The Bible verse "do not judge" is probably one of the most quoted by
non-believers, and it is incredibly important that Christians debunk the
misinterpretation of this verse, Pastor Craig Groeschel of Life.Church said in a
recent sermon.
Groeschel, head pastor of the multi-site Life.Church, addressed Matthew
7:1-2 in his recent series on the most
misinterpreted verses of the Bible, saying this verse causes controversy because
it is "probably the number one most quoted Bible verse by non-Christians and one
of the more popularly quoted verses by Christians."
The pastor described the verse, which reads "Do not judge, or you too
will be judged," as incredibly complicated and incredibly important to address
because "it's no secret that this theme alone is probably the number one thing
that drives non-Christians away from Christianity."
Like with all Bible verses, Groeschel examines the context of Matthew
7:1-2, as well as other Bible verses regarding judgment, to decipher the true
meaning of this highly-quoted and highly disputed subject.
Ultimately, the verse is not calling on Christians to stop judging
altogether, but rather, there are very specific guidelines they need to follow:
"Do not judge superficially […] do not judge hypocritically […] never hold
Christians to the same standards as non-Christians [and] always help restore
fallen believers."
When following these four guidelines, Christians will learn that they can
lead other sinners within God's family back to truth through
grace.
For the first guideline, "do not judge superficially," Groeschel tells
Christians that it is important not to judge "from a distance," or pass judgment
based on limited information.
Christians must also avoid judging hypocritically. While they have the
right to point out a sin in their fellow Christian brother or sister, they must
first look inward "because it's probably a reflection of some kind of sinfulness
in [their] own heart."
When judging, Christians "tend to accuse others and excuse ourselves,"
the pastor says. "The place where you issue your harshest judgment often reveals
your deepest weakness."
Additionally, Christians should never hold a non-Christian to the same
standards as a believer, said Groeschel, noting that Christians are called to
show non-believers God's love and let God do the actual changing within their
hearts.
Lastly, Christians should always be working to restore the faith of those
who have strayed with a balance of grace and truth.
This teaching is especially important, Groeschel says, because every
Christian will likely reach a point where they need help and guidance back to
their faith.
When dealing with someone who has strayed, "We don't kick the person down
because guess what, we sin too […] we love them back," the pastor
says.
Too often, Christians either preach to fellow Christians with too much
truth and not enough grace, or too much grace and not enough
truth.
Both of these approaches have negative consequences, because "when there
is all truth, and no grace, [that] leads to rebellion […] that drives people
away," and "all grace and no truth, that leads to license […] people behave how
they want."
The pastor of one of the largest evangelical churches in America
concludes his sermon with a prayer, asking God to guide those who are attempting
to bring someone back to faith.
Groeschel prays that God "helps us to get this right," of successfully
bring sinners back to God without pushing them farther from His
message.
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