Lord’s Library contributor Chris Wright offers commentary on the concept of to judge or not to judge in the Bible, with key Scriptures. Check out Chris’s resource journal on Centering Prayer and use it as a tool to enhance your Christian walk. Lord’s Library’s Ministry Leaders Series is a collection of contributed articles written by ministry leaders on key Christian topics.
Treat others as you want to be treated. The Golden Rule. Everybody loves it. They spout it everywhere these days, especially when they don’t want to be judged. In particular, the secular world loves to throw it in the faces of Christians since it was a commandment uttered to the Jews by Jesus, many of whom would go on to form the first churches.
The alleged idea is that loving and approving of others means we will not judge them for their actions but will speak to them nicely and even affirm them. It is wrong to shame, as the contemporary philosophy goes. But does love mean affirmation? Is shame truly wrong if it guards another from destruction? If a child is about to do something that will cause them great harm, would it be loving of his or her parents to affirm his or her present course of action?
The obvious answer is no because sometimes true love requires a confrontation with evil by setting boundaries and safeguards (also known as standards) that will protect others from harm and direct them on paths that will lead to bounties and benefits in the long run, that will uplift them, strengthen them, and prepare them to face other obstacles they may encounter along their journeys through this life. And this is irrespective of their feelings.
Yet, this rather obvious fact doesn’t sit well with today’s society and/or church. They prefer to cherry-pick verses from the Bible such as Matthew 7:1-4, Romans 12:19-21, and James 4:12 as proof that we are to affirm and approve and never to hold others accountable for their actions:
- Matthew 7:1-4: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
- Romans 12:19-21: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
- James 4:12: “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”
However, such verses are read out of context and misconstrue the words of Jesus. Furthermore, they show a profound misunderstanding of judgment.
To Judge or Not to Judge in the Bible
Judgment in the Bible and Society
The terms translated as “judge” or “judgment” in the New Testament are krima, krino, krisis (from which we get the English word “crisis”), and krites. There are other words as well, but the rest are derivatives of one or another of the four general terms listed. The terms Jesus uses in Matthew 7 are derivatives of krino (verb) and krima (noun), to identify the action of judging and the resulting object of judgment.
These terms parallel the Hebrew term shpht. Like in English, the Hebrew and the Greek have a specific root that is common to all the terms (shpht and kri-) and context is a significant factor in understanding what they mean. While they have a general meaning, how they are used in a sentence, paragraph, and passage matters to how we should interpret them.
In Hebrew, shpht has the general meaning of “judgment, to judge or render judgment.” Often it is used in the context of legal proceedings, but not always because judgments could be rendered by a certified judge or any individual. In either setting, the party would make a choice about how to proceed after considering the pros and cons of a particular difficulty. In the Old Testament, to judge was simply to make a decision on a matter, and that decision could either be bad or good, leading to accompanying ramifications that matched the nature of the decision (i.e. actions have consequences).
As a general rule, the good decision would always be the one that was thought through and was performed by a pure heart. Quick decisions were recognized as always being too hasty and prone to falsity, which is why the Israelites were instructed to be careful and protect themselves from bad ideas even if that meant that they would have to protect themselves from other people as well. This is why an entire tradition developed involving the celebration of wisdom (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and so on). It was held that the wise person would not only know God but would fear him also and filter all their decisions through his will fervently and patiently.
This concept is not limited to the Israelites. It appears in countless cultures from the beginning of time, including our own. There is (or used to be) the prevalent and widespread acknowledgment that humanity is deeply flawed and capable of great evil if unchecked. We have a propensity toward pride, greed, and sexual immorality, the three major sins that have easily been corrupted and destroyed since the Fall in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3).
Hence, we have a deep-seated need for honesty and goodness to combat the evil that ails us, which requires righteous and courageous judgments to point us on the correct path.
Throughout the Bible, God accomplishes this Himself, through the use of righteous judges (Book of Judges and all the prophets) and through the condemnation of lies and the bearing of false witness in the Ten Commandments. See Exodus 20:16: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” From the Jewish standpoint, righteous judgment was and is necessary to produce a good and holy cosmos. God was and is the ultimate Judge, and all other righteous judges would be those who operated according to His will.
So why would Jesus tell us not to judge?
Judge Not, Lest You be Judged
Matthew 7:1-4 has been thrown around a lot against Christians judging others, and proponents have used the holier-than-thou critique of dissenters to defend their position. I find this defense despicable because it is the same defense that has been used for years to keep the church behind closed doors and away from the public scene while evil was allowed to frolic and fester, and misuse of Matthew 7:1-4 has been at the forefront of that heinous defense.
Note that 7:5 is conveniently left out. Here is how the full paragraph reads in the KJV vs. ESV:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
“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.”
To the chagrin of many, this passage is not a blanket statement to never judge. Pay close attention to what Jesus actually says. “Judge not, that you be not judged” or judgment begets judgment. If you judge, you will be judged in return, so be careful when you judge because whatever judgment you make will be applied to you as well. The second verse corroborates this interpretation verbatim, stressing that whatever measure you use will be the measure applied to you.
The focus is on the application of standards, not on the act of judging itself. Whatever standard is applied will include both parties in the dispute, and the one who judges unjustly will receive the consequences of the standard they have applied to the other.
In our judicial systems, the setting of standards through legal proceedings is called “precedence.” Whenever a decision is made by a judge, that decision becomes available as a standard to guide future judgments. Therefore, whenever there is a ruling, it affects more people than just the direct recipient of the sentencing. Each case will be treated based on prior rulings in similar cases. And this extends beyond the courtroom.
For instance, parents seek advice from other parents in order to determine the proper way to raise their children, and unless there is a guiding standard for all situations, there will only always be confusion, chaos, and disorder. The parents who decide to wing it and not listen to anyone who is experienced will also find themselves in chaos and disorder. The same goes for history. Historians always rightly tell us that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. History is a long story of traditions that are either beneficial or unbeneficial, and having them to weigh against each other helps us to ascertain what pathways are best to follow.
Those who want to get rid of said traditions are trying to eliminate standards entirely and subject us to endless confusion and evil. Bad decisions beget bad outcomes, and good decisions beget good outcomes, which is why the Teacher tells us four times in Proverbs that a wise man surrounds himself with many counselors. See Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 20:18, and Proverbs 24:5-6:
- Proverbs 11:14: “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.”
- Proverbs 15:22: “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.”
- Proverbs 20:18: “Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.”
- Proverbs 24:5-6: “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
The log and speck analogy flows directly from this line of thought. If you have a log in your own eye, then your vision is clouded. Without careful critique of yourself and dealing with your own sins and failures, you will be unable to judge properly. Your measure will be faulty, and you will be unable to hold up to the standard you have set or are following. But if you deal with the log (your sins and failures) and remove it from your own eye, then you will have the clarity of sight to properly judge what plagues your brother (or sister) so you can help them deal with their sins and failures in a manner that both rescues them and keeps you free from condemnation.
R.T. France summarizes this point well: “The reciprocal principle is stated both directly with regard to judgment and indirectly using the metaphor of measuring out commodities in the market. In both cases you must expect the same standards of measurement to be applied to both parties (Rom 2:1 makes a closely similar point). The critic who is blind to his or her own failings is living in a make-believe world where one canexempt oneself from standards to which others are expected to conform. Society will not tolerate that, and still less can the disciple community afford to operate by such double standards; it is a recipe for the breakdown of relationships.”
The implication is not that all judgment is wrong, but that unwise or unclear judgment is wrong. In other words, when one judges unrighteously or unjustly, he or she will bring down that injustice upon his or her own head, similar to the idea of karma or the philosophical/scientific concept of cause-and-effect. Every action has a positive or negative reaction. There will be negative consequences for false, unwise, unjust judgment, but righteous and just judgment will bring about healing and restoration through the revelation of truth and the communal conviction of sins.
In this way, Jesus’s message is in keeping with the Old Testament laws against the bearing of false witness and discernment (making wise decisions). The goal is honesty, which cannot be accomplished without first an inward transformation of the one judging. He or she must be cleansed of his or her transgressions and filled with a new mind. Then he or she can discern the truth and show it to others.
Hence, this passage is a commandment but also a celebration of personal sanctification, of being made holy in Christ.
Vengeance is Mine, Saith the Lord
Paul advances the same message in Romans 12, which is also coincidentally where another controversial set of verses can be found. People tend to fixate on the latter part of the chapter where Paul says this in Romans 12:19-21. Here is how the verses read in the KJV vs. ESV:
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This passage comes after a list of ethical expectations, one of many such lists that Paul is known for. It is commonly cited as evidence that we are never to judge, but that is not what Paul is saying.
Note that the Greek word Paul uses is translated as “vengeance,” not judgment. The exact term is ekdikesis, which can mean the administration of justice but also means in certain contexts “retaliation for harm done,” the sense used in Romans 12:19. Vengeance is retaliation against a perceived injustice or evil act committed against oneself. The Hebrew law and other ancient law codes, like the Code of Hammurabi, referred to this as “eye for an eye.”
One must exercise judgment to discern what acts are evil and unjust, so immediately, we see that judgment cannot be avoided and cannot be fully equated with vengeance. The two are separate, though related, objects and/or actors. Vengeance is the instant carrying out of actions inspired by condemnation reached through swift and unreasoned judgment. When emotions reign, sometimes no judgment is utilized at all; just instinctive, equivocal, reflexive retaliation. Such behavior was already prohibited in the Old Testament, and Paul is working from a direct knowledge of such prohibitions and expanding them into the Christian community.
The verse Paul cites from the Old Testament is Deuteronomy 32:35: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” In that passage, Yahweh declares that he will seek the vindication of his people and prove that no other god or force of evil can stand against him. The conflict is explicitly described as between Yahweh and the gods of the nations, so it is spiritual, meaning that taking vengeance upon one’s neighbor is fruitless and does no harm to the true enemy.
The same section of Deuteronomy inspired Paul’s words elsewhere. See Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Eye for an eye, fire with fire, is obsolete and only does more harm than good because the real evil is spiritual and cannot be counteracted by human punishments. Vengeance does not get at the root of sin and evil but causes it to spread like wildfire.
So Paul provides an alternative, quoting Proverbs 25:21-22: “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”
In other words, kindness and compassion in the face of insult, slander, and defamation will bring your enemy to his knees. He or she will see your good works and be either convicted of sins or driven into debilitating madness because of his or her failure to incite a negative reaction. Doing good toward one’s enemies shames them because they realize that they have not been behaving in an honorable manner. Hence, we have here from Paul the admittance that shame is necessary to convict the heart toward holiness.
The power of kind and compassionate behavior will also incapacitate and infuriate the supernatural forces of darkness, whose chief devices are pride, greed, sexual immorality, and malice. See Galatians 5:16-24 and Colossians 3:5-11:
- Galatians 5:16-24: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
- Colossians 3:5-11: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
And these, as stated earlier, have ruined us all since the Fall.
Godly Mind, Resurrected Body
This all adequately supports the entire purpose of chapter Romans 12: to illuminate what a renewed mind and sacrificed body looks like when surrendered to the Lord. Here is how the verses read in the KJV vs. ESV. Paul’s very first words are seen in Romans 12:1-2:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
We are confronted with the idea of discernment again. Discernment is correct or wise judgment. As the Teacher says, it begins with fearing the Lord (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10), and Paul agrees. See Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10:
- Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
- Proverbs 9:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
He says that this kind of judgment can only be accomplished through a mind that has been renewed through testing until it has become clearly tuned to the will of God and is capable of determining what is good, acceptable, and perfect.
The writer of Hebrews (ironically in chapter 12 of that letter) calls this process “discipline,” modeled upon Jesus’s own ministry, death, burial, and resurrection, dubbing Jesus as the “founder and perfecter of our faith.” The writer of Hebrews describes how through trials and tribulations one learns obedience to the Father and is conditioned out of his or her life of sin into a life of righteousness, where he or she can both comprehend and act out God’s own desires for his or her life and for others.
He or she must follow in the footsteps of Jesus, holding fast to the Father at all times and in all places, continuously seeking his will.
Paul is arguing for the same thing in Romans 12. The renewed mind and body laid at the foot of the cross will think differently and behave differently than this world, able to make righteous choices (or “sober judgments”) that will lead to the best outcomes, unifying and uplifting the body of Christ, which is his church.
The list of ethical expectations acts as a painting of the image of the renewed mind and body. The renewed mind and body will love God and others, abhor evil, hold fast to good, outdo in showing honor, fervently serve the Lord in spirit, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer, contribute to the needs of the saints, be hospitable, bless those who persecute, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, live in harmony, associate with the lowly, avoid unwise judgment (“do not be wise in your own sight”), repay no evil with evil but give thought to what is honorable, and seek to live peaceably with all in as much as that is possible. See Romans 12:9-18 below:
- Romans 12:9-18: “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Nowhere in this passage are we called never to judge. The demand is for right behavior and right judgment produced by the inward restoration and renewal of the Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus our Lord, which requires that we be able to know the difference between right and wrong and live out what is “good, acceptable, and perfect” in the eyes of God so that we can take on his image before the rest of creation, as we were designed to do in the beginning. See Genesis 1.
Put differently, we are not to sacrifice Truth at the altar of pleasant feelings but to live and speak honestly and justly in the face of great evil, and that often requires courageously exposing such evil so that others can be directed away from it.
Hypocrisy or Prudent Thought?
The thrust behind the holier-than-thou insult is an obsession with hypocrisy. Hypocrites is the Greek word Jesus uses against the one who judges without first taking the log out of his or her own eye, and it very much was an insult. In virtually all ancient Greek literature, including the New Testament, the word means “actor, pretender, dissembler.”
Someone who is deliberately disingenuous and/or fake puts on a show to make himself or herself appear good, worthy, or talented in the presence of others. Said person would forfeit authenticity for personal gain, and his or her actions would reflect the falsity of the established persona. Jesus lobbies it against the Pharisees, who were the most pretentious and nefarious fakers of all – making up new laws and double standards that not even they could measure up to, all to exploit the Jewish people and make themselves rich. Sound familiar?
We are right to call out such fakers, but does this mean that anyone who judges another’s actions is fake as a rule of thumb? Not at all. The danger comes when we assume without first studying and learning. Since we cannot intuit the moral and spiritual internality of others, when we condemn them for judging we must assume that the person in question has not repented of his or her sins, surrendered body and mind to God in Christ, and is not wholly engaged in the process of sanctification aimed at becoming a perfected new creation.
Unless the person in question has exhibited bad behaviors (or fruits) that are unbecoming a Christ-follower and indicate a person comfortable living in sin and mistreating others, administering a holier-than-thou judgment is doing precisely as Jesus forbids in Matthew 7 and Paul forbids in Romans 12:19-21: rushing to a hasty and unwarranted conclusion.
The first thing I always want to ask people who condemn those who call out blatant evil behaviors as holier-than-thou is: Are you not judging your brother and sister for judging? Are you not thinking yourself qualified to call out a perceived evil behavior as well? What makes you qualified? You are a sinner just like your brothers and sisters? You must repent and seek to become holy just as they must. Have you taken care of the log in your own eye? Has Christ renewed you? How do you know without a doubt that your brother or sister calling out evil has not taken the time to deal with his or her own sins and taken on a renewed mind to be able to see clearly and make a wise assessment?
Answering these questions will quickly send one into a philosophical jumble and can easily hurt the brain, but they are serious questions; and revealing. They expose the tremendous value of considering ideas rather than people.
What one speaks and does matters more than intuiting the internal condition of the psyche and will quickly reveal his or her intentions if evaluated with patience and grace, whereas jumping to conclusions without slow and prudent evaluation can shut down conversations and prevent healing and/or ascertainment of the truth if performed by either party.
This is why assessing the merits of ideas and actions is more important than quick, rash decisions about the inward character of a person based on outward appearances or a single incorrect statement. Only God looks at the heart. See 1 Samuel 16:7: “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
If Any of You Seeks Wisdom…
Not far from Matthew and Paul in the New Testament is James. Though often misconstrued in the past as a letter approving of works righteousness for the attainment of salvation, the entire purpose of his letter is actually to instruct the church how to act faithfully, standing strong in the truth while also behaving graciously and making wise decisions; how to implement their faith within the world around them, not merely how to be saved.
He too talks about judgment in chapter 4 and seemingly says not to judge by issuing a question to his audience. See James 4:12: “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”
But like the other two passages, there is more to his words than meets the eye, if properly studied.
In keen Jewish fashion, he keeps his discussion general and not specific to any one individual to make sure his audience knows he is speaking to them collectively instead of pointing fingers. He makes clear early on that his focus is on wisdom, not just faith. In fact, he sees wisdom as another side of the same coin. The one who is faithful will seek wisdom from God and enact that wisdom before his or her community.
So, James builds from both his knowledge of Christ and Jewish wisdom tradition and says something very insightful in James 3:13-18. It is the hinge for his whole instruction in the letter. Here is how the verses read in the KJV vs. ESV:
“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, dwithout partiality, and without hypocrisy. And fthe fruit of righteousness is sown gin peace of them that make peace.”
“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
After laying the groundwork regarding faith and works being brothers, James inserts this commentary on wisdom, which was already mixed in with his initial exhortations in Chapter 1. The pattern of his argument suggests that this section is a conclusion about the nature of wisdom devised from his statements regarding faith and works. There is a descending order to the character of wisdom. It comes from above, from God, and it is first pure, then “peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”
At the end of the list, he uses hypocrites to stress someone who is insincere or fake, again implicating one whose character is made up of lies and fabrications, and who does not seek the truth of Christ. On the other hand, wisdom seeks to sow righteousness through the making of peace, and such wisdom is acquired through prayer, the testing of faith, and the building up of righteous character. The person with Godly wisdom, therefore, enacts righteousness through living out of his or her faith in Christ, peacefully discerning what is right and putting it into practice.
James could be quoting Romans 12 for all we know; his argument is that similar. And there are indications that he is also pulling from the Sermon on the Mount, including Matthew 7.
His subsequent arguments in chapters 4 and 5 then explicate his ideas about wisdom further. There is a proper way to judge and address evil, and if we do not perform that proper judgment and take action against evil, we will be guilty of sin. See James 4:17: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
But if we do humbly hold each other accountable and return each other to Christ when we stray, always directing others to the Truth, we will spare them from death and overcome a multitude of sins. See James 5:19: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him”
We are not to wantonly condemn, but we are to carefully, thoughtfully, and reasonably examine each other to ensure that we are together traveling along the narrow path away from this world. The goal is the maintenance of the spiritual health of the body of Christ, and it is accomplished through a fervent, honest critique of ourselves and each other.
Final Thoughts
According to Scripture, then, there is a type of judgment that is wrong, and that type of judgment is swift and unthought-out condemnation. This is the kind of judgment that is metered out most commonly by the hypocrites, the fakers, whose main goal is to uplift the manufactured image they have created of themselves high above and at the expense of others.
These hypocrites, these fakers, will be most clearly identified by their fruits by the ones who exercise proper judgment or critique after being transformed by the renewing of their minds in Christ Jesus, for the fruits of the hypocrites will never align with the will of God in Christ. On the contrary, their fruits, their behaviors, will reveal them as liars and deceivers, pawns of the devil. But the most important part is the renewing of our minds. If we have not been renewed wholly in Christ, then we will not see clearly to make the required assessments that will propagate the truth and tear down the lies.
This is a hard road to walk because we cannot read minds and must rely on others to show us the nature of their internal character. Nevertheless, not judging wisely is just as wrong as judging rashly and unrighteously because it permits sin to take a foothold in our lives and our communities until they are slowly eroded and destroyed. We are commanded to love and live in the truth, judging what is evil and striving to know and implement every good and perfect thing from the Lord. And we are to do so aiming at the making of peace. This is the exercise of discernment, and without it, our only pastime will be to watch the cosmos implode and burn in the pits of hell. As Christians, we are the salt and light of the earth, the city on a hill that cannot be hidden, and should we choose to hide our light under a bushel, we will forfeit our position as the voice of reason in society. It is time for us to rise up, stand firm on the foundation of our Lord and Savior, condemn evil, and point the lost toward the breadbasket of eternal life.
Lord's Library participates in affiliate programs. We may make a small commission from products purchased through this resource.
