Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matthew 7:1)
I have a family member who used to be fond of quoting this verse. She was raised in the church, so had been exposed plenty to the Sermon on the Mount, but had left the church as a teenager. When we told her she was in an improper relationship with another woman, this verse was the first one that popped into her mind.
Her point was that we’re all sinners, so what right do any of us have to judge the actions of another? “Can’t we all just get along?” You’ve heard that one too. You ever wonder why it’s non-Christians who tend to quote this verse, and direct it at Christians?
As much as some people would like us to believe it, Jesus’ teaching was not that we should be tolerant — that we should accept others’ sin and “alternative lifestyle” as just as valid as our own life that we have given to Christ. No, His point was to get our own life right first, walk with Him every day of the week, before we spend time correcting someone else.
There’s a big difference between passing self-righteous judgment and discerning right from wrong. It’s the latter we’re called to do (Heb 5:14; 1 Thess 5:21-22).
Question:
It’s a difficult thing to point out sin in someone else. This is the job of the elders, sure, but are there ever situations where we should correct another Christian? Are we to be our “brother’s keeper”, or was that an Old Testament concept?