“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.
“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 7:1-6; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

Darkened Glass Reflections has looked at this passage several times before. If you type “Matthew 7:1” into the search bar on the home page, 25 articles pop up. Many of these articles discuss how many people, both Christians and nonbelievers, misunderstand and misapply this instruction. We do not like it when people point out our favorite sins, so we accuse them of judging us. If you say “Abortion is a sin” or “homosexuality is wrong,” many people are likely to respond, “You shouldn’t judge people like that. You are being so judgmental!”

I wonder how many people would say that if someone was condemning murder, pedophilia, or cannibalism. Modern Western society rightly recognizes these activities as evil. Generally, only a person who wants to ignore God’s commands accuses the speaker of judging.

This creates a paradox: You cannot accuse someone of being judgmental without judging them. We can only apply Matthew 7:1 to ourselves. We can use this passage as a checkpoint, to see if we are faithfully following Christ or merely critiquing how others live.

Jesus did not say we cannot identify an action or attitude as “sin.” This should be obvious from the following paragraphs. In verse 6, Jesus told His disciples that they should not give what is holy to dogs or cast pearls before swine. You would have to first identify somebody as a dog or swine to obey this command. Shortly thereafter (Matthew 7:15-21), Jesus told His disciples to “beware of false prophets,” whom they would recognize by their “fruits.” He told them to recognize somebody as a “false prophet” and determine that their lifestyle, personality, lifestyle, or ministry qualified as “bad fruit.”

However, this does not mean that a Christian’s primary responsibility is to point out everyone else’s sins. We should be more concerned about identifying the sin in our own lives than in those around us and making sure we do not fall into the same or similar sins.

When we see the sins of others, we should first check our own lives. Some Christians might rail against homosexuality while remaining hooked on pornography. Others berate people who drink alcohol while engaging in gluttony. Some avoid “gossip” while sharing all the juicy morsels of character-defaming conjecture as “prayer requests.”

If we view things this way, perhaps we can seek greater understanding about and compassion for the other person. We can seek to understand their struggles and temptations. We can avoid labeling them by their sin. No sin is the sum of a person’s identity or value. It is one part of their life experience, not the entire story.

It is also not the end of the story. Through faith in Christ, anybody can be delivered, healed, forgiven, restored, and given a new and true identity as a child of God. Our job is not to condemn people for their sins but to be witnesses for Jesus Christ, proclaiming forgiveness of sins and everlasting life for all who will turn to Him by faith.

Lord, we all fall short of Your glory. Forgive us for the times we have looked down on others who sin differently from us, or even on those whose sins are only slightly different from ours. Help us to keep our eyes on You, to confess our sins when we fail, repent, and trust that You will work in the lives of others. Empower us to speak Your Gospel with both truth and love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What are your thoughts about Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:1-6? Do you have any experiences you would like to share in this regard? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.

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