In Luke chapter 6, we have been learning that we are kingdom people who pass by this life, whose true home is heaven. We also know our real king is Jesus Christ and we live according to His laws, such as love your enemies (Luke 6:27-28). These kingdom ethics are not for our future lives in our future home but what is commanded of us today and every day continually.
In verse 37, Jesus says ‘Do not judge’ as He extends the principle of mercy in verse 36, ‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful’. We’ve heard many times while sharing the gospel, unbelievers use this phrase in their defense of their sins. They claim that we cannot call them sinners and tell them to repent because the Bible says for Christians not to judge. Instead they claim, Christians should love unconditionally and ‘turn the other cheek’. Their use of this passage is wicked as they try to take advantage of Christian compassion.
It is true though, Christians are to be merciful and not judge. This means they don’t take revenge when they are wronged. It’s one of the reasons Christians are often attacked. The public is fearful of attacking Muslims because Muslims could potentially retaliate with violence. But Christians, by the power of Jesus, withhold judgement and forgive instead. Forgiveness is the brilliance and glory of God’s mercy. It is neither simple nor easy to forgive, but instead of revenge, the believer practices God’s mercy towards one another and others.
‘Do not judge’ means we must not be judgemental. Subjectively the word ‘judgemental’ is not a positive term, however, objectively we make decisions or judgements every day. We have to determine what is right or wrong, what is good or bad. Jesus allows good judgements such as righteous judgement instead of judging by appearance (John 7:24, John 10:38). In a righteous judgement, Jesus even condemned the Pharisees (Matthew 23:18). The whole Bible itself is called the ‘Canon of Scripture’ which means it is the book by which we measure truth, in other words it is a judging book. Christians must discern truth and make righteous decisions in every thing that they do.
So what does Jesus mean by ‘Do not judge.’? It does not mean we cannot have an opinion or discernment of truth. That means we would have nothing to say about anything. We would be powerless against sin, but Jesus clearly says we must confront sin (Matthew 18:15). Based on the context of the mercy, Jesus is saying our judgement must not be cruel, heartless, angry or unfair. For example, unfair judgement is being harsh on others but gentle on yourself, showing favoritism instead of fairness (Matthew 7:3).
Types of Judging To Avoid Wrongful judgement: this can happen when you do not have enough information and you are quick to judge. This is also happening a lot more in our society with sensationalism dominating our media and social networks. People are coming to outrageous and inflammatory conclusions based on headlines and small pieces of evidence. The Salem witch hunt is a tragic example of wrongful judgement based on fabricated stories of children. Erwin Lutzer rightly comments, “If they are angry or savor a critical spirit, they will be likely to jump to conclusions”. Jesus says this is wrong but the Christian should be patient and seek for the truth.
Self righteous judgement is also wrong. Thinking you are better than others is wrong. Jesus never sinned and healed so many people, yet the Pharisees judged Jesus to be a servant of Satan because they had their own standard and judged wrongly according to their own self righteousness (Matthew 12:24). In Luke 18:10-12, again the Pharisee judges himself wrongly and remains unforgiven. Martyn Lloyd Jones says the spirit of sinful judgement is a self righteous spirit. The self righteous hold others in contempt because they think they are not like them. To avoid self righteousness you must practice honest self examination by looking at the 10 commandments and the gospel. We must realize it is far easier to point out the sins in others than in ourselves.
Foolish judgement is when we judge what we cannot know. We must judge sinful and wrong teachings, however we must not and cannot judge their motives. If we judge someone’s motives then it leads to condemning them. God judges the heart. It is impossible for men because we cannot truly look into a man’s heart and therefore cannot judge accurately. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says we must wait until God ‘brings to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts’.
We also must be careful of making non-essential judgements. There are some judgments that are essential and of great importance. However not all issues have the same weight. In the church there are so many arguments and criticism over non essential issues. For example, singing style, what to eat, how to dress or certain minor theologies.(Romans 14:1,4). Instead we should seek God’s wisdom (James 1:5) and not cause division over non-essential matters.
If you practice unrighteous judgment towards someone it eventually leads to condemning them. Jesus follows “do not judge” with “do not condemn”. To condemn means to deliver sentence. Both judgement and sentencing belong to God. We can discern what is wrong or right according to the Word, but if you judge and condemn, then we withhold forgiveness. This is opposite of the gospel we are commissioned to share (Luke 9:54-55).
One way we often condemn the unregenerate is to give up on them. We say that a certain person has no hope. We’ve tried but they haven’t responded to the gospel. So we treat them differently and leave them to their sin. This is sinful judgement. Until someone dies we cannot condemn them. In Christ there is always hope for the sinner. Remember the dying thief on the cross.
Conclusion
Jesus says those who judge and condemn will be judged and condemned by Him. Matthew 23:37-38 the Pharisees judged and condemned Jesus but ultimately they were the ones judged and condemned by Him. A wrongful judgement of Christ and an unrepentant heart let do the downfall of Pilate and the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:25). Today, we must learn to be wise and make righteous judgements. Our church should be built on the practice of kindness and mercy. Our church specifically has been accused of being unloving or judgmental in the past. A few have left our church for that very reason. Their accusation may not have been fully accurate but it must cause us to reflect and meditate on our thoughts and actions. Let’s be quick to repent and receive guidance according to what Jesus says in Luke 6.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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