Now we can understand that judging others means evaluating them from our own viewpoint, not to correct but to condemn and punish. Therefore, we must distinguish between judging a person and pointing out an error in a teaching. Pointing out a false teaching does not mean we are judging the person. We are only exposing the error in the teaching; the person’s standing is between them and God. The prohibition against judging others does not mean we should close our eyes to lies, fraud, and deception. Paul himself strongly exposed deception, sometimes using harsh language—even calling people “dogs.” That does not mean Paul was judging others.
When sin and deception occur in the Christian community, we must speak out firmly, guided by the Holy Spirit. Of course, this must be grounded in love and concern for the salvation of many souls, for their correction and deliverance. Matthew 7:4–5 says, “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.” Notice the words “You hypocrite.” Here, the Lord points to hypocrisy among those who profess faith in Him. A merciless, condemning attitude is not only a sign of hypocrisy but also blinds one’s spiritual sight. In truth, the more we point out others’ faults, the less we truly know ourselves. Therefore, we must first remove the log from our own eye. Then we can see clearly to remove the speck from another’s eye. The goal is not to indict others, but to help others genuinely correct themselves after we have genuinely corrected ourselves.
The remarkable thing is that when a person is honest with themselves, God’s Word becomes very clear to them. So, when the Lord says “do not judge,” the context is our life in relationship and fellowship with those around us. People are generally driven, influenced, and controlled by their environment. What happens around us—our living conditions and surroundings—often governs a person’s life. If this continues, a person’s inner life or spiritual quality will be colored by their environment from one event to the next. People are influenced, shaped, and controlled by their environment to the point that they lose their freedom. They become captive to their surroundings, and their inner condition takes on the color of that environment.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what the will of God is: what is good and acceptable and perfect.” What is in the world is often of the same color as what is in a person’s inner life or soul. This is what we as believers must avoid. We must be free and liberated from this condition, especially from the tendency to judge those who have wronged us. From childhood, the world has shaped and trained us. But now, having come to know the true God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who prepares us to enter His Kingdom, there must be a change within us. This change is not easy. It is a struggle to be pursued not for one or two months, nor even for one or two years, but throughout our lives, so that the atmosphere of the Kingdom of Heaven fills our hearts—from the worldly to the heavenly. That is why we are discipled and continuously formed without end.