Matthew 7:1–5
“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and the measure you give will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, while you do not notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
The more we study God’s Word, the more we discover that God’s truth shows no mercy to those who lack integrity. In other words, truth does not compromise. Truth will crush those without integrity. Integrity here means taking a firm, clear stand; not being wishy-washy about which side you are on. Do we truly want to live righteously or not at all? There is no half-measure. The demand to live in truth is a heavy one. Truth cannot tolerate those who lack integrity.
We often hear the exhortation not to judge others. What does judging actually mean? Judging means evaluating or analyzing others from one’s own viewpoint, not to correct them but to condemn and punish. What is judged is a person’s attitudes, actions, and condition. Why do people judge? Because of ego and emotion, and a desire to punish. There is a certain satisfaction in evaluating and blaming others based on one’s own views, perspectives, or what one deems bad. In this, a person’s ego is gratified by judging others.
This is one characteristic of the human ego: deciding for oneself what is good and what is bad by one’s own standards. In other words, a person takes the place of God’s law as if it were their own. What does this mean? Someone seeks to exalt themselves as though others are lower or more at fault than they are. At the same time, they want to show they deserve a better position than others. In short, judging is blaming others from a personal perspective. Setting the law means pointing out others’ faults when they do something that, by personal taste or feeling, is considered wrong.
If someone does not understand God’s truth or law, the standard they use for good and bad becomes highly subjective. The principle becomes “I am the law.” Such people usually like to pick faults in others—and they almost always can. Remember this: many quarrels and conflicts arise because of this attitude, even to the point of cursing. To curse means to wish disaster upon another because of that person’s action or condition deemed wrong. To curse is to punish. A curse itself is a penalty (ἀνάθεμα – anathema).
People like this also often talk about others’ faults behind their backs, certainly to bring them down. Conversely, someone with a godly heart will grieve over another’s mistakes or weaknesses. Yet if such a person is hurt, they may unconsciously look for that person’s faults to talk about—not only faults related to themselves but also faults concerning others. They might even hope the person receives punishment for their wrongdoing. If someone knows God’s truth or law, then the standard of good and bad is determined by God’s law. Conversely, if they do not know the truth, then good and bad are determined subjectively by themselves.