Righteous Judgment

An open Bible with reading glasses rests on a wooden table beside a judge’s gavel, set against a warm, sunlit landscape of rolling hills and trees, conveying reflection, discernment, and moral clarity.

Few phrases shut down a conversation faster than this one: “Don’t judge.” It gets used like a verbal stop sign. No discussion. No disagreement. No moral evaluation allowed. But it raises an honest question worth asking. Is that actually what God says, or is it what we wish He meant?

Most people who quote “don’t judge” believe they are appealing to Jesus' own words. After all, didn’t He say in Matthew 7, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”? At first glance, it sounds like a blanket prohibition. But as with many popular sayings pulled from Scripture, the context tells a very different story.

What the Bible Means by “Judge”

Before we can know whether Christians are allowed to judge, we have to understand what judging actually means. The word “judge” is often misused today. In its strict, biblical sense, judging means determining guilt and, in some cases, assigning punishment based on that guilt, similar to what a judge or jury does today. It's less about whether the action is immoral and more about whether the infraction was, in fact, committed.

That's not how the term is usually used in modern conversation.When someone today says, “You can’t judge me,” what they almost always mean is this: You have no right to disapprove of what I’m doing.

Notice how different that is. In modern conversations, guilt is rarely in dispute. The behavior is usually open and admitted. What’s being demanded is not fairness, but silence and affirmation. Scripture does not support that idea. In fact, it contradicts it.

Didn’t Jesus Say Not to Judge?

Yes, Jesus did say those words in Matthew 7. But He said them to a very specific audience, in a very specific context. He was speaking to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel. These men were outwardly moral but inwardly corrupt.  Elsewhere, He describes these same Pharisees as blind guides, children of hell, and men with no relationship to God at all. Jesus was not addressing believers who were walking in submission to God. He was confronting unbelievers.

Furthermore, Jesus rebuked these leaders for condemning others while refusing to acknowledge they were guilty of the same sin. It would be akin to a drunkard confronting someone else for drinking a glass of wine. Again, this is rarely how this is used today. Rather, people use this as a weapon along the lines of "since you're guilty of [sin A], you can't tell me that [my sin B] is wrong." That erroneous line of thinking stems from a misunderstanding about all sins being the same. See here for why that's not true. In every way, how this passage is used today takes Jesus' words wildly out of context.

So what does this passage actually mean for us? At minimum, it means that judgment is forbidden for those outside the kingdom of God who are rebuking people while committing the same exact sin. A person who refuses God’s authority has no standing to sit in moral judgment over others, nor does that person have the moral compass for doing so.

However, it does not follow that believers are forbidden from judging. In fact, Scripture repeatedly commands the opposite.

Believers Are Commanded to Judge Righteously

Jesus Himself says, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). That's not a warning against judging. It is an instruction on how to do it properly.

Paul echoes this when he prays that believers’ love would abound “in knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9). Discernment requires judgment. One cannot discern without evaluating. No one can love rightly without distinguishing truth from error.

So why is judgment acceptable for believers but forbidden for unbelievers? The answer is the Holy Spirit. A believer is not judging by personal preference, emotion, or cultural standards. At least, he should not be. A believer judges by God’s revealed truth, guided by the Spirit of God, with humility born of personal repentance. That kind of judgment is not condemning. It is corrective. It is not rooted in pride, but in obedience.

Judgment With Humility and Love

Scripture never gives believers permission to be harsh, self-righteous, or cruel. Righteous judgment always begins with self-examination, asking God's Spirit to reveal sin in our own lives that needs removing.

However, humility does not mean silence. Love does not mean approval. And refusing to call sin what God calls sin is not kindness; it is abandonment. A parent who refuses to warn a child about danger is not loving. A doctor who refuses to name a disease is not compassionate. In the same way, a Christian who refuses to make moral judgments is not being Christlike.

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, are called to acknowledge sin both in our own lives and yes, in the lives of others, but always in love and, most importantly, while pointing people to the One Who can deliver us from the power of sin today and under Whose truly righteous judgment we all will sit one day.

Reflection

• When you hear the phrase “don’t judge,” how do you usually respond internally?

• Are there areas where fear of being labeled judgmental has kept you silent when Scripture calls you to speak?

• How can you practice righteous judgment that is both truthful and loving?

  
  

A Prayer

Father, give us hearts that love what You love and hate what You hate. Guard us from pride and hypocrisy, but also from cowardice and compromise. Teach us to judge rightly, with humility, clarity, and compassion, guided by Your Spirit and anchored in Your truth. Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”John 7:24