Christian Judgment
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. -Matthew 7:1–6
Check out last Sunday’s sermon here.
Consider the following:
The ability to identify (see and judge) the sins in others is not necessarily a sign of Christian maturity. And consider that revulsion over someone else’s sin is not necessarily a sign of Christian maturity.
Why are the above actions not good signifiers of maturity? It is because both actions give no indication as to whether or not the one judging is judging from a heart that has been itself shaped by the mercy of God. Seeing the sin in others does not necessarily imply that I have seen the sin in myself? Revulsion over the sin in others does not necessarily imply that I am disgusted by my own sin.
As Pastor Mike shared Sunday from Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus needles into the heart of hypocritical, sinful judging. Like all of the Sermon on the Mount, this passage uncomfortably exposes the sin of the heart. Specifically here Jesus graces us by having, “...the sin of self-righteousness exposed,” in us. If you judge the sins of others according to a standard that you do not surrender to yourself, your judgment is hypocritical. This type of judgment is, “...the impetus of pharisaical righteousness,” as Pastor Mike shared.
How do we judge (reprove, rebuke) without making a judgment?
Jesus clearly does not forbid judgment (see John 7:24) but hypocritical judging. How then should we judge with proper judgment? Let’s consider the exhortation from the message.
- Let the Gospel of Jesus kill our pride.
- Let the Gospel of Jesus fill our hearts with mercy toward others.
If we are captured by the gospel, what flows out of us is not some smug, proud condescension to the sin we see in others, but self-aware humility and an inclination towards mercy. - Pastor Mike
The alternative to feeling self-righteous upon seeing the sin in others is to rather relate to the sinner, knowing I am a sinner in need of mercy. Jesus did not die for me, so that I would boast in myself. The other alternative is to offer mercy, knowing Christ is the only one who will truly satisfy the heart. Sin is a real problem, punishable by death. Christ offers mercy, and I am an ambassador of His message. It must be a form of sinful delusion if I live a life, claiming to have received mercy, mercy, mercy from Jesus while treating others as if the same offer of mercy I received is now withheld from them. It is the height of pride. “Of course, I was blind and now I see, but they will never sing of this kind of mercy.”
What does this type of mercy-founded judgment look like? Paul offers us a template.
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:1–2
A Test To Expose Hypocrisy
Question: Does the sin in another make me feel better about myself in comparison to them?
Question: What truths of the Gospel are oriented to help me boast in myself? The Perfect Lamb? The Cross? The Grave? The Resurrection?