Christian’s being judgmental is one of the most common criticisms used by youth to stay away from chruch1. To appropriately tackle this issue, you first must understand what it truly means to be judgmental.
What is Judgment?
Judgment is defined as the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing2. The word “judge” is an interpretation of the word Krino means “to separate, to make a distinction between, to exercise judgment upon, to estimate, to assume a censorial power over, to call to account, to judge judiciously, to bring to trial, to be brought to account, to administer government over”3. Through this definition, you can understand how the Bible defines judgment.
Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:1 (CSB)
This scripture is often used against Christians in an attempt to criticize their judgment, however many people don’t the context of said scripture.
For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.
Matthew 7:2 (CSB)
In the very next verse, Jesus is warning his followers that how you judge people is how you will be judged equally. He isn’t saying that we shouldn’t judge, rather he is encouraging us to abstain from hypocrisy in our judgments.
It is human nature to judge, everyone takes part in it one way or another. Christians are humans just like everyone else, which means we are prone to judgment. In fact, the Bible actively encourages Christians to use our best judgments to help us navigate through life.
Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.
But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
Hebrews 5:13-14 (CSB)
The ability to distinguish between good and evil is called discernment, which is another form of judgment, which was stated earlier.
Ultimately judgment isn’t inherently wrong and Christians should continue to judge righteously. Hypocrisy is not encouraged, so as Christians we make sure we are righteous within ourselves before we make comments to others in an attempt to hold them accountable.
