Is it ever right for a Christian to judge another Christian?

The Bible has much to say about the area of judgment, and most of it seems to indicate that judgment is the responsibility of God, and not of people. However, there are certain times that Christians have the responsibility to confront another Christian who is caught up in sin, as long as it is done correctly, that is, Biblically. While final judgment belongs to God, Christians can act as “judges” in each other’s lives to ensure Godly living.

In a courtroom, the judge is the one who determines the sentencing upon the defendant. He gathers all the necessary information from the witnesses and lawyers, and makes a decision based on the verdict rendered by a jury. To act as a judge is a task that should not be taken lightly, and Christians ought not to go looking for fault in other believers’ lives so that they can point it out. Accountability and openness among Christians should be present. This reduces the need for the judging that often takes place within the body of Christ. Many times, the judging becomes harsh and people are offended when they are confronted with sin in their lives. People then begin to look at the faults in each other in order to justify personal sin. This is where judgment is extremely harmful to the unity that should be displayed within the church.

Every society has its own version of “judges” to help ensure domestic peace. Likewise, Christians should only use judgment to bring about more peace. Justice is necessary not for the purpose of cruelty, but for the purpose of harmony among people. Even in the Old Testament, God used judges before He set up kings in Israel. These men and women were in place to ensure that God’s people were being delivered from enemies and returning to God from their lives of sin.

All people must make “judgment calls” at some point in time in their lives. These are choices which may not be right or wrong on the surface, but they will have consequences. For example, when facing opposition for their preaching, Peter and John told the Jewish authorities, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge” (Acts 4:19). The men had to judge for themselves how they were going to handle the situation in front of them. One must be “judgmental” in his own life before he passes judgment onto others.

In teaching on the subject of judgment, Jesus stated, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:1-2). If the reader were to stop there, he would probably think it better not to judge at all. But Christ continued (vv. 3-5) by saying that one who is blinded by his own sin is in no position to point out the sins of others. It is better for one to remove his sin first so that he can then help his brother remove the sin in his life. That is a different perspective entirely! Judging should happen among believers, but only when those doing the judging have first made sure that they are right with God.

Later in the same gospel, Jesus offers this scenario: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15). So the first thing to keep in mind when confronting another believer about his sin is that it should be a private matter. Only if the private meetings are unsuccessful should “one or two” others be brought in to remedy the situation (v. 16). If the matter is still not resolved by this point, he is to be brought before the church and to receive appropriate discipline if he is unwilling to make corrections (v. 17). The apostle Paul also endorsed church discipline for those Christians who continue in unrepentant sin (see 1 Corinthians 5).

It is the obligation of spiritual people to respond to the sin of a fellow believer (Galatians 6:1). But what is the purpose of such judgment? There are many, but the primary goal is restoration—that the person who has fallen away will realize the error of his ways and seek repentance and forgiveness so that he may be restored to a right relationship with God and with other believers. No Christian should ever judge another Christian without this same goal, for to judge in another manner is hypocritical.

As was mentioned earlier, final judgment belongs to God, and more specifically, to Christ Jesus (John 5:22-30). And God’s judgment is perfect, according to Romans 2, because He judges “according to truth” (v. 2), righteously (v. 5), “according to…deeds” (v. 6), and without favoritism (v. 11). If judgment among believers is conducted by God’s standards, with hearts pure, and with restoration as the goal, then it is always appropriate. But if it is done in any other way, condemnation accompanies it (Romans 2:1).