37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. 38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. 41 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 43 “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. 44 “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. – Lk 6:37-45

You should not judge others….
…unless you just as readily forgive when forgiveness is called for.
    Your standard of measure will be measured to you.
…unless your heart is good. A bad heart won’t produce good fruit.
…unless your see the truth clearly. The “blind” only lead the blind.
…unless you have tended to the log in your own eye.
    Then you may see clearly to help your brother.

Judging others is a snare to those who don’t judge themselves. The first thing we should do whenever we see fault in others is consider our own lives. It is profitable to examine self first. Paul says that for worship to be pleasing to God, “a man must examine himself” and “if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:28,31). Before I look for fault in others, I need to make sure I’m truly walking with God.

When you or I commit a trespass against God, we should not think that God or His people will overlook that sin. It will be addressed. Jesus said, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private;…” (Mt. 18:15). When Brothers or Sisters in Christ points to your sin, be careful to listen to them and resist the temptation from Satan to justify yourself by dismissing Scripture and/or by the use of abusive ad hominem attacks: “Well! Are you saying you are perfect! You are not perfect either!”

If you are distorting Scripture, that doesn’t change if the person who confronted you is a sinner. If you are committing sexual immorality, it doesn’t matter if the world accepts your lifestyle. The Scriptures say that sexual activity is approved by God only in the marriage covenant. Are you lusting and engaged in fleshly pursuits? Don’t cover it up or pacify your guilty feelings by telling yourself that everyone does it. It’s not true.

There are some people who should not be pointing fingers because their heart isn’t right with God. But when the godly man or woman confronts you about sin, it is a favor and act of love they show to you. Do not attack them because you will find yourself at enmity with God.

Categories: judging, Judgment, sin