What did Jesus mean when he said not to judge others? (10 things to know and share) [Akin]

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I’ve been involved with that admonishing situation before.

Non-religious friends sometimes use me at their spiritual or ethical adviser. I’ll give you an example, and I’m changing details here. But you’ll get the point.

My married atheist friend told me, quite brazenly, that she was trolling around online and engaging in sexually explicit chat with men.

I couldn’t lecture her about God. And she is ordinarily a very ethical, reliable person. We’ve been friends for more than 20 years. And I simply told her, “Your husband is a good man. Do you think he deserves that?”

She clammed up immediately I never heard anything about it again. I have no idea whether she stopped what she did. She knew very well that I would disapprove of her activities. She knows I have no use for disloyalty and infidelity. I wonder whether she told me so that I would dissuade her from continuing.

I don’t think I “judged” her. I don’t think I was self-righteous. I was very angry about and disappointed in her behavior. We’re still friends, and she’s still with her husband. So maybe that’s a good sign.
 
njlisa said:
It seems that many discussions about moral issues come to a halt because of this Scripture passage and others like it. How should we interpret this passage? What does it mean to judge others?

Matthew 7 states:
Judging Others
1 “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?
5 You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.

usccb.org/bible/matthew/7/
Click to expand...
D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

haydock1859.tripod.com/id21.html
 
njlisa said:
It seems that many discussions about moral issues come to a halt because of this Scripture passage and others like it. How should we interpret this passage? What does it mean to judge others?

Matthew 7 states:
Judging Others
1 “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
2 For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
3 Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?
5 You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.

usccb.org/bible/matthew/7/
Click to expand...
This may not be the best site to bring this topic up. While Matthew’s words are heeded by many, there is a significant and verbose minority who thumb their noses at those words.
 
Michael57 said:
I have noticed that in today’s society that this “judge not” verse is used as an ad hominem rebuttal when someone that is in a state of sin, or defending their particular favorite sin throws it out as a defense so that they can “win” the argument. And an attempt to tar the other one with the label “hypocrite”…

So, it seems to me that the scripture that you point out is often misused and misapplied. Especially by non-Christians. Funny thing that the only verse they can recall at any time is THIS one. 🤷 😃
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Yes … I often hear this from friends, especially in the context of abortion. If you’re pro-life, you’re being judgmental. Worse still, you’re condemning women to coat-hanger abortions. I often feel backed into a corner by this rhetoric, so I appreciate this validation.

I’ve also noticed that these same people will readily denounce other types of behavior. For instance, they will, without hesitation, will call people who abuse animals “monsters.” (Don’t get me wrong. I hate animal abuse.)

Anyway, I guess we all have our “pet” sins we are outraged at – even people who tell others not to judge.
thistle said:
D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

haydock1859.tripod.com/id21.html
Click to expand...
👍 Thank you for this link. It really gives me some context and insight into this passage.
 
Here is what Saint Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
Sexual Immorality Must Be Judged
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9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; 10 not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber—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. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.”
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And why was Paul so judgmental? Let’s go back a few verses:
1 Corinthians 5:5
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
5 To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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For the salvation of their soul! As it is with Excommunication, such a move is not punitive in nature - it is medicinal, intended to cause repentance in the one excommunicated.
 
There is a good deal of confusion about this simply because there are two quite distinct kinds of judging. One is the judging we must do to form good conscience this judging is a
moral obligation we all have. The other kind of judging that is forbidden is assuming that we can know what is in another person’s judgment. The simple fact is that only God knows what is in any person’s conscience. We can judge an action as evil but no matter how evil the action is only God knows what is in that person’s conscience and as the Scripture says
says It is a very dangerous business to think we can be such a judge. Even horrendous
crimes - the person may be insane and therefore sinless in God’s eyes. We are called to be doers of the Law and not judges. The last thing I want is to be judged without mercy so I am
happy to let judging be God’s business.
 
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