such a love bears witness. Truth is realized by going beyond appearance.
