Don't Judge?
I am currently involved in a woman’s bible study group that is studying the book of Romans. We are in the second chapter and in our group discussion this past week the subject of judgment and judging came up. In Romans 2:1 it states that in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself because the person who is doing the judgment does the same things and therefore condemns themself. The conversation weighed heavily on all the ways we judge others and how bad that was. Yet I was unsettled with the heavily weighted argument that seemed to be taking the lead that we as Christians should never judge, and so I gained another topic to write about.
What was Paul talking about in this passage in Romans? He was talking about how Jews in their self-importance as God’s elect were literally doing the same things that they were judging others about and thinking in their pomposity that they could do that. And Paul was telling them that they were condemning themselves because they did the same thing. Paul is setting up his argument in chapter 2 to bring the listener/reader to the conclusion Paul has about the truth regarding faith in Jesus Christ as the only source of righteousness. Yet the general consensus in my group from the takeaway from these verses was that we should never judge. It really did not sit right with me because I don’t believe that point of view, that a Christian should never judge is correct, and I believe it is even very dangerous.
To start with, what is the meaning of judge?
Judge - a Noun description: Evaluator or Critic: A knowledgeable person who can authoritatively estimate the quality, value, or character of something (e.g., "a good judge of character")
Judge - a Verb description: To Form an Opinion: To carefully weigh evidence, think through a situation, or assess a person or object. (Cambridge dictionary)
As I survey our culture and even some Christian Church culture, it seems that moral reason and standards have been pulled into an assessment vortex of no value. The “yes, but…” syndrome, a softening of the walls that support steadfastness and standards in the individual's journey in life. Excuses and reasons that allow an escape from just a hard-row-to-hoe for them at that time of life. An escape route from the cross. And where no judging at all comes in is when we as family, friends, or community desert our post where we have really been tasked to challenge others to a better standard because we “don’t want to judge”.
Acts 5 contains a story of a husband and wife, Ananias and Sapphira who were judged by the church about as harshly as you could be judged. 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 states that in regards to an immoral brother, “Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” In 1 Corinthians 6:1-6, Paul sarcastically asks the church if there are no wise men among them who could judge a dispute between believers before it went to a secular court. And then in Matthew 18:15, Jesus Himself explains the process to follow if a brother sins against you.
To conclude, I guess I am writing this to clarify in my own thoughts why I was unsettled in the conversation that day. The group is composed of dedicated women that seek to study the Bible. Smart women. Thinking back on the conversation I just note how quickly the conversation leaned away from a standard of truth to the softening of it by a humanistic interpretation. If the goal of being a Christian is to be soft and unchallenging, then I am reading a different Bible.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Matthew 5:13-14
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