Matthew 7:1 Stop judging, so that you may not be judged.

How do we break this down? Does “stop judging” mean that we have to lose our minds? Do the commandments of God have no effect? Are we now commanded not to know right from wrong? The Bible itself forms our response to these questions.

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound? May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

The word for “judge” in Hebrew is Shofet. This is one who passes judgment. The gavel comes down and judgment is passed. We are all on trial, but the trial isn’t over until it’s over. If a defendant is found guilty at the conclusion of the trial, only then is the sentence spoken as condemnation. The Bible addresses this also … Romans 14:4a Who are you to judge another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls.

Discern, yes! Speak the truth, yes! Encourage correction, yes! But remember not to speak words of condemnation over others. We don’t sentence people to hell. God alone does that, and He reserves that right exclusively for Himself.

Isaiah 11:2-4a The Ruach of Adonai will rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and insight, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Adonai. His delight will be in the fear of Adonai. He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor decide by what His ears hear. But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the poor of the land.

We are Yeshua’s ambassadors in every situation. Yeshua is our “measuring stick” for righteousness. We don’t condemn, we encourage people just as Yeshua does. Psalm 34:15 Depart from evil and do good. Seek shalom and pursue it.