We live in a culture that loves to quote one half of one Bible verse. You’ve heard it, seen it on social media, and perhaps even felt it yourself. The world cries out, "Judge not!" (Matthew 7:1), claiming that any form of evaluation or correction is unloving.

But there is a massive problem with this cultural mantra: Jesus commands us to judge.

In John 7:24, Jesus gives a directive that the modern church desperately needs to recover: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment”.

 

The question isn’t whether we judge—every person discerns, evaluates, and makes decisions about right and wrong every day. The real question is how we judge. Are we judging like the world, or are we judging like Christ?

 

 

The Trap of Surface-Level Judgment

 

In John 7, Jesus appears at the Feast of Tabernacles. The crowd is murmuring, confused, and divided. The religious leaders are hostile. Why? Because they were all judging by appearance.

 

The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath. They were obsessed with their rituals while ignoring the heart of God’s Law—mercy and restoration. They were hypocrites, holding others to a standard they didn’t keep themselves.

 

We do the same thing today. We judge unrighteously when we:

  • Evaluate people based on rumors rather than facts.

  • Judge based on tradition or preference rather than Scripture.

     

  • Condemn others to feel superior rather than to restore them.

Jesus calls this judging "according to appearance," and He forbids it.

 

The Key to True Discernment: A Surrendered Will

 

So, how do we stop judging superficially and start judging righteously? Jesus gives us the secret in John 7:17:

 

"If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine...".

 

This is a profound theological truth. Jesus teaches us that spiritual blindness is not an intellectual problem; it is a moral problem. The reason the religious leaders couldn’t see who Jesus was wasn't a lack of evidence; it was a rebellion of the will.

 

 

Obedience unlocks understanding.

 

If you want to have discernment—if you want to be a person who judges situations and people rightly—you must first be a person who is totally surrendered to the Sovereign will of God. You cannot see clearly if you are living in rebellion.

 

3 Marks of Righteous Judgment

 

Based on Jesus’ teaching, here is how we can practice righteous judgment in our lives this week:

1. Judge by Scripture, Not Preference Unrighteous judgment is based on "I don't like that." Righteous judgment is based on "God says this." We must submit our opinions to the authority of the Word. If the Bible doesn't forbid it, we must be careful not to condemn it just because it makes us uncomfortable.

 

2. Judge Your Own Heart First Before you examine the speck in your brother's eye, you must deal with the log in your own. The Pharisees hated Jesus because His righteousness exposed their sin. We must judge with humility, knowing that we are sinners saved by grace.

 

3. Judge for Restoration, Not Destruction The religious leaders sought to kill Jesus. That is the goal of unrighteous judgment: to destroy the other person. But Jesus’ judgment is always redemptive. He exposes sin to heal it. When we judge a brother or sister, our goal must always be to win them back, not to push them away.

 

 

A Prayer for Clear Vision

 

Let us be a church that refuses to be silenced by the fear of man. Let us speak the truth, but let us speak it with hearts that have been softened by the Gospel.

 

Lord, cleanse my heart before I examine anyone else’s. Give me eyes to see people as You see them. Help me judge not by appearance—but by truth..