The Nugget:
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
My Comment:
It is very easy for us to pass judgment on somebody else. That is a dangerous habit to get into. Perhaps all of us at one time or another have been the target of someone else’s judgment about us.
It is unwise to pass judgment upon someone else because we usually do not know them well enough to make that judgment. But if we do know them thoroughly, we might have some basis to pass judgment privately with them alone. We all need to be open to constructive suggestions and the correction of others (Proverbs 9:8, 9; Proverbs 13:1; Proverbs 15:5; Proverbs 17:10; Proverbs 19:25).
The playground taunt, “It takes one to know one,” is astoundingly true. Someone who passes judgment on another often is guilty of the same flaw in themselves. That may well be the point Jesus makes in Matthew 7:2.
The Apostle Paul gave some very good advice when he said,
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).
Jesus gave us an important principle we must follow if we are to pass judgment on someone else: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). In the same chapter we read these words of Nicodemus in defense of Jesus: “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?” (John 7:51).
But most often, the words of Matthew 7:1, “Judge not,” are quoted, often against Christians, by non-Christians. Sometimes it would seem this is the one verse in the Bible they think they know. They use this verse to ward off criticism against themselves for believing false doctrine, or for not living according to how the Bible tells us we are to live.
Perhaps the best answer to this mistaken application of Matthew 7:1 is to remind the accuser that Jesus commanded us not to be deceived (Luke 21:8. This expression is used in the KJV also at Deuteronomy 11:16; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:33; and Galatians 6:7, all passages worthy of careful study by means of the cross references given for each). Jesus has told us, “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Therefore, we are to be “fruit inspectors,” and on the basis of the fruit we do or do not see, Jesus wants us to make a careful judgment.
Not everyone who can talk religious talk, or even seemingly participate in spiritual activities such as prophesy in His name, cast out demons, and do many wonderful works, is headed to the right place. Of some, Jesus will say, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:21, 22, 23).
It is our duty to “contend for the faith” (Jude 3). We are obligated to share the truth with another person within our circle of influence. “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him” (Leviticus 19:17). We are urged in the Bible to warn others who are mistaken in spiritual matters (Ezekiel 3:17, 18). We are encouraged by the prospect that if we warn another, we may save a soul from death (1 John 5:16 and James 5:20). By God’s grace, He may allow us to literally “pull them out of the fire” by having compassion for them (Jude 1:22, 23).
Each of these Bible verses I have cited are well worth your further study by means of the full cross references I have given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. You will be amazed how much you can learn directly from the Bible itself by studying it this way.
Here are the cross references for Matthew 7:1 that I have collected in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. Be sure to check them out:
Judge not. Mat 7:5, Gen 38:24, 1Sa 1:14, Isa 66:5, Eze 16:52, 53, 54, 55, 56, Luk 6:37; *Luk 7:43, +*Joh 7:24, *Joh 8:7, *Rom 2:1; *Rom 2:2; *Rom 14:1, 2, 3, 4, 5; *Rom 14:10, 11, 12, 13, *1Co 2:15; **1Co 4:3, 4, 5; 1Co 5:12; 1Co 10:15; %+**1Co 14:29, Jas 2:4; Jas 3:1; Jas 4:11, 12; Jas 5:9.
that ye. Mat 6:14; Mat 18:23-35, Eze 31:11, **1Co 11:31, *2Co 5:10; *2Co 13:5, *Jas 2:13; Jas 3:1; Jas 5:9.