4/10 John 7:24
24 “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
“Judge not, that you not be judged” (Matthew 7:1) is a Bible verse that people love to quote today. The point of that part of the Sermon on the Mount is that we will be judged by the same standards we use for other people. It’s not what Jesus says that we should accept sin or that truth is subjective. There is an underlying right and wrong in that sentence that a lot of people love to quote. It’s unfair to blame other people for things you yourself have done wrong. When you focus on other people’s flaws instead of your own, you are wrong.
In the reading for today, Jesus tells us to judge things, but not just by how they look. To make a good decision, we need to think about our own biases along with all the facts. Then we need to pay attention to the heavenly Father, who knows everything we don’t know. Jesus said that He decides based on what the Father tells Him (John 5:30). It is fair for Him to judge because He wants what is best for the Father, not what is best for Himself. We have to put aside any personal goals we may have in order to be completely fair. Then we can make a good decision.
God does not tell us to never have an opinion about sin. Instead, He tells us to judge, but to judge properly. To do that, you need to know God’s Word and have spiritual ears that are ready to hear the Holy Spirit. There’s right and wrong. There is good and bad. The culture’s refusal to accept truth is a sign that it has no gods.
Think about this: Even though we know that overindulgence and hedonism destroy many lives, our society says that calling something sin is being intolerant. The world is becoming less willing to accept God’s truth.
