If this is so, then why do so many people judge today? It is because human reason seems to have replaced God in the minds of many. People go by what is highly esteemed in our society and act accordingly, not knowing that there is a true Judge who is God, and who will bring to light the thoughts, actions, and words of everyone. Let us find out: are Christians supposed to judge? Should we pass condemnation on individuals?
Are Christians Supposed to Judge? — Judging by the World
There are two kinds of judgment in the Bible. The Bible does say that we need to judge with correct and righteous judgment. It also says that the saints — Christians — will judge the world during the millennium.
Then there is judgment according to society — what is esteemed or not esteemed in the eyes of the world. Should someone be accepted or rejected based on the invisible standards of society? This is the kind of judgment the Bible tells us not to exercise.
We can judge by the fruits of someone’s life, but we are not God, and only God can ultimately judge. If you are a messenger of God, then we are only here to tell others about the end-time message — the decision is between them and God.
Are Christians supposed to judge? When someone judges another person, they condemn and exclude them. I have never understood why anyone would exclude or reject someone who is neither evil nor violent. People exclude others from their lives all the time. But how can a Christian — who expects to live forever alongside others — block someone on earth whom they no longer wish to see? How can they expect to spend eternity with that person in heaven?
Judging by the world’s standard, when asking the question of whether Christians are supposed to judge, is when people pass quick judgment on someone else. I still remember when people would at least speak with someone before forming a judgment. In earlier times, people would spend time with a person before drawing conclusions. Today, people look at you and have already categorised, rejected, and excluded you from their lives. Are Christians supposed to judge? According to their fruits we shall know them. We cannot judge according to the standards of this world, which is corrupt and fallen.
This represents a fantastic lack of wisdom. Wise people are very slow to pass judgment. We see in the book of Acts a wonderful example of this, where a wise man takes time to assess a situation before rendering judgment, and says: if this work of the apostles is of God, then you cannot overthrow it; if it is of Satan, it will die of itself.
This is an excellent example of wisdom and measured judgment concerning both individuals and situations. Wisdom comes from God, but it is sad to live in a world where so many people are very quick to judge, not understanding that this is a sure path to wrong conclusions. Are Christians supposed to judge? Only according to the Bible — and never according to the standards of this world.
When we reach a conclusion in a false light, we will act accordingly. We behave as we believe. People can do things for hours every day, for years of their lives, only to one day realise it was all based on a lie — a lie rooted in passing quick judgment on something or someone. How many times have you heard a band or a singer and quickly decided you did not like their music, only to discover years later that they were actually quite good? Quick judgment is very often wrong judgment. That so-called gut feeling is far less reliable than people suppose.
Are Christians Supposed to Judge? — The Gut Feeling
This is not to say that God cannot give someone a sense of things before events come to pass. But in my experience, people who judge quickly very often arrive at wrong conclusions. This is because they do not have enough information about the person, event, or situation to pass a correct judgment.
The Pharisees saw Jesus as a poor man simply offering a few Bible verses to others. Are Christians supposed to judge? If you judge according to the standards of this wicked world, you sin. The Pharisees judged quickly, concluded that Jesus was a deceiver, and because they did not take the time to examine Him carefully, they came to entirely wrong conclusions. It even cost them their lives, as they were destroyed — and those who were still living also perished in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus in AD 70.
We also cannot judge by the impressions, thoughts, feelings, and opinions we receive. People do not know this, but these are often the fruit of Satan speaking to the heart. People do not realise that Satan can speak to them and make them believe it is their own voice they are hearing. “I want this, I want that” — not knowing that evil angels are influencing their feelings, their thinking, and their beliefs through thoughts that come directly from Satan.
This does not mean that all your thoughts, feelings, impressions, and opinions come from Satan. But trained Christians understand the battle for the mind, and they know that some of the thoughts, feelings, and impressions that come to them originate from Satan. Are Christians supposed to judge? No — but by people’s fruits we can know them. Are they humble, kind, and honest like Jesus?
Satan has the right to influence whomever he will — even all the inhabitants of the earth. I see so many people who are unaware of this reality becoming servants of Satan, following his will, his intentions, and his thoughts without ever realising it.
Are Christians Supposed to Judge? — Contention
Contention very often arises when someone receives such impressions from Satan, believes them to be their own thoughts, and passes too hasty a judgment on someone else. How many people have treated a public figure poorly, only to later discover who that person truly was?
Judging by feelings means we do not have sufficient information on which to base a judgment. And we should not judge people — why? Because there is no person who deserves love less than another. This is one of the great problems of our society, and the Bible is clear that it is wrong.
Are Christians Supposed to Judge? — Love Everybody
The Bible says we should love everybody. Society says you can choose whom to love and whom to reject. But when you reject and disapprove of someone, you reject them entirely. Society says you can judge people and choose to interact with only a select few. Jesus interacted with everybody. Jesus loved everybody.
This does not mean we will get along equally well with everyone, or that we cannot have people with whom we connect more naturally than with others. But the Bible clearly says that we are here to serve and love everybody. Are Christians supposed to judge? We shall judge all things — but only according to the Bible. We cannot judge according to the standards of this fallen world.
This is where society also goes deeply wrong — saying to love only a certain class of people. Jesus never taught that. One reason is that we are all brothers and sisters. And if we are going to spend eternity together in heaven, we need to learn to get along here on earth.
The church is like a family — a family that loves one another, stays close together, and helps one another. This is the great problem with judgment in the sense that our society defines it: as rejection and hatred of another person.
Are Christians Supposed to Judge? — Judging by the Bible
What does judging according to the Bible actually look like? It says that we can know someone by their fruits — and in this sense, we can make a judgment about someone. This does not mean we can condemn them, as condemnation belongs to God alone, who is even now examining the books in heaven and deciding who will and who will not enter heaven.
Judging by fruits means recognising that Christians are known by certain traits. The Bible tells us that Christians were known by the way they spoke — no cursing, loving others, forgiving, and speaking of Jesus. Christians are known by their fruits: love, honesty, kindness, gentleness, and humility.
The evil fruits are pride, arrogance, selfishness, an unloving and unkind spirit, apathy, dishonesty, lying, stealing, and betrayal. When someone consistently displays such traits of character, you can discern that they are not truly living as a Christian — even if they claim the name. Because to enter heaven, those evil fruits must be overcome. Now is the time of testing and refining. Only God can remove those sins from our lives. We cannot cleanse ourselves; we cannot remove our own defects of character.
Claiming to believe in Jesus is not enough. The name “Christian” will not grant you entrance to heaven. What will grant entrance is the likeness of Jesus’ character. How was Jesus? Meek and lowly, gentle and kind, sincere and honest. The very things the world despises are exactly the things that will have you living with Jesus in heaven forever.
What would keep you from accepting Jesus into your heart right now? Repeat after me: Father God, please forgive my sins. Give me Your righteousness. Heal and bless me. Give me the desires of my heart. In the name of Jesus, amen.
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