Judge Not?

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 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? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye." Matthew 7:1-5

You've probably heard "judge not!" whenever one considers another's actions to be wrong. It seems right to throw the Bible at someone who's throwing the Bible at others, right? Well, first, don't throw the Bible at others. Some are pretty heavy and painful to the noggin. Second, you need to read the rest of this verse. It's super important.

First let's see what "judge" means in Greek here:

κρίνω - properly, to separate, come to a choice by making a judgment either positive or negative. (Strong's Concordance)

Judging someone else by a certain standard and yourself by another is hypocritical. So, if you're living your life to the same standard ("first take the log out of your own eye"), then it's not hypocritical to "take the speck out of your brother's eye." Please note: you're taking the speck out of your BROTHER'S eye. What is a brother?

ἀδελφός, οῦ, ὁ - from the same womb, brother (whether born of same two parents or only one of the same parent), same national ancestor as in belonging to the same people (countryman), a fellow believer constituting as it were but a single family, an associate in employment or office. (Strong's Concordance)

This isn't even speaking of judging (deciding whether a person's actions are good or bad) an unbeliever! I believe it's speaking of not correcting your family (those you are close to) or fellow believers when you're not even trying to correct yourself. So, it's ok to lovingly redirect your brothers and sisters in Christ as we shouldn't even call ourselves Christians or believers if we are not correctly representing our God. Paul is also great at explaining further how to deal with other children of God, so I recommend reading Galatians, Timothy, or any of his other writings. However, here's something Jesus says:

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17

How do you treat a stubborn Christian who refuses to act Godly? Let him be like an unbeliever to you. In other words, you can't correct him as he's not really a follower of God.

So, what about unbelievers? How do we sway them to good?

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." Matthew 7:6

When you read the section about judging, you think this next verse is a change in subject. It's actually a very relevant statement completely related to the verses before.

You can't expect an unbeliever to act like a Christian. They might under their own fruition, but you can't expect it. They don't believe in your God, and they likely won't act Godly. That's where we are called to be disciples, living our lives as examples of God's love for our neighbors.

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. 'Teacher,' he asked, 'what must I do to inherit eternal life?'

'What is written in the Law?' he replied. 'How do you read it?'

He answered, '‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’'

'You have answered correctly,' Jesus replied. 'Do this and you will live.'

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'

In reply Jesus said: 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'

The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise."" Luke 10:25-37

Go and do likewise.