No Excuse to Judge Others
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.” Romans 2:1
Paul is writing this letter to the Jews, but he might as well have been writing it to our generation. He is saying that they shouldn’t get so puffed up with pride in themselves for they are just as bad as the Gentiles. This could also be directed at believers in regard to unbelievers. Israel had been given God’s law, therefore they had more to answer for than those without the law. The same could be said for believers. We know the truth. We have God’s word as our standard for living. Peter wrote in I Peter 4:17 that judgment begins at the house of God, that is, those of us who are His children will be judged before the rest of the world. That’s a scary thought, but it is a true statement.
It is always easier to see someone else’s sin than our own. The people of Israel thought that they could escape God’s judgment because of their position as God’s chosen people. Indeed, they had been blessed. One would think that because of their special relationship to God, and how he showered them with protection and provision, they would stay on the straight and narrow and glorify Him with all their being. Warren Wiersbe stated: “It is not the judgment of God that leads men to repentance, but the goodness of God; but Israel did not repent.” That has been proven true all throughout history, particularly in our day. The world is much like ancient Israel was: blessed and judged, but neither has brought the world to repentance in any large measure.
I doubt that there has ever been a person who has not judged another. Folks say about others, “Well, I would never do such and such.” Maybe not. However, those who say that probably have done something similar or even worse. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, made it clear that we are not to judge others (Matthew 7:1-2). If we do, then we will be judged by the same standard with which we judge others. One thing that believers do is to determine in our hearts and minds about the salvation of another person. We cannot see into the hearts of other people nor can we read their minds. In that same chapter of Matthew, Jesus also said, in referencing false prophets, that we can know them by their fruits (7:16). We can observe others by their language, their demeaner, how they spend their time, who their friends are, etc. and get an idea about where they stand with the Lord, but we cannot say unequivocally whether they are saved or not. The best way to find that out is to ask them, and in so doing, we have an opportunity to witness. They may have received Christ at some point in their lives, but they have not been following through with their commitment to Him. We don’t hear the term “backslidden” much anymore, but believers can easily slide back into their old sinful ways if they are not careful. Our approach to others should be not to judge them, but to help them see their condition and repent. The old saying, “There but for the grace of God, go I” is a good one to remember when we are about to judge someone.
Paul wrote that anyone who judges, other than the Lord, has no excuse. I can remember several years ago sitting in church before the service started and watching women walk across the middle aisle dressed very seductively, showing cleavage or wearing a short skirt. The thoughts that would go through my mind were, “Don’t they know what appropriate dress is for God’s house?” or “Are they trying to draw attention to the Lord or to themselves?” and other judgmental thoughts. I would see men sitting in the pews turn their heads toward the woman and allow their eyes to follow her across the sanctuary. Finally one day I realized that I was judging those women so I began to look quickly away and get my mind on something else to keep those judgmental thoughts from popping up in my mind. I still believe that women and men should dress modestly particularly for worship services, but I don’t have to answer for what others do. I am responsible for what I do.
We may not know what others are going through in their lives, and thus we have no excuse to judge them. As that old saying goes, “Don’t judge another until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” And even then, we are not to judge, but rather help them out if there is anything that we can do to ease their burden. If believers spent more time in seeking to do good and making life better for others, judging will diminish and love will grow.