THE DECEPTION OF “DON’T JUDGE ME”

Recently, one of my articles was rejected by a certain Newspaper editor. I had written about the similarities between modern-day prophets and witchdoctors. The editor argued that in that article, I was “judgmental” and therefore, the content was somewhat offensive to the prophets. We talked for some time and I realized how our generation is sensitive on matters concerning their guilt (Judgmental again? I hope not).

As a preacher and teacher at church, I imagined that my congregation might be silent but that doesn’t mean that they don’t feel the same way sometimes when I minister to them. Perhaps they occasionally feel “judged”!

Nowadays, it is judgmental to tell an overweight person that you are fat. When someone is wrong, you don’t have to point it out but instead mind your business for if say a thing about how wrong they are, then you are “judging” them.

When people say ‘Don’t judge me’, what exactly do they mean? Well, I will tell you what they mean (I hope am not judgmental again); what they mean is that: Yes I am wrong but don’t remind me about that, mind your business. Don’t correct me if you are not perfect. Someone has said: Go ahead. Judge me, just remember to be perfect the rest of your life. These and more are statements that seek to scare you off not to point out how wrong someone is until you have no mistake in your own life (John 8:7).

What is to Judge?

What I have realized is that the devil has capitalized on our misconception of what “Judging” is and introduced a very deadly deception that is affecting all of us. Judging someone means not just pointing out the wrong they did/do but instead passing the verdict and determining their fate. A Judge in the courtroom reads you all your crimes and gives a penalty for those crimes. The difference between a Priest like me and a Judge is that a priest tells you, how wrong you are and the Judge, sentences you for your wrongness.

It is not a judgment when I tell you how wrong you are and how right you ought to be, it is only a judgment if I passed on the sentence. For instance, if preached to you and said that because you have not believed Jesus after my sermon you are going to hell; this is judgment. But if I said that Jesus is the only way to heaven and all other ways including the way of your religion is not the way to heaven,

I have not judged you but informed you. If we restrict or even equate “Judging” others to be any analysis and any kind of warning about the danger of the choices, behaviour and attitudes of others, then everything is reduced to being judgmental. If every expression of one’s opinion about others’ approach to life is “Judgment” then there isn’t any comment about both self and others that isn’t judging.

What do the Scriptures really teach?

The adherents of this deception of ‘DON’T JUDGE ME’, are always quick to quote Jesus in Mathew 7:1-5 where he says:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment, you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 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.”

Two things should be quickly put across:

1. Jesus’ use of the term ‘Judge’ here is not just pointing out one’s sin but rather the Pharisaic practice of detecting one’s sin, identifying him/her as a sinner and stoning the sinner to death (John 8:1-8). In this respect, we cannot use this verse to rebuke those who tell us how wrong we are.
2. Secondly, Jesus emphasizes that we are to give help exclusively in the areas we are able. God cannot imagine patients suffering from the same disease healing others of the same lot. This would be still not judging but hypocrisy. And it is this hypocrisy that is rebuked elsewhere in the New Testament (James 4:11-12; Romans 2:1-3) However, Jesus did not say an H.I.V positive doctor cannot prescribe drugs for your particular ailment.

Was Jesus a Judgmental Preacher?

Reading John 8, we see the Pharisees fronting this deception and accusing Jesus of being Judgmental and Jesus, in his defence says:

You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and he who sent me. (John 8:15-16).

Jesus insists that even “Judging” can be justified especially when it is true. We see him coming out straight on these Pharisee and unapologetically judging them (John 8:38-45). As you can see, Jesus is very assertive and not sorry for calling sin by its name. We can make our conclusions whether he was judgmental or evangelical. My friend Melissa said:

“Sin is hard to talk about. It’s hard to bring up.  There were times in history when a Christian would be expected to be opposed to doing certain things, based on her belief in the Bible.  But, those days seem to have passed.  Now it seems that Christians aren’t allowed to be opposed to anything because in saying that there’s anything out there that we SHOULDN’T do, we are, by default, somehow “judging” someone who is doing those things”

Let not the devil use this deceptive culture of don’t judge me silence you from calling sin by its rightful name. Preaching and teaching against what is factually and, in reality, wrong is not judging and if we even judged what deserves judgment we would still be justified. The devil is wrong and he will end up in hell, whoever, is informed about this and insists with Satan is destined to the same until he chooses otherwise.

God bless you I invoke TRUTH, REASON and FAITH (2Tim 2:7)

Pr. T.I.M WHITE

The Priest

@iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24)