To judge or not to judge?

“Do not judge” - it's no surprise to find those words in the Bible. Taken on its own, it can sound as though we are forbidden from reaching moral conclusions about anyone or anything.

To Judge or Not to Judge? puts Jesus’ words back into their context. Matthew 7 condemns the hypocrisy of inspecting somebody else’s faults while ignoring our own. The Christian life still requires judgements about right and wrong, trustworthy teaching, our own conduct and the influences we allow to shape us. The challenge is to do that without slipping into pride or superiority. 

This booklet works through that tension. We cannot see another person’s motives, we may be wrong in our interpretations and our first application of Scripture should always be to ourselves. At the same time, Christians cannot abandon the task of discerning truth from error just because disagreement is uncomfortable.

This resource includes:

• a closer reading of “Do not judge” in Matthew 7
• the difference between discernment and a judgemental attitude
• guidance for handling disagreements between Christians
• discussion of false teaching and conduct within the church
• practical principles for speaking about right and wrong with humility and care

A shared invitation

Our Daily Bread Ministries wants to help you handle difficult biblical questions with Scripture open and humility intact. Resources like this are free so that Bible teaching remains widely accessible. If you are able to give, your donation helps us continue providing that companionship to readers who are trying to live faithfully in complicated situations.