Matt 7:1-5 is given by the Lord Jesus Christ in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. It reads:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. [2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.[3] And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? [4] Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? [5] Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
Matt 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged," might be the most quoted passage of Scripture, but essentially never for the right reason. In two major ways this passage and its immediate context is corrupted, wrested and lied about: (1) You can’t judge; and (2) Believers can be hypocrites who must first remove the beam out of their own eyes before judging others.
Both lies are necessary to fit the agenda and narrative of a massive portion of Christendom, who aren’t interested in what the passage actually says and means, but rather how they can bend and twist it to fit their schemes and keep their underlying system or philosophy afloat. Matt 7:1 is simply another casualty in that narrative and presupposition, albeit an important one.
Neither of these philosophies are true. Let’s explore them briefly.
Lie # 1: You Can’t Judge.
Lie numero uno is by far the more popular of the two. The most common false interpretation of this passage claims that Matt 7:1 forbids Christians to judge. Judgment passed by professing Christians is basically anathema.
Everyone knows that being judgmental is one of the greatest sins that a person can possibly commit. The sin of being “judgmental” is mentioned and condemned in the following verses in the Bible: ...........
Right, none. Nowhere in the Bible is the sin of being “judgmental” even mentioned never mind condemned. It's invented in the minds of those who read modern perverted versions or opinions of Scripture, and by those who reject the truth. False judging is forbidden on the other hand, which is addressed in passages such as Rom 14, where Scripture demands no judging of holy days, the sabbath, or the eating of a particular type of food, and in James 4 where the judging of motives is forbidden, which is evil (also the means whereby unsaved people famously judge, a major albeit unwitting method of self-condemnation).
The truth is, and it's crystal clear, the Bible doesn’t actually teach that at all, but forbids a specific type of judging: the hypocritical judging of hypocrites, i.e., unsaved people. They are not judging righteously, because they aren't righteous. That is what Jesus is attempting to get across. The kind of hypocritical judgment that Paul speaks of in Rom 2:1-5, what could be considered a commentary on Christ' teaching of Matt 7:1-5.
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;” (Rom 2:1-5)
Unregenerate people are hypocrites that judge falsely. They repeatedly judge, but their judgment is false and hypocritical, because they are hypocrites. That is their very character and nature, exemplified in Scripture by false believers such as the Pharisees, Scribes and chief priests.
Jesus wasn’t saying, “don’t judge at all.” That’s easy to see. That’s not even what He was talking about. To make a righteous judgment of others, you can’t be or doing worse than the person you’re judging. All of this exposes the hypocrisy of pseudo-judgment intended to signal virtue and vindicate self. “I’m not as bad as the other guy, so there!"
Matt 7:1 is invariably quoted as a response to any attempt at exercising spiritual discernment in situations involving doctrinal error or compromise. But when the rest of the passage from which the phrase is taken in Matt. 7 is considered (vv. 1-5), it is discovered that hypocritical judgment is the judging condemned, not the act of judging itself. The warning is to lost people, hypocrites, professing to be believers, judging hypocritically in a characteristic and habitual manner. These people have never judged themselves. They have a beam stuck in their eye, which obscures their judgment. The parallel passages tell us it's the judgment of a lost person, one that is blind, blinded by his sinful being, and has an evil heart bringing forth evil treasure (Lk. 6:36-45).
The Bible commands judging!
The Bible commands judging. Born again believers must judge! For example: De 1:17; Lev. 19:15, 35-37; Pr. 21:3, 15; Ze. 8:16; Matt. 7:15-20; Jn. 7:24; Lk. 12:57; Ac, 17:11; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 2:15; 5:3; 6:2-5; 10:15; 14:29; Phil. 1:9-10; 1 Th. 5:21; 1 Jn. 4:1-2; 2 Jn. 1:9-11; etc.
On the contrary, spiritual judgment is required by this text, not forbidden (Matt 7:1-23). If judgment is forbidden, then how can one “see clearly to cast out the mote” (v. 5); discern what is the broad way that “leadeth to destruction” (v. 13); be wary of false prophets, wolves “in sheep’s clothing” (v. 15); discern whether someone is a good tree with good fruit or a corrupt tree with corrupt fruit (Matt 7:16-20); determine whether or not a supposed religious worker is doing the will of God or is in fact a unsaved religious worker of “iniquity” (vv. 21-23)? And the Word of God must be the Standard by which we judge all things, and we must be as quick to apply the same to ourselves as we are to others.
This passage does NOT condemn judging very clearly evident by comparing Scripture with Scripture. In many other passages we are commanded to judge. The Lord Jesus Himself said we are to “judge righteous judgment” (Jn. 7:24). He told a man, "Thou hast rightly judged" (Lk. 7:43). To others, our Lord asked, "Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" (Lk. 12:57). Lydia, a brand new convert, embraced judgement and testing. She did that because she was a truly saved believer. She said to Paul and the disciples with him, "If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us." (Ac 16:15). Those that are truly converted to Christ have no issue with being judged, because they have been judged to the ultimate level already. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say" (1 Cor. 10:15), for “He that is spiritual [saved] judgeth ALL things" (1 Cor. 2:15) and to those who did that with a ready mind and discerning spirit, he called “noble” (Ac. 17:11).
Discernment is judgment based on a standard. If you can judge, then you have a basis for judgment. If you can't judge, then it doesn't matter.
We can judge, and judging is certainly not optional and includes judging sin (Eph 5:6-11; 1 Cor 5:1–6:6), error (Pr 19:27; 1 Tim 6:3-5), false doctrine and false teachers (Rom 16:17-18; 2 Cor 11:4; Matt 7:15-20; Phil 3:17-19; 2 Jn 1:9-11), false brethren (Gal 2:4-5; Mal 3:18), false gospels (2 Cor 11:4; Gal 1:6-9; Ju 1:4), a persons spiritual standing—whether saved or unsaved (1 Jn 1:1-3; 4:1; 2 Jn. 1:9; 1 Cor 2:14-16; Ezk 44:23; Mal 3:18), preaching (1 Cor 14:29) -- we are to judge ALL things (1 Cor 2:15-16; 1 Th. 5:21).
"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (1 Cor 2:15)
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but TRY [to test; examine, judge] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 Jn 4:1)
It would be impossible to beware of false teachers/prophets without judging doctrine and practice by God’s Word. How can I know who a false teacher is if I do not measure preachers by God’s Word? (see Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Tim. 4:3-4). And how could we warn others about their poison, as commanded, if we didn’t judge them? (see Rom. 16:17-18). How could we know and follow sound doctrine if we didn’t judge doctrine? (2 Tim. 4:3-4) How could we discern between evil and good, if we didn’t judge? (2 Cor. 6:14-18; Ezk. 44:23; Mal. 3:18; Jos 4:11; the entire book of Proverbs; etc.)
"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." (Mal 3:18)
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” (Ezk 44:23)
Thus everything heard, read, watched and associated with must be judged, in church or personal or in the world (Ac 17:11; 1 Th 5:21; Jn 7:24; 1 Cor 2:15). The believer must judge all things (1 Cor. 2:15; 1 Th 5:21): daily activities, doctrine, philosophy, decisions, friendships, entertainment, fashion, music, everything. Contrary to the corrupt contemporary philosophy, there is much judging to be done in the Christian life. It's not grievous either. In fact, "It is joy to the just to do judgment:" (Pr. 21:15), for all true born again believers judge: “he that is spiritual [i.e. saved] judgeth all things,“ (1 Cor. 2:15a). True godly “love . . . abound[s] yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;” (Phil. 1:9-10). Not only is every redeemed saint of God commanded to judge (Jn. 7:24; 1 Pet. 4:6), it is in fact a major mark of true conversion (Lev. 19:15, 35-37; Pr. 21:3, 15; Ze. 8:16; 1 Cor. 2:15; Phil 1:9-10).
How God views judging in light of a behaviour that would rank very high in the mind of man:
“To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Pr. 21:3).
Those that don’t judge don’t love and don’t approve things that are excellent (Phil. 1:9-11).
"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; [10] That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; [11] Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God." (Phil. 1:9-11)
True Biblical godly love abounds by two things: (1) Knowledge, and (2) Judgment (v. 9). For what purpose? (1) To approve things that are excellent, (2) To produce sincerity and no-offence until the day of Christ (v. 10), and (3) Filling of the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God (v. 11). In other words, the true born again believer abounds in love by exercising ALL judgment which approves things that excellent so that the saint will be sincere and without offence and filled with the fruits of righteousness, which bring glory and praise to God. Indeed, “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Pr. 21:3). Those that don’t judge don’t love, the very opposite of what the contemporary so-called Christian attempts to opionate. They don’t abound in love, and what they call "love" is at best sentimentalism. They don’t approve things that are excellent; because they have no spiritual discernment. Discernment is built upon judgment, and judgment is required for love and fruits of righteousness. No judgment, no love. No judgment, no discernment. No judgment, no fruits of righteousness. No judgment, no salvation, because salvation begins with judgment of self to the most critical degree, leaving no stone unturned.
It is urgently expected and commanded to earnestly contend for the faith (Ju. 1:3) which demands judging, debating, reasoning and striving (Pr. 25:8-12; Ac 15:1-2; Ac. 17:11; Ju. 1:4; 2 Tim. 2:1-5) and fighting the good fight of faith as a faithful and obedient soldier of Christ (2 Tim. 2:1-4) by striving lawfully (2 Tim. 2:5), to test and prove everything (1 Jn. 4:1; 1 Th. 5:21; Ac. 17:11), to discern truth from error (1 Jn. 4:1; 1 Cor. 2:14-16), to always judge and judge righteously (Jn. 7:24; 1 Cor. 2:15; Pr. 21:15; 31:8-9) which is not judging according to appearance (Jn. 7:24a) —which is having respect of persons in judgment (Pr. 24:23) —because doing justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice (Pr. 21:3), and to warn others by marking those who teach error and separating from them (Rom. 16:17-18; Phil. 3:2; 2 Cor. 11:4), to not give heed to the false teacher but rather reprove sharply through sound doctrine so that their mouths may be stopped (Ti. 1:9-14). Yes, “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” (Pr. 31:8-9). In so obeying these commands, the “disciple [is] . . . as his master, and the servant as his lord.” (Matt. 10:25a). Jesus said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (Jn. 13:17). “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (Jn. 14:23-24). False believers don’t obey God’s Word. They don’t judge because they are unsaved. They are fools, which are always lost people, but the wise will judge for the wise are saved people (1 Cor. 1:30; Matt. 25:1-13). Paul said: “I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.” (1 Cor. 10:15). But the hypocrite, the one that comes with a false pretence of religion, does actually “judge,” because all people judge, but their judgment is unrighteous and hypocritical, based upon their own faulty opinions rather than the absolute truth of the Holy Scriptures, further proving their lost condition (Rom. 2:1-27). They are ungodly witnesses, for “An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.” (Pr. 19:28). Thats the real and actual reason for the "judge-not" lie.
When Jesus lays out judgment of any person upon any other person, it is for helping that other person. He’s got a moat or a splinter in his eye and you can help him get it out. If he’s beyond help, which we might assume starts with evangelism, Jesus gives an illustration for that. Don’t give something holy to dogs and don’t cast pearls before swine.
The New Testament churches were judgmental.
In addition to Matt 7:1ff., Christ commanded:
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment (Jn 7:24)
Not only did Christ command the people to judge, it is a sin not to so. Born again believers are commanded to judge righteous judgment, and that is all things (1 Cor 2:15). The NT churches followed Christ’s command to judge, noted in places such as 1 Cor 14:23-25,
"If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth."
Wow! Not only did the Corinthian NT church fail to recognize the (alleged) sin of judging, but Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wanted all the members of the Corinth congregation to be judging. In fact, if a new visitor comes to a church service, “all” are supposed to judge him, with the truth of Scripture, and by this means he will not be turned off by their being so “judgmental,” but on the contrary, he will fall down on his face and will worship God, recognizing that God is in them of a truth. Obviously this church is already practicing judging one another, as Scripture commands (1 Cor 6:1-5; 10:15; Rom 15:14), and as love demands (Phil 1:9-10), so it only befits second nature to judge those who enter their premises.
Phil 1:9-10,
"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;"
Another wow moment! Love is in fact directly tied to judgment -- Pauls desire, under inspiration of God's Spirit, was that the Philippians love would abound about in "knowledge" and "in all judgment." How judgmental is that?!? God demands judging all things because it is required to approve things that are excellent so that the born again believer may be sincere and without offence until Christ's return.
Isa 1:21,
"How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers."
It was a very good thing, a faithful behaviour tied to righteousness, for God’s people to be “full of judgment.” God calls it being “faithful,” and a major characteristic of “righteousness.” When that stopped, it was unfaithfulness and spiritual harlotry, of the same kind we see in Jam 4:4, the condition of vast majority of evangelicalism, protestantism and Christendom, who likewise reject judgementalism.
God's second greatest command is to love thy neighbour as thyself, only superseded by the greater command to love God with your mind, body, soul and spirit. What is involved in loving thy neighbour as thyself? Note Lev 19:17-18,
"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."
To rebuke ones neighbour is actually showing him or her love, contrary to the judge-not neo-evangelical Laodicean heretical "Christianity" today. Rebuking him is like not hating him, not avenging, and not bearing grudges. Sin is the greatest evil, so rebuking your neighbour, so that he does not sin, is one of the kindest and most loving things you can possibly do.
To bring the unsaved to true conversion and glorify God starts with lots of judging of others. That is part of what it means to love thy neighbour as thyself. Exercise ongoing God-glorifying, Biblically accurate righteous judgment. Reject the Satanic advice that you are not supposed to judge anyone or anything. As in so many other situations found in Christendom today, this idea is exactly the opposite of what the Bible actually says. It helps feed their cancerous pseudo-growth and helping enlarge the population of hell by making their listeners and followers two-fold children of hell.
How do born again believers judge?
The believer has an absolute standard for judgment in the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The infallible Word of God is profitable for all “instruction in righteousness." (2 Tim 3:16).
We judge righteously, which is in accordance to God's Word:
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (Jn. 7:24).
Judging “according to the appearance” is “judg[ing] after the flesh” (Jn. 8:15). “Judge[ing] righteous judgment” is judging with the Word of God, which “judgment is true” for it is God alone that judges (Jn. 8:16) and is the judge (Jn 12).
We judge in the fear of the Lord, in accordance to His Word:
“And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. . . . And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.” (2 Ch. 19:6-7, 9)
There is a type of judging that is forbidden, as illustrated by our text. Hypocritical judging. Unrighteous judging, which is not judging by the Word of God (cf. Jn 7:24) but by personal opinion, and hypocritically.
Rom 14 does not teach no-judging. The subject of Rom 14 is how we are to deal with matters not clearly addressed in Scripture. In matters, such as the food we eat, holidays we keep, keeping the Sabbath or not, I am to give liberty, because Rom 14 makes that clear. We are not to judge over these issues. In other matters not addressed in Scripture, things to which God has not plainly spoken (such as how often you have church on sunday, or whether to wear a tie or not, or what colour the carpet should be in the sanctuary, etc), I am also to give liberty. On the other hand, in matters in which God has plainly spoken, the only “liberty” is to obey. That includes judging whether someone’s profession of salvation is genuine or not. God’s Word teaches us to judge righteous judgment (Lk. 12:57; Jn. 7:24; 1 Cor. 2:15). We are to judge preaching (1 Cor. 14:29), sin in the churches (1 Cor. 5:3), issues in the churches (1 Cor. 6:5), sin in our own lives (1 Cor. 11:31), false teachers (Matt. 7:15-17; Rom. 16:17), spirits (1 Jn 4:1), salvation (Matt 7:15-20), doctrine, etc.
Rather than obey Scripture, some even pray for God to help them stop judging. This was personally heard by this author, a man praying in a man-centred man-appeasing hatred-of-criticism/rebuke church (which went from following Reg Kelly to following the boys club denominational version of the independent baptists, which includes in a major way Pembina Valley Baptist Church and their Bible school, pastored by Michael W. Sullivant), appealing to Matt 7:1 in his prayer to not judge each other anymore. But there was of course a reason for his mock prayer. He prayed heretically and hypocritically because the man himself was a terrible hypocrite who despised being reproved, rebuked and admonished. Of course false believers and false teachers are this perversions biggest fan.
It is a wicked idea, actually a Satanic lie, that one cannot judge people and things. The subject is further explored here, if you are interested in the truth: The False Philosophy of "Judge-Not" and “Don't Reprove.”
We can judge by applying Scripture and that includes music.
"Christian" Contemporary Music (CCM) violates numerous biblical passages, as we judge it by the Word of God. This is not an arbitrary interpretation or application of God's Word. God hates rock—CCM— music. He doesn't accept it as worship. Rock music itself is a fleshly lust that wars against the soul (1 Pet 2:12). It was not invented by the godly. It conforms to the spirit of this age (Rom 12:2). It is not lovely (Phil 4:8). It makes provision for the flesh (Rom 13:14). The genre itself means something and that meaning is corrupt and evil.
The matter of not judging music and everything else is exceedingly wrong, unbiblical, evil and foolish, as is the matter of not being able to absolutely apply Scripture to every single area and aspect of life. The weak, pablum-feeding, and flesh-serving arguments of the pop music protectors like neo-evangelicals and reformers and others, mainstream heretical "Christianity," are repulsive. Their attack on application of Scripture is in fact a devious, ungodly Satanic attack on the Word of God and he uses his minions to accomplish it. So those who attack application of Scripture to all areas of this life, including music, are evil workers and the ministers of Satan (2 Cor 11:12-15). I won't be marginalized by this ungodly, devious crowd. People, and especially true Christians, can judge music, and must. By refusing to "judge" (or so they say, since all men judge, only they use their own personal opinions to judge vs using the Word of God, as genuine true believers do: Jn 7:24; 1 Cor 2:15; Ac 17:11), they present a serious spiritual danger and reflection of unregeneracy, but also a demonic attack on Scripture and obedience thereto.
Lie # 2: Matt 7:1-5 means the saved person to first judge himself and remove his own beam, before he can judge others, the mote.
I don’t know which lie is more damaging of the two. Maybe no. 1, but this second one is bad nevertheless.
Though we would not disagree that it is possible for a true born again believer to judge hypocritically, though it be very temporarily and very uncharacteristically, the person, the ONLY person, that Christ has in mind in this passage, alluded to already under Lie #1, whom He is addressing, whom He calls “hypocrite,” is not a true born again believer at all but a false professing “believer,” the very type of person that made up almost entirely His audience, “the multitudes” (Matt 5:1; 7:28, including many of His disciples, Jn 2:23-25; 6:60-66). That is who the passage is directed to, not truly saved people, except the end result in v. 5, where the hypocrite has judged himself to be the sinner God says he is, and then repents and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The unrepentant hypocrite is the dog and swine of v. 6 (Matt 7:6), who will not be judged. Jesus is warning such people of their false judgement which indicates an unsaved estate, the context, for the sole purpose of repentance. They are judging others while they have never judged themselves (beholding the beam in their eye), something Paul expounds on in Rom 2:1-5ff. Judging ourselves is required before salvation can take place (Jer 17:9; Rom 3:10-19; etc) and thereafter we do have righteous and non-hypocritical judgment (e.g. Pr 21:15: 1 Cor 2:15-16; 1 Cor 10:15; Ac 17:11).
Here are some of the reasons we know this to be true, and that the lie is not.
1. Jesus was not contrasting two types of Christians, a hypocrite and a non-hypocrite. Unsaved people who use the Bible as their own recycling receptacle or extremely ignorant saved people (which is the lesser of the two) tend to put Christians into two categories. The Bible however doesn’t. There is no contrast being made anywhere in scripture between two types of Christian’s, including in 1 Cor 2-3 (“spiritual” man is saved and the “carnal” man is unsaved), nor in this passage of Matt 7. Two types of Christian’s or two-tiered Christianity is a Keswick theological false sanctification doctrine to make fit the non-repentance, easy-believism false gospel rampant everywhere today that has produced masses of unsaved pretenders, of which time will eventually more readily expose to be such, but does even now. The very context is all about salvation and the evidence of salvation and this is the entire theme of Matt 7, a contrast between saved and unsaved (though professing): vv. 1-5, 6-12, 13-14, 15-20, 21-23, 24-27. This contrasting theme concerning man happens to be consistent throughout Scripture.
When a saved person does act hypocritically, as rare as that might be, it doesn’t mean his nature is a hypocrite. Its not. He has a new nature and a new heart and a new position, and it’s not that of a hypocrite, who is an actor, a pretender, a religious person who has external piety but inward deadness (see Matt 23). No place in Scripture is a saved person referred to as a hypocrite, not even when Peter sinned in the manner as he did, exposed in Gal 2 by Paul, or when he denied Christ thrice, or king David when he sinned with Bathsheba. Only unsaved people are called hypocrites in scripture because it is their very nature. They say or teach or preach one thing, while guilty of the very same (cf. Rom 2:12-24).
2. The main character of this account in Scripture is the “hypocrite” (Matt 7:5) and absolute no place in Scripture teaches that a saved person is a hypocrite—the character/label is reserved solely for the lost, specifically false pretenders, because it is their very nature. Everywhere specific character labels are given by God like “hypocrite,” and “wicked,” or “unrighteous,” or “unjust,” or “fool,” etc — it always refers to the nature of that individual, not a momentarily lapse of judgment. See these passages for instance: Job 8:13; 13:16; 15:34; 17:8; 20:5; 27:8; 36:13; Ps. 35:16; Pr. 11:19; Is. 9:17; 10:6; 33:14; Matt. 6:1-5, 16; 7:1-5; 15:7; 16:3; 22:18; 23:13, 14, 15, 18, 23, 15, 27, 29; 24:51; Lk. 11:38-52; 13:15.
Consider a few of these passages in Job, who is very clear to the spiritual nature and end of the hypocrite:
“So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.” (Job 8:13-15)
Many markers of the unsaved are described here, some of which are repeated in the NT. It appears like Jesus is referring to these passages from Job in His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. The hypocrites house shall not stand, as also read in Lk 6 and Matt 7. The fool and hypocrite are the same individual. Another one in Job:
“He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.” (Job 13:16)
Job was saved and is with Christ but the hypocrite won’t come before Christ. If one is still not convinced, read all the other passages referenced above, especially taking careful note of what Christ says to the lost but pious-pretending Pharisees in Matt 23. There 9 times Jesus calls these unregenerate religious Pharisees “Hypocrites!” including the punctuation(!) All people that pretended to belong to God but are in fact unsaved, are hypocrites. While on the other hand, all the true born again believers are not hypocrites ever again from the very moment of their conversion.
Hypocrite is the nature of this false professor. Saved people are not hypocrites. That is not their nature or character. The very definition of hypocrite on its own reveals that it solely applies to an unsaved person, albeit one professing and pretending Christianity. The word is defined as an “actor” and “pretender,”
“One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion.” (Webster’s 1828)
3. The parallel account in Lk 6:37-42 further establishes the hypocrite to be an unsaved person. The entire context of Lk 6:37-49 clarifies this. In the midst of this account of the hypocrite falsely judging (vv. 37-38, 41-42), Jesus gives a parable about the blind and the perfect (vv. 39-40), a contrast between the unsaved (“blind”) and the saved (“disciple” and “perfect”). The context is obvious that the false judger, the “hypocrite” (vv. 37, 40-41) is mutually correlated to the one that is “blind” (lost) and led by the “blind” (lost false teachers). That this parable becomes the focal point in the midst of this account is no accident. Hypocrites are the blind led by the blind and both fall into the ditch (v. 39). They have beams stuck in their eyes and cannot see where they are going. So they both fall into the ditch, since the one leading him, the false teacher, has the very same beam stuck in his own eyes. They also cannot judge Scripturally, that is righteous judgment (Jn 7:24). Their judgement is hypocritically, as noted throughout Romans 2 and also in our text, judging the mote while embracing the beam. Straining at a gnat while swallowing the camel. They have never dealt with their own sin (beam) before God, while attempting to deal with other mens sins (mote). Rom 2 is a perspicuous corresponding scripture where Paul the Apostle exposes the hypocrisy of the wicked with a focus on the Gentile (Rom 2:1-16), and the hypocrisy of the religious with a focus on the Jew (Rom 2:12-29), something we cover in some more detail under the next point. Rom 2 you could say is an illustration of the summarized Matt 7 and Lk 6.
As we look further at the context of Luke 6, verses 43 and 44 is a continuation of the passages on the hypocrites judgment, starting with “For” which is a primary particle properly assigning a reason. It could be rendered “because” or “indeed” or “therefore” or “seeing”; obviously a continuation of whatever was just said. What was just said?
“Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.” (v. 42).
So vv. 43-44 gives the explanation or reasoning for the hypocrites false judgment. And what do these passages declare?
“For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.”
A clear contrast between saved (“good tree”) and unsaved (“corrupt tree”). The contextual hypocrite is clearly being likened here to the “corrupt tree” bearing “corrupt fruit” which is hypocrisy (vv. 43-44) since this tree is pretending to be a good tree that bears good fruit, and their false hypocritical judgment comes forth from an evil heart, "for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh" (v. 45).
As the context continues, these are the ones who call out to Jesus “Lord, Lord,” but do not the things which Jesus says (v. 46), i.e. they are disobedient and rebellious not having judged themselves which is the beginning of understanding and coming to Christ, so they build their homes on a false foundation of sand because of their pride, arrogance and disobedience (vv. 46-49), yet being in their wicked rebellious estate, and thereafter continue to live a life that professes God but doesn’t possess Him, chronically disobeying what He says. They do not want to conform or subjugate their lives to the Scriptures but rather subdue the Scriptures to fit their lives.
Thus we note the parallel passage is clearly referring to salvation and reproof of a lost persons hypocritical judgement, an individual that is yet blind and has an evil heart bringing forth evil treasure (Lk. 6:36-45). The contrast in Scripture is consistently between saved and lost, including in the portion of the hypocrite in Matt 7 and Luke 6, NOT between two types of Christians. Luke 6 is a very strong indicator that Matt 7 is referring to unsaved people being condemned by Christ for their hypocritical judgment.
4. Rightly dividing the word of truth and comparing scripture with scripture, which brings us to Rom 2:1-4, even further establishes this fact. Paul expands on what Christ was saying in Matt 7 and Lk 6. False judgers (Rom 2:1-5), who are ones not judging righteously, are always hypocrites and hypocrites are always lost. This chapter goes on to expose the Gentile hypocrite and the Jewish hypocrite, finally ending with the nature of the truly saved believer (vv. 28-29). The contextual theme continues from Gods indictment on the unsaved in Rom 1. Rom 2 exposes the false judgement of the unsaved, a warning to them. Saved people judge righteously, because they have the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:15-16; 5:12-6:5; 10:15; Jn 7:24; 12:57) and know the Word of God (1 Jn 2:20-21, 27; Pr 8:8-9; 22:20-21). Salvation brings perfectly clear vision (Ac 20:18; Matt 13:15), for the sinner judged himself by the measure of God’s Word and truly repented, and then God took the sinners judgment and put it on His Son (2 Cor 5:21).
What about Jesus referring to them as “brothers”? Jews are in fact all “brother[s]” (v. 4). Many times in Scripture a saint refers to his Jewish kin as brethren, not brothers in Christ but brethren according to their Jewish heritage and blood lineage. Paul the Apostle for instance: Ac. 1:16; 2:29, 37; 3:17, 22; 7:2, 37; 13:15, 26, 38; 22:1; 23:1, 5-6; 28:17, 21; Rom. 9:3.
5. In conclusion, the principle of truly saved people not judging hypocritically doesn’t stick here. Saved people aren’t hypocrites. Neither do they judge hypocritically. They don't.
Conclusion
In summary, the one who is judging hypocritically in Matt 7:1-5 is actually lost, which is why he judges the way he does, and that is made abundantly clear by the enhanced detail in the parallel account of Lk. 6:37-49, and Paul’s explanation of the same in Rom. 2:1-5. Jesus is calling out to His mostly unsaved crowd to be saved by judging themselves, repenting as they come face to face with the condemnation of their souls and the wrath of God, and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, leading to their dramatic conversion, whereby they are able to assist their brethren through righteous and sincere judgment. He is rebuking their false judgment and essentially comparing two types of people: true believers which are those that don’t judge hypocritically anymore because their beam has been removed from their eye through the forgiveness of their sins at salvation, after they judged themselves according to Gods Word (Rom 2:1-5; 3:10-19; Jer 17:9; Eph 2:1-3; etc)—they are not hypocrites anymore, that is, fakes and actors and pretenders, which is what the very word actually means, a word only directed towards unsaved people in scripture, because they judged themselves to be precisely what God says they are: a hypocrite, wicked, evil, sinner, unrighteous, unjust; and they did repent of their sin and wickedness and are now saved, thus now “spiritual” (1 Cor 2:9-16) and the “spiritual man judgeth all things" (1 Cor. 2:15), and he “judges righteous judgment” (Jn. 7:24) because he is “dead to sin” (Rom 6:2, 11; 1 Pet 2:24), -- in stark contrast with the unsaved hypocrite who is a false pretender (such as the many that followed Him in that day, e.g. Jn. 2:23-25; 6:60-66) who judge falsely and hypocritically, being yet in their sins, being “dead in sin” (Eph 2:1-5; Col 2:13). The parallel passage in Luke 6 clarifies it perspicuously. Luke’s account clearly teaches it is salvation Jesus is referring to while exposing the unsaved estate of the pretenders with their beams. Even the very same context on Matt 7 clears it up as well, in Matt. 6:1-6, where Jesus compares hypocrites who give and pray so that others may see, while actually unsaved and unknown to God, with non-hypocrites, who give and pray in secret, because they are genuinely in a relationship with God and they are not trying to gain glory and accolades from man but rather to please the Lord whom they love (Rom 2:29; Gal 1:10). Hypocrites are always unregenerate people, false pretenders (cf. Matt 23), and their glory pursues after self (Rom 16:18; Phil 3:19).
Jesus is reproving and convicting those who judge others while yet lost in their sin, of their hypocritical judgment and how they can have righteous judgment. False teachers are notorious for this, as noted in the context where Jesus upbraideth the Pharisees in Matt 23. Matt. 7:1-5 is a salvation passage, one that exposes the unsaved estate of hypocrites. To teach it as saved people judging hypocritically is to misrepresent what Jesus is teaching here. Gods Word does not contradict itself. When God says the hypocrite is an unsaved person, he is always an unsaved person including in Matt 7. That’s the basis upon how we must interpret these passages, and that also does fit and harmonize perfectly with the rest of scripture. To understand one portion of Scripture we must view it in the light of all Scripture. “No prophecy of the Scripture is of any private [isolated] interpretation” (2 Pet 1:20).
Matt 7:1 is not saying we can’t judge, which would then contradict a lot of other scripture and even the very context itself. False teachers will misuse, misinterpret, privately interpret scripture, because they have an agenda to keep, which is the same reason most of them use modern Bible perversions. They really don’t care what the passage actually means, but how they can use it to better their situation. That is not only heretical, but also evil. As you keep reading in Matt 7, you read precisely what v. 1 means: the hypocrite is not to judge hypocritically (v. 5). The hypocrite is to first remove the beam out of his own eye before attempting an amputation of a mote in someone else’s eye. Again, the hypocrite in scripture is ALWAYS an unsaved person. A pretender, an actor, someone imitating someone or something that they are not. Spiritually speaking, it’s a religious person that has some form of faith in Christianity but is in fact unsaved. This is the hypocrite and the best place to read of the hypocrite with his false judgment is in Matt 23 and Rom 2:1-5. The very vast majority of people that profess Christianity today are hypocrites. The massive amount of scripture perversion, false teachings, heresies, unBiblical practices, etc, that they embrace, clearly and plainly reflect an unregenerate nature, since scripture makes that abundantly clear (Rom 16:17; 1 Tim 6:3-5; 2 Jn 1:9-11; etc) and further, since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and He guides and teaches all those He indwells in truth (Jn 16:13; 1 Jn 2:27), not in lies, errors, and heresies (1 Jn 2:20-21). False believers follow teachings that are contrary to Scripture (Jn 10:1-5).
I believe an unsaved false professing person hearing that explanation given, like other forms of two-tiered Christianity, could easily justify their hypocritical estate as being something that merely needs some refining or temporal “repentance,” or greater conformity. The hypocrite needs true conversion.
To be effective, Scripture must be applied. To apply God’s Word, Christians must judge. They make decisions based on biblical principles. The most prominent present attack on the Bible in evangelicalism and fundamentalism is against its application. The attack says, “Don’t judge.” It means, “You can’t know how the Bible applies.” God’s Word then loses its authority and power and sufficiency.
My recommendation is don’t listen to those who parrot these lies. Keep judging and applying the Bible and biblical principles to all areas of life, including dress, music, alcohol, Bible versions, etc. Keep judging in all these areas that are under great attack, but all other areas as well.
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