Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, “Don’t.”
The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known.
Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the
spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it. The effect of criticism
is the dividing up of the strengths of the one being criticized. The
Holy Spirit is the only one in the proper position to criticize, and He
alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is
impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical
mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and
leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow
superior to others. Jesus says that as His disciple you should cultivate
a temperament that is never critical. This will not happen quickly but
must be developed over a span of time. You must constantly beware of
anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.
There is no escaping the penetrating search of my life by Jesus. If I
see the little speck in your eye, it means that I have a plank of
timber in my own (see Matthew 7:3-5). Every wrong thing that I see in you, God finds in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-24).
Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at
least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s
situation. The first thing God does is to give us a thorough spiritual
cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I
have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after
discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.
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