Many people struggle with judging others.
We might not want to, but it is difficult for us not to do it.
Today, there seems to be a consensus in different cultures on the issue of judging others.
But what does the Bible say about it?
Let’s look at a fragment from scripture to start meditating on the subject:
(…) you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
For God does not show favoritism.
| Romans 2:1, 11
We are all equally sinners
Many of us urgently need to understand that we are all equally sinners before God.
According to the Bible, before God, there is no such thing as a man who, by his own actions or merits, is better or worse than another.
The Bible teaches that our good works, when compared to God’s holiness, are completely devoid of perfect merit.
That is, our good deeds alone do not give us any additional merit before God.
Judging others is a sign of not understanding grace
The only thing that allows us to be accepted by God is the grace and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, without which nothing we do makes us accepted before God.
Thus, judging others for their sin is a serious sign of not understanding grace, and of rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
With such actions, we show that we see merits in our actions that make us better than others.
The reality is that what truly allows us to be considered saved is to wash ourselves daily in the blood of Jesus.
Judging others is a sign of not understanding sin
You and I need to understand that sin is not just about committing an improper action from time to time, but that it is a much bigger problem.
It is actually a currently innate condition of humanity.
Due to such condition, we are all, without distinction, separated in the same way and to the same degree from the presence of God.
Think about this, the Bible compares the problem of sin in humanity to leprosy.
This illustrates how it separates us from God.
And it is only through Jesus that we have become reconciled.
I once heard a preacher say that a leper camp is one of the most fetid and disgusting things you can approach in your entire life.
For us to understand it, he said that we could feel the terrible pestilence from twenty meters away or more.
This is how God sees our innate condition without Jesus.
Imagine then how strange we look before God, when we judge each other, if we are completely covered with the same substance.
Judging others might be a sign of spiritual arrogance
Our attitude in judging is none other than that of the Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican:
“God, I thank you because I am not like other men, thieves, unjust, adulterers, or even like this publican; fasting twice a week, tithing of all that I earn”
When thinking about this, it is sad to consider how ridiculous we human beings can become.
God desires to see humility in us for our own benefit.
Being humble makes us entirely depend on God every day of our lives.
It really transforms our attitude towards Him like that of the publican.
“The publican, being far away, did not even want to raise his eyes to heaven, but would beat his chest, saying, ‘God, be propitious to me, sinner.’
Every day and at all times, we should scrutinize our hearts to eradicate from there the pride and vanity that makes us believe ourselves better than others.
Judging others prevents us from loving God properly
We should be very careful because, in judging, we are not only belittling God’s grace, by deeming our works worthy, but by having the attitude of the Pharisee, we are preventing ourselves from loving God properly.
Jesus himself said:
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”
If in our heart there is no humility to see ourselves as we really are, but instead we think that we are perfect.
How then can we realize how much we have been forgiven, and how can we love the Lord much for giving us so much love and so much forgiveness?
Conclusion
In judging others, we first need to be humble.
Recognize our condition, love others as ourselves, tolerate with that love their weaknesses and mistakes however great they may be, and submit daily to the repentance and justification that only come from Jesus our Lord.
Let us leave judgment to God, who has always been and always will be the only saint and worthy to judge!
Are you struggling with judging others? Would you like to stop doing it? What is the circumstance you are going through? Let us know in the comments.
Blessings and a hug.
