Human history has been fraught with conflict. Judgmentalism at such a scale averts the opportunity of most of kindness and genuineness perspective. Such a person is not wrong they’re merely different than you, living by different values and not doing you any harm. I don’t see how you can think it fair to judge someone else because their values are different than yours. For example, I don’t think you are harmed by someone else’s lifestyle choice. I believe that the only scale at which we have any right to stand in Judgment of others is when we actually see someone doing harm. Where that interpretation is connected to your understanding of God I think you art depicting a very mean and judgmental God at a scale where none of us really have the right to be standing in judgment of others. Particularly, for example, the idea that we are all sinners is something I find merely interpretive.

It may be hard for me to think that you will accept my view but I believe that so deeply religious a perspective is disempowering in the world we know today. The share buttons below will take you right there. And if you think this would bless someone else, please share it on Facebook or your favorite social media. How about you? What tricks and tips have you found to be discerning without being condemning? Share them with us in the comments. And it gives room for the Holy Spirit to work. But I wouldn’t be a good friend if I condoned something that’s hurting you.” Often people will still disagree with me about their lifestyle, but they respond positively to the respect I give them as a person. I think one of the easiest ways to do this is to just simply say, “I’m not condemning you, I”ll still be your friend. We, as the people of God, need to be very careful that we speak the truth in love, loving the sinner while hating the sin, like Jesus did. The media loves to run with Christians calling out sinful lifestyles in unloving, condemning ways, which furthers the deception. Calling out a sinful lifestyle as self-destructive is actually very loving, as long we do it in a loving way. Unfortunately, this lie’s gotten some traction from some of us who act out of religion rather than out of the Spirit.īut we are not what we do. When people say “don’t judge me”, what they really mean is “don’t discern my lifestyle as wrong.” They are under the deception that discerning their actions as wrong is equivalent to condemning them personally. The religious Pharisees were not and did not. The tax collectors and prostitutes were teachable and accepted him and his correction. He lovingly accepted them, but still told the truth about their behavior. He also ate with Pharisees, the religious people, and similarly did not mince words about their sinful lifestyle (Luke 14:7-24, Luke 7:37-47). Strong words but put without condemnation. When Jesus says “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9), he’s overtly implying that it wasn’t there before. He ate with the tax collector’s (national traitors), but did not mince words about their sinful lifestyle (Matthew 9:9-13 and Luke 19:1-10). Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, but he also told her “go and sin no more” (John 8:1-11). “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).īut with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can correctly discern behavior without condemning the person, like Jesus did. We’re supposed to call righteousness “righteousness” and sin “sin”, and not sugar-coat it. We’re supposed to discern (or “tell the difference between”) right from wrong, righteousness from sin, the fruit of theSpirit from the works of the flesh. So you could read the verse like “Don’t condemn or you will be condemned.” That’s judgement.ĭiscernment is a whole different matter. When the Bible says “Don’t judge or you too will be judged” (Mathew 7:1), it’s talking about condemnation, “to condemn like in a courtroom.” There’s a legal aspect to it. We hear all the time, “Don’t judge!” But, on the other hand, we’re supposed to promote righteousness, aren’t we? And not condone sinful lifestyles, right? So how do we do one without the other? It turns out one is Judgement and the other is Discernment.

Judgement vs judgment