Yes Jesus said that in Matthew 7:1.
Does this mean we are not to judge fellow believers or even unbelievers at all or according to our own sense of self righteousness?
Does this mean if a Bishop, Pastor or Elder of a church sins we as the Body of Christ are not to enact church discipline. I mean Jesus said don’t judge so that we will not be judged. So keeping with the first verse of chapter alone we end up letting overt unrepentant sinners lead our churches. We let sin perpetuate in our churches. We also remain silent preaching the Gospel because to tell people our sin separates us from God would bring Judgment on us. Verse one says it!
But what does Jesus say in the following verses in Matthew chapter 7?
1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
5“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. (NASB)
This is clear teaching. Someone should not accuse another of sins when they too are sinners. The intent here Jesus is teaching we are all sinners and are not to judge others according to how we live or thr degree of our perceived “righteousness.” In the chapters leading to this one and after Jesus takes to task thr Pharisees for their judgment according to their rituals. Jesus spoke of in chapter 6 the self righteous ways the religious leaders prayed, fasted and gave to the poor. So we see here in verses 1-5 again the standards we set should not be the basis of judging others. That is why when we preach the Gospel we explain to others we are all sinners in need of God’s redemption.
Yet in verse 6 we have this.
6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (NASB)
How can we determine what is holy if we cannot judge between what is righteous and what is wicked? Jesus tells us a few verses later how to identify false prophets.
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn
bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20“So then, you will know them by their fruits. (NASB)
It seems Jesus tells us we would be able to judge between good fruit and bad fruit. How are we to do this if we are told not to judge? I mean a new pastor comes in and says “Jesus is not the Son of God” which we know to be false. Can we now judge as a church that the errant pastor needs to be removed?
The answer is of course we can judge on these matters and more because God has given us His Holy Spirit, His commands and words to judge error and remove unrepentant sin from our churches.
Jesus concludes the dialogue with the following:
24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and
yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27“The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” (NASB)
The answer is if we hear His words and act on them we reside on a foundation of rock and will not be swayed.
Judge not unless we be judged is based on our standards of righteousness or self righteousness. Jesus clarifies in the remainder of the chapter that we can decipher the difference between truth and error by judging on on their fruits.
This was picked up on in Apostolic teachings as well when Paul called for church discipline:
1 Corinthians 5: NASB
1It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.
2You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.
3For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.
4In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump
of dough? 7Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are
in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.
8Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;
10I
did not at all
mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.
11But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within
the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES. (NASB)
“Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”
I think that is loud and clear.
