Question:  Dear Greg,

            I have recently started reading the Bible myself (without any assistance from any religious denomination).  However, I would at this time ask for a little guidance.  Where in the Bible can I find that judging others and/or passing judgment on other human beings is wrong and a sin and not our place?

            Thank you,

            Kelly

Answer:  Dear Kelly,

            There are many passages, but a clarification first.  God does ask us to judge—to judge righteously.  He asks us to choose carefully, to be discerning, to be careful about what we do, etc.  This means that at times we will do the same with the behavior and actions of family, certainly our children, and sometimes our friends.  The simple discrimination between good and bad, right and wrong is not wrong according to the Bible.  In fact, it is a virtue.

            The Bible teaches us not to condemn others, not to assume that we know all the facts and place them in the category of “sinner.”  We are incapable, as humans, of knowing a person’s heart, intent, and what God sees.  A primary passage about condemnation would be Romans 14—the entire chapter.  There are many other passages that speak about hyper-criticism, self-righteousness, condemnation, etc.  Many of them are contained in the Gospels (especially Matthew, Mark and Luke), as Jesus encountered this attitude and approach with the Jewish religious group called the Pharisees.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht