“[I]t is beneficial to be judgmental in a good way.”
-from “Jesus Commands us to be Judgmental” – from DefendingContending.com
In John 7:24, Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Of course, if there is righteous judgment, there is sinful judgment, which should certainly be avoided. However, it is beneficial to be judgmental in a good way.
In my experience, the verse that virtually every American non-Christian knows and loves to quote is Matthew 7:1. Jesus said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” I’ve even had some people tell me that it was one of the Ten Commandments. In this passage, Jesus was condemning hypocritical judging. We shouldn’t call the police on our neighbors for playing the music too loud one evening when it is our regular practice to have loud parties and keep the neighborhood awake. It’s human nature to be upset and point out the one time our neighbor does something wrong, and excuse, or be completely oblivious to, our own poor behavior. That is called hypocrisy.
However, Jesus goes on, and in verse 5, He tells us that we should remove the plank from our eye, so that we will be able to help others with their speck. We are supposed to judge ourselves strictly, so that we can lovingly judge others and help them with their speck. (…)
Yes, I agree, Jesus was speaking of condemning hypocritical judging. And that has always been my earmark. I left the church at 9 yrs due to hypocrisy, not to leave Jesus, but those who were ill representing him. I simply felt I was more equipped to follow what I had been taught about Jesus away from an organized church. I know if I am doing it our not, and even as a kid I knew. People know. I find it the greatest travesty when his teachings are used to justify acts that they themselves judge in others. An example being war, which has been fought in the name of “God” though out the planet since the beginning of civilization. It saddens me very deeply.
Excellent point