Last time, we talked about the necessity of eschewing judgmentalism but embracing discernment, because it leads to the knowledge of God. Satan can twist many valuable truths into toxic teachings, but rather than “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” it’s often wise to do the work of melting down the truth to reclaim it from the dross of Satan’s lies. So how do we capture discernment while jettisoning judging?
Before any other discussion can be meaningful, we need to resolve the interplay between Bible verses that say:
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.
—Matthew 7:1–2
and
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
—Hebrews 5:14
How can we do this?
Let's start by figuring out what the concepts "judgement" and "discernment" are.
Looking at the definitions in my English dictionary, I can see why we've gotten ourselves so tangled up in terminologies.
to judge:
- to pass legal judgment on; pass sentence on (a person)
- to form a judgment or opinion of; decide upon critically
- to decide or settle authoritatively
- to infer, think, or hold as an opinion; conclude about or assess
- to make a careful guess about [1]
to discern:
- to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend
- to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different [2]
Those are our English definitions— and there are quite a few of them. Which definitions should we apply?
It is helpful to remember that the Bible was not written in English. It was written in ancient Greek—a language no longer spoken.
The word that Jesus used in Matthew 7:1 ("Do not judge, or you too will be judged") was "κρίνω" (transposed into our alphabet, krinō). It's used in the sense of condemnation, passing judgment, standing trial, or lawsuits. [3]
When Jesus tells us not to judge, he's not telling us to avoid forming an opinion (English dictionary option #2). He's telling us to avoid passing judgement on other people for the sake of condemnation (option #1).
If my friend is engaging in self harm such as cutting, I am no friend to her if I am not concerned for her well-being. I am no friend to her if I don't speak up, express my concern and encourage her to seek help.
If my Christian friend is engaging in self-destructive spiritual behaviours, like lying all the time, or letting bitterness take over her heart, I am no friend to her if I am not concerned for her spiritual well-being. I am no friend to her if I don't speak up and express my concern.
I'm not condemning her. I'm concerned for her. This is discernment.
Judging is another matter. When we pass judgement for the sake of condemning someone, we are essentially elevating ourselves as their superior and debasing them as somehow inferior.
This is exactly what the Pharisee did to the tax collector in Jesus' parable:
Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
(Luke 18:9–14)
Looking down on other people can be an addiction. It perversely feeds our sense of pride. By having someone to spurn, by having someone lower on the totem pole, we think we somehow commend ourselves to God. We are more lovable, more ‘worthy’ of His attention. But at the end of the parable, Jesus said it was the tax collector—not the Pharisee—who went on his way, forgiven.
At another time, Jesus said:
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
(Luke 6:41–42)
When we become condemning, we disable ourselves from growing spiritually. We impair our capacity to absorb and apply godly correction. We so focus on pointing out the faults in others that we lose the ability to scrutinize our own lives in humility.
No wonder Jesus said, “Judge not, lest you be judged” (Matthew 7:1, BLB). When He said this, I don’t think He meant God judges us tit for tat. He is not reading through our lives, circling those times we criticized others in red pen, and then saying, “Okay, Valerie judged someone. Now it’s time for Me to judge her.
It’s all a matter of focus. When we criticize others, our ability to examine ourselves begins to slip. We harden our hearts towards the conviction of the Holy Spirit and render ourselves unteachable. We're so focussed on "out there" that we forget about the "in here" of our hearts. We spiral into greater and greater sin without even realizing it. That’s what leads God to judge us.
I've been thinking a lot about these concepts in recent days. With the politics of the world undergoing radical shifts, it's going to become harder to maintain godly attitudes with respect to judging vs. discernment. Next time, I’ll share a few strategies I’ve been finding useful to safeguard my heart.
NOTES
[1] “Judge,” dictionary.com, accessed November 30 2024, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/judge.
[2] “Discern,” dictionary.com, accessed November 30 2024, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/discern.
[3] Arclay M. Newman, Jr, Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament (German Bible Society, 2022), κρίνω entry.
