“Judge not, that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged, and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Jesus used this scripture to warn us against passing judgment on others because none of us is perfect. More often than not, you will find people condemning others concerning sins they themselves are guilty of committing. A good example is the account of the woman whom the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Jesus, accusing her of committing adultery. According to them, such a person was supposed to be stoned to death because she had broken the Law of Moses. This story is recorded in John 8:3-11.
However, Jesus challenged them by saying that whoever among them had no sin should be the first to cast a stone at the woman. Surprisingly, none of them did. In fact, each one of them, being convicted by their own hearts, walked away, beginning with the oldest to the least.
On seeing that all her accusers had departed, Jesus told the woman that he would neither condemn her. Instead, he told her to go away and sin no more.
In Romans 2:1-3, the Apostle Paul also teaches us against passing judgement on others or condemning others because we shall receive a similar treatment from God. The scripture says
“Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge do the same things. But we know that the judgement of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those who do such things and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?”
The Bible also warns us against judging others because we shall all appear before the judgement seat of Christ to be judged by Him. This is recorded in Romans 14:10, which says
“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.”
Furthermore, the scriptures teach us not to judge others because by so doing, we become judges of the Law. This is recorded in James 4:11-12. The scriptures say
“Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Law-giver; who are you to judge another?”
Lesson for us
Never judge others because as human beings, we are all guilty of committing one sin or the other. Sample the following questions:
· You who accuse others of stealing, do you steal?
· You who condemn others for cheating on their spouse, are you faithful to your spouse?
· You who accuse others of being dishonest, are you an honest person?
· You who judge others for committing sexual immorality, are you sexually moral?
· You who accuse others of being racists, are you a racist?
· You who condemn others for being drunkards, do you take alcohol?
· You who accuse others of being corrupt, do you give or take bribes?
· You who condemn others for being lazy, are you that hardworking?
· You who accuse others of being greedy, show us your level of contentment?
· You who criticize others for being uncaring, do you care for others?
· You who accuse others of being selfish, are you that generous?
· You who call others stupid or fools, how smart are you?
· You who call others obese, are you struggling to keep your appetites for food at bay?
Therefore, let us stop the pointing of the finger and learn to be our brother’s or sister’s keeper, for none of us is flawless.
Prayer for forgiveness for being judgmental towards others:
“Our Father in heaven, forgive me for being quick to judge and condemn others for their flaws. Teach me instead how to correct them in love and reconcile them to Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Thank you for your never-ending love towards us. May your grace and peace be with us now and forevermore, amen.”
I hope this is helpful. God richly bless you and reward you.
Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/
Related Post: Do unto others Bible verse meaning
Also Read: What are the scriptures for forgiveness