Our verse for today is Matthew 7:1-2.
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
The one Bible verse that every old heathen knows is that first verse, “Judge not that you be not judged.” Well, they usually just know the first two words, “Judge not.” If you do not approve of their being drunk or stealing and they know you are a Christian, the scripture they say is, “Judge not.”
But does the Bible really teach us not to judge? Of course not, but a person with only a shallow understanding of the Bible does what everyone is prone to do: latch on to a little learning and make something out of it that was never intended.
Of course, we should not judge, but you must understand the teaching. If you see a person drunk, it is not judgmental to call them drunk. If you see them drunk every day for a month, you are not judging them by saying they have a drinking problem.
The same Jesus who said, “Judge not,” said, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16). It is not judging to inspect the fruit and determine that it is rotten. It is judging to see how the leaves are blowing and say the fruit is rotten. It is not judging to see all the fruit ruined and say that the fruit is bad. It is judging to see one rotten apple and say that all the fruit is bad.
So, “Judge not!” But do inspect the fruit and make a good decision. If you don’t, then life will be filled with very hard spots.
Lonnie Davis.