to judge or not to judge

Judging–it is in one sense a popular theme in our society. On the one hand, all kinds of judging takes place, a lot of it unfairly. On the other hand, there is an impulse in many to decry any such notion. “Who are you to judge me?” is a common complaint.

Of course it makes sense that believers would oppose judging, for Scripture clearly tells us to avoid an arrogant and critical spirit. Then again, some who have little genuine interest in spiritual things, conveniently utilize the “don’t judge” mantra in order, I think, to avoid personal responsibility. Thus, if you try to point out the mistakes of some people, they automatically hide behind this supposedly “godly” principle.

Back to the subject, it is simply a fact of life that we have to make some sort of judgments. After all, we cannot even oppose those we deem judgmental without making a judgment about other people and their behavior.

The problem, perhaps, is not so much with the idea of judging, which cannot be avoided entirely, but with us. Once again, we are too goofy to handle our responsibilities with dignity and wisdom. So, we are all prone to misuse either side of the issue. Either, we lazily and/or fearfully avoid responsibility by pretending that “it’s not our job or some such thing. Or, in the name of “standing for the truth,” we become judgmental jerks with little care or compassion.

What’s the way ahead? Well, first, I think we need to lean on God (and ask his forgiveness), for we perpetually prone to miss the mark one way or the other. Then, I think we need to be balanced in the way we approach judging. By balance, I do not mean that we take some middle-of-the-road arbitrary stance as to how many times we allow ourselves to make judgments. No, by balance I mean that we have to hold these ideas (and many others, too) in tension. Thus, it is always true that we will have to make judgments (about what we will do or not do, which kids we’ll allow our children to hang out with, etc.), and it will also always be true that as Christians we must refrain from making final judgments (which are God’s alone), heart judgments (which, again, only God can make), and arrogant judgments (which contradict the call of Jesus to love our neighbors . . . and even our enemies). The way ahead, difficult and frustrating as it may be at times, is to follow Jesus, who said “judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).