Several years ago, I was visiting a good friend of mine. During the conversation, I told them how blessed I was to have heard some of the sermons from a high-profile preacher. I’m not going to mention names here because I don’t want you to adopt the same attitude my friend did.
You see, this preacher has been in ministry for over 40 years. A lot can change in 40 years, and as with many of us, our understanding and perspectives change, which is the case with this preacher. Hopefully, as we grow older, we will become wiser. I know it has been the same with my life. There have been many things in my beliefs that I’ve had to go back and reevaluate and change; this is just part of life. Unfortunately, my friend knew this high-profile preacher in their early days and immediately threw up a wall in our conversation.
What is with us humans and being judgmental of others? I’ve been in conversations where Christians have been accused of being too judgmental, and in most cases rightly so; however, I also know of non-Christians who are equally and, in some cases, worse when it comes to being judgmental.
Let me clearly state upfront that I am not a model Christian when it comes to this nasty habit of being judgmental of others. However, over the course of my life, I have learned a few things and gained a better perspective in this area. So, from a Christian perspective, here are four things I’ve learned to keep in mind before opening my big mouth.
First,
John 3:17 Says that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Jesus didn’t come to condemn people, so what gives us the right to condemn? Many times, our bad judgment of others will lead to condemnation.
Secondly,
Matthew 7:1 Says, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. I like to say it this way: The measuring stick you use to measure others will be the same measuring stick to measure you. Hmmm. I wonder how tall our measuring stick is.
Thirdly,
This one is the most damaging. We tend to hold people to their past. Ask yourself this question: For as long as you have been a Christian, let’s say 10 years, do you sin more now or less than 10 years ago? Hopefully, if you are a true follower of Christ, the answer is less. Why? Because the Holy Spirit has been working in your life, giving you the power and the desire to please God. However, most people do not take this into account and continue to judge and condemn individuals because of their past, which is the case with my friend. We need to stop being so judgmental of people based on who they were years ago because, most likely, they are not in the same place. Most people learn from their mistakes.
Lastly,
We all have issues; none of us is exempt. Jesus said in Matthew 7 to first take the beam out of your own eye before trying to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye. There was a teaching going around about holding people accountable. It never quite agreed with me because how can I hold others accountable when I have issues of my own? Learn to deal with your own issues and let the Holy Spirit deal with others. Many times, we try to take the place of the Holy Spirit, but I’ve found He is much more qualified to change people than I am.
So, is there ever a time when it’s necessary to judge? Of course, there is. It’s unrealistic to think we go through life without making some sort of judgment in areas. I’ve done it in this article with regard to Christians and non-Christians. But I think the most important thing to keep in mind is our motives and attitude. Why are we being so judgemental towards someone? For example, I’ve noticed that many people tend to judge and criticize wealthy or successful individuals, which often stems from feelings of jealousy or envy. So again, I have to ask, what is our motivation and attitude? Are we doing it because we think we are better? Are we being judgemental out of hate or spitefulness? I’m reminded of the old saying, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all”
In closing, I just want to say that humility goes a long way, especially when it comes to judging and keeping these four things in mind will help avoid the pitfalls of the nasty habit of being judgemental.
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