Paul, writing to the Corinthians stated in 1 Corinthians 6:1-2, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" The saints, believers, shall judge the world so judging is not only permitted but required. If a Christian has a matter against another Christian he/she is to take it before the saints, believers. This can only be done if Christians can judge the right or wrong of the matter. Therefore, it is not unchristian to judge others when done in a righteous manner.

 

Now look at the next two verses, 1 Corinthians 6:3-4, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church" Not only is mankind held to a standard, this verse implies that angels also have a standard. The saints, or believers, are to judge angels so there must be a standard for them as well as for mankind. Obviously, Christians are to judge the things that pertain to this life.

 

There is a proper way to judge. Matthew 7:1 states, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." This means that we can judge but we must first judge ourselves confessing our sins and then judge righteously not condemning. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32, "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

 

Some would say, "Hey, I have seen you do the same thing so you cannot judge me for doing it." This is covered in the verse following the "Judge not" verse in Matthew. Matthew 7:4-5, "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

 

Before I can judge another I must not have any unconfessed sin in my life. If I have unconfessed sin in my life then I cannot judge. When I come before God in prayer and confess those sins I can then judge properly. Therefore, having done the same thing I can still judge if my sins have been dealt with. If I confess my sins I receive forgiveness.

 

Don't miss the end of the verse above, "and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." This informs us that we can judge after we have cast the beam out of our own eye. "Judge not," does not mean that we cannot judge but we must first clean up our own act by confessing our sins and we will be forgiven, then we can judge but judge righteously. One must first become a believer to have ones sins forgiven so this makes it impossible for an unbeliever to Biblically judge others.

 

A most important item for Christians is for Christians to first judge themselves. 1 Corinthians 11:31-32,"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." If we as Christians would judge ourselves first and judge others in the same manner we would certainly be more charitable in judging others.

 

There are many biblical examples that show Christians are required to judge. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul writes of a church member living in open immorality. This church member's sin was being ignored and when Paul heard of it he judged the immorality of the sin and demanded the member be turned over to Satan for destruction of the flesh. In other words, he was put outside the spiritual protection of the local Church. 1 Corinthians 5:3, "For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed," Therefore, the church, which is an assembly of believers, is to judge members of the assembly.

 

Further on in Matthew 7:15-16 we are told, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits." If we are to beware of false prophets we must be able to know them and we can only do that by judging. Verse 16 goes on to tell us we shall know them by their fruit so we are to judge them by their fruit. Verse 17 explains further about the fruit, "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."

 

The letter to the Ephesians gives more information about the fruit, Ephesians 5:11, "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." To have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness we must be able to judge and not only that we are to reprove them! Many Christians are wrongly judged for judging right or wrong, never mind reproving anyone.

 

Right after the "Judge not" passage we have a few verses later a command. Matthew 7:6, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." It is obvious that one must exercise spiritual discernment, judge, to fulfill this command.

 

What standard are we to use for spiritual discernment? The original question of judgment was the use of the Bible verse of Matthew 7:1 to "Judge not." Since a Bible verse was first used it is the Bible that is to be used as a standard of right and wrong and spiritual discernment. The Bible has the only absolute moral standards but the relativist would respond that there are no absolute standards and those who use them are being arrogant and judgmental. These accusations are unwarranted but the absolutist could respond that the relativist has just made a judgment and is also being arrogant and judgmental.

 

If a Christian makes a judgment from a sense of moral superiority he/she would be wrong. The proper sense of morality would be that except for the grace of God there go I, rather than a false sense of moral superiority. The Bible requires a Christian to use spiritual discernment to come to the truth of a matter but no where does the Bible address this matter for an unbeliever, possibly because the unbeliever is unable to use spiritual discernment since he/she is spiritually dead.

 

As Christians we do NOT judge a person life, i.e., sin, because we are all sinners (Matt 7:1). But the Bible does command us to judge fellow Christians teachings and their fruit.  We judge/test their teachings/doctrine to make sure it is correct and that it ties up with scripture.

 

There are many verses in the bible where we are told to JUDGE/TEST:

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1 Thessalonians 5:21 (Amplified Bible)

21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

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Matthew 7:15-20 (Amplified Bible)

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.

16 You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?

17 Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit [worthy of admiration], but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit.

18 A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear [excellent fruit [worthy of admiration].

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

20 Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.

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1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (Amplified Bible)

12 What [business] of mine is it and what right have I to judge outsiders? Is it not those inside [the church] upon whom you are to pass disciplinary judgment [passing censuring sentence on them as the facts require]?

13 God alone sits in judgment on those who are outside. Drive out that wicked one from among you [expel him from your church].

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1 Corinthians 14:29 (Amplified Bible)

29 So let two or three prophets speak [those inspired to preach or teach], while the rest pay attention and weigh and discern what is said.

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John 7:24 (Amplified Bible)

24 Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously.

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Titus 1:9-16 (Amplified Bible)

9 He must hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as he was taught it, so that he may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound (wholesome) doctrine and torefute and convict those who contradict and oppose it [showing the wayward their error].

10 For there are many disorderly and unruly men who are idle (vain, empty) and misleading talkers and self-deceivers and deceivers of others. [This is true] especially of those of the circumcision party [who have come over from Judaism].

11 Their mouths must be stopped, for they are mentally distressing and subverting whole families by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the purpose of getting base advantage and disreputable gain.

12 One of their [very] number, a prophet of their own, said, Cretans are always liars, hurtful beasts, idle and lazy gluttons.

13 And this account of them is [really] true. Because it is [true], rebuke them sharply [deal sternly, even severely with them], so that they may be sound in the faith and free from error,

14 [And may show their soundness by] ceasing to give attention to Jewish myths and fables or to rules [laid down] by [mere] men who reject and turn their backs on the Truth.

15 To the pure [in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are defiled and polluted.

16 They profess to know God [to recognize, perceive, and be acquainted with Him], but deny and disown and renounce Him by what they do; they are detestable and loathsome, unbelieving and disobedient and disloyal and rebellious, and [they are] unfit and worthless for good work (deed or enterprise) of any kind.

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1 John 4 (Amplified Bible)

BELOVED, DO not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world.

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There are times where we are to judge.

We should judge ourselves and judge different spirits that people are under - you just can go with the flow.

The says judge but judge righteously.  Because when you get down to it - that how you will be judged.

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