“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2).
Luke adds a clarifying thought to Matthew’s account. He attaches the ideas of condemnation and forgiveness to what Jesus said. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).
Jesus was not talking about exercising discernment and making common sense evaluations about individuals and circumstances. He was talking about sitting as a judge and assuming the authority to give a final sentence over them. He was talking about our tendency to condemn. Forgiveness is a word that meant to release someone who owes you something and give up a demand that he pay you back. It is releasing a person from a bondage of unforgiveness with which you bind him.
Only God has the right to condemn. Only God knows the motives of a person’s heart. In fact, God says He won’t condemn the person who is in Christ. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
This may seem difficult for us to do. Judging others comes easily to all of us. It makes it easier if we remember that God, who has the right to judge us for every failure, has chosen to forgive us instead. When we forgive we are simply passing along to others the grace that God has offered to us.
