Matthew 7:1-2(AMP) DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. 2For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.
These words from Jesus' sermon on the mount are probably some of the most quoted and misused verses in our day. Quite often they are used against individuals as well as the church and any ethical or moral evaluation being made in regards to today's society. The Amplified Bible expands the single word "judge" used in most translations, to include "criticize" and "condemn".
Where would society be without any kind of judgment? It would be utter chaos, which we are seeing more and more of because there is so much of a lack of judgment and even common sense in our day. All of us have to make judgments each day, and some of us have to make evaluations of others in the workplace, in recreational activities, and in relationships. The key to it is what is the attitude of the heart and what is the intention of the "judgment" or evaluation. Is it to criticize and condemn or is it to correct,exhort or challenge someone in love for their own good?
We must make judgments but not without taking a look at ourselves for those same issues before speaking to others.
John Calvin wrote that the one "who judges according to the word and the law of the Lord, and forms his judgment by the rule of charity (love), always begins with subjecting himself to examination, and preserves a proper medium and order in his judgments."
That is the challenge to us in our dealings with others, we must realize that we ourselves aren't perfect (far from it), we are to subject ourselves to the same examination, while letting God's word guide us in an attitude of love towards others. No easy task, no easy button on this one.
Matthew 7 (MSG) A Simple Guide for Behavior
1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
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