But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
— John 14:26
Well, on this particular day, the Holy Spirit brought us all the way from the last Gospel to the first epistle of Paul in order to point out something truly peculiar. Let me give you the passage first, and then I’ll explain myself a little more.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
— Romans 2:1-3
Romans 1b presents one of the most poignant insights on the topic of judgement. Mind you, there is room in godly living for righteous judgment (e.g., murder is wrong and it’s OK to say so - I just wanted to get that out of the way before any guilt-ridden folks began protesting, “Don’t judge me!”). Believe it or not, Paul is actually writing about someone who discerns correctly regarding the sinfulness in others. But, he has a bone to pick (his audience was riddled with arrogance).
First, let’s establish what Paul was really saying here. He wrote, “For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself.” Why? Because in showing an ability to judge correctly against God’s divine law, a person establishes themselves as an expert. When a person understands the law, they are able to make sound judgements against transgressors of it (e.g., it’s wrong to lie). So, in typical Pauline fashion, the trap is set for the arrogant judge who judges not themselves. Jesus called this hypocrisy, and He despised it as much as just about anything else mentioned in the Bible. In fact, to see this all you have to do is read Matthew 23, where Jesus used the term “hypocrites” to rail against the scribes and Pharisees, who were famous for acting the way Paul describes in Romans 2:1-3.
Jesus taught His disciples (and us now) to judge rightly, for that is a good thing. We’ve been given the Word of God and a good conscience to do so. I’ll say it again, don’t ever fall for the contemporary lie that all judging is wrong! People who spout such lies are merely stuck in their own guilt and condemnation. It’s with proper judgement that we must hold up ourselves and others to the divine standards of God. We often fail in this endeavor, as Paul described, by holding others up to God’s standards, but not ourselves. This makes us hypocrites...and, to be honest, we all do it!
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
— Luke 6:41-42
The Greek word for “confess” is homologeo, which means “to say the same thing” (in context, “as God”). Why is it that we often find it so appealing to confess the sins of others, but not our own? Have you ever noticed this tendency in us? I have. We’re so quick to point a finger, putting others down while silently elevating ourselves, to our flesh’s delight...all while persisting in our own sin.
You might be scratching your head at this point, saying, “But there’s a tension between doctrines; on the one hand it’s good to judge matters righteously, but on the other hand, we are warned against judging others before ourselves.” I’m going to give you the key to unlocking this “paradox” (it’s not really a paradox, though - I speak as a man - God’s never confused about any of this).
The key to judging rightly is twofold. First, you must ensure you have Holy Scripture backing up your every thought. Second, you mustn’t become haughty. It’s likely we have enough of the Word of God in us to discern right from wrong in most circumstances, so that tends not to be the real issue (it’s not the one Paul wrote about in Romans 2:1-3, either). The issue is the second point, which is captured here:
There are six things that the LORD hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
— Proverbs 6:16-19
The very first mentioned sin that the Lord hates is “haughty eyes” (v17). These are the eyes that look down on others from a position of arrogance. The scribes and Pharisees embodied this type of evil - Jesus despised them for it.
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
— John 8:3-7
As the story goes, the adulteress’s hypocritical judgers walked away when challenged by Jesus. This ought to be a visual aid to the rest of us whenever we find ourselves judging others. While it’s legitimate to judge correctly, we must do so in humility. With perfect integrity, Jesus judged both the arrogant group and the woman, whom He said to, “go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11b). We can learn a lot from John 8:2-11 (hint, hint).
Integrity is the key here. If we understand God’s divine standards, let us judge rightly all people by them (beginning with ourselves). If we confess the sins of others, but not our own, we prove ourselves hypocrites. Jesus had harsh words for hypocrites, and for good reason. Let us confess our own sins to God and if there’s ever a time when someone else’s sin is before us, let us approach them with the dignity of Christ, Himself, the most humble man to ever walk this Earth.
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins
