Watching my brother get into trouble with our mother was great spectator sport for me. Two years his junior, I must confess some guilty pleasure as Eric squirmed a bit under the microscope of scrutiny in Mom’s court of correction. I was more than willing to chime in and help her make her point — for the good of the family, of course. Occasionally in doing so, however, I’d expose my own culpability, at which point Mom would look at me with her “you just stepped in it” grin and intone, “Paul, your halo slipped.” It was the difference between judging and judgmentalism: Our mother was speaking truth for my brother’s own good; I, on the other hand, was there for the schadenfreude.
Our culture views judgmentalism as rooted in malintent — a heart set on faultfinding, accusation, and condemnation — and therefore rightly holds it in contempt. Furthermore, we who presume to declare judgment over others have sin issues of our own, which adds an unbecoming element of hypocrisy and the scorn that comes with it. The Bible translation “The Message” says in its ultra-paraphrased way: “Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done.”1 Jesus similarly challenges us, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?’”2 But God’s heart toward us in judgment is good, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”3 He, and only He, is blameless when He judges.4
Jesus’s words on the mount echo still to us today, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”5 We are called to “judge all things”6 in a discernment sense, but we are specifically commanded not to presume to know and condemn the thoughts, words, or deeds of others. Then how do we navigate this tricky terrain? First, check your heart. Have you presumed to know what is impossible for you to know, namely the heart of another? Second, remember. We face a common enemy who “pushes our individual buttons” with temptations, deceptions, and lies to which we are susceptible. And third, set judgment aside and pray. People don’t need our verdict; they need our help.
Speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. — James 2:12-13 ESV.
Father, as you have called me in your grace, grace me to extend it as I am called today. In Christ I pray. Amen.
1 Romans 2:2 MSG
2 Matthew 7:3 NIV
3 2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV
4 Psalm 51:4 NASB
5 Matthew 7:1 NIV
6 1 Corinthians 2:15 ESV
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Paul Nordman—Author 