Should We Christians Judge?

One of the most misinterpreted Bible verses is Matthew 7:1-2. It is written: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." What many fail to realize is that it is a warning against hypocritical judgment. It is not against judgment per se.

In many parts of the Bible, Christians are called to judge and to discern between right and wrong teachings, as well as to discern between true and false prophets. In Luke 7:43, Jesus said: "You have judged correctly." And in 1 Corinthians 10:15, "I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say." The original Greek word krinō, which means to judge, is used in Matthew 7:1-2, Luke 7:43 and 1 Corinthians 10:15.

In 1 John 4:1, it is written: "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Ephesians 5:11 says, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." In 1 Thessalonians 5:21, it is written: "Test everything. Hold on to the good."

If we Christians are to obey these Biblical teachings, then we are to judge. It would be impossible to do so without judging.