Are Christians More Judgmental than Most?
I’m not proud to admit this, but it’s something I’ve done many times over the 30+ years I’ve been a Christian.
I have judged others.
By their appearance, their actions, and sometimes for no real reason at all, I’ve judged people.
Anyone with me?
But, as always, God is continually working on my heart, revealing more about Himself and more about His beloved creation, causing me to take a hard look at my not-so-nice ways.
“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?” (Matthew 7:1-3)
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)
[Jesus] stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7)
Are Christians more judgmental than most? If so, do we slip into judgmental thoughts because we truly want to uphold God’s standards, as spelled out clearly in His word? Or, do we erroneously feel more righteous than others?
Recently, at my women’s Bible study, the teacher on the video shared a unique aspect of this Bible story:
A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 7:37-38)
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus to his house, had a strong opinion about the “sinful woman.” In fact, he thought to himself that if Jesus really knew who the woman was, He wouldn’t allow her near Him. However, Jesus answered the man’s thoughts with these words:
“Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Luke 7:44-47
“Do you see this woman?” What a deep and profound question!
Do we really see that person as God’s creation, made in His image?
Do we only look at the outer shell of a person and form opinions on the external?
Do we have the right to judge when we cannot possibly know their heart?
Through what, or Whose, lens do we see others?
I pray that if you’re in the habit of judging people unnecessarily, you will keep these 3 things in mind:
1. Every person was created in the image of God.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
When people do or say things we don’t like, we are quick to label them and even dismiss them as valued people. And though it is wise to use Biblical discernment, we can’t forget that every person is God’s creation. We may need to reject their behaviors, but we don’t necessarily need to reject them.
Instead of judging, we can…
Lead them gently to repentance.
Thank God for them and ask Him to bless and guide them.
Remind ourselves that they, too, are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Encourage them to walk in their God-given purpose.
Help them move forward in faith by discipling them.
2. The Lord longs for all to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, or kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
When we are busy judging others, (even our political leaders!), we are wasting precious time that could be used to witness or pray.
The bottom line is, people need the Lord. The unsaved need to see the love of Jesus in us and hear the Gospel of truth from us. The saved need our encouragement to keep the faith and remain steadfast.
Judgment hinders our witness. So, instead of judging, we can…
Pray when we’d rather criticize.
Look for opportunities to speak the truth in love.
Ask God to help us see others as He sees them.
3. We don’t know the WHOLE story about anyone.
Because of our tendency to judge based on what we see, it’s easy to criticize unfairly. Yes, we are called to be discerning, but we can do that without the finger-pointing that comes so naturally to us. We don’t know the whole story about a person, and we certainly don’t know the inner workings of their heart.
Proverbs 18 gives us some wonderful words of wisdom regarding our opinions. Take a look:
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. (Prov. 18:2)
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. (Prov. 18: 4)
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. (Prov. 18:15)
I don’t know about you, but I want to view others with an intelligent heart. I want to listen to them with a wise ear. I don’t want to be foolish in expressing my opinion. I want to see the value of others from God’s perspective. No longer do I want to judge unfairly.
Are you one who easily judges others? Or, are you someone who constantly feels judged?
Please know, that wherever you stand on this topic, there is absolutely no judgment from me! (pun intended)
As mentioned at the top of this post, I’ve fallen into the judgment trap. But, as a writer with a public profile, I’ve also been judged unfairly. And you know what? IT HURTS!
Moving forward, I pray that each of us will seek wisdom and discernment from the Lord, without even a hint of back-biting judgment that only hurts and does not help.
As always, I’m only an email away,
Jennifer
P.S. I would love to hear any tips on how you handle judgment! Leave a comment and let me know!
