 Is it wrong to judge? Well, if you disagree, then you are naturally being a hypocrite because you are judging me in what I'm saying. When the Bible speaks about judging, and for some reason people think that we are not supposed to judge, but that comes from others, namely the world using probably their most favorite verse to use, though they don't like to use the Bible, that is the world where the Bible says in Matthew chapter seven, do not judge, and they'll stop there. But if we keep reading, we'll find the actual context of what Jesus is saying in not that we should not judge, but really how we ought to judge. And so if we go to Matthew chapter seven verse 20 says, do not judge or do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged. So whatever standard that you use in judging, that same standard will be used against you, which is what he says. By the standard of your measure, it will be measured against you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not notice a log that is in your own eye? Verse five, though, he makes it clear what he's saying. You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. So he's not saying do not judge. He says, one, judge rightly, not hypocritically. Do not be the person that says don't do, but yet you got this sin or other sins in your life. Paul says in Romans chapter two, he says, verse one, therefore you have no excuse anyone or everyone of you who passes judgment for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practices the same thing. In other words, do not judge while you stand hypocritically doing the same thing. We have to be able to make some sort of judgment. Otherwise, how we know what sin is either in our lives or another person's life. How could you help someone if you can't even name the thing that they need help from or help with? If we see someone committing murder, we're not guilty of a sin because we point out to that person, you should not kill, you should not steal, you should not lie. And if a person is doing so, we have the right to rightly judge those things, to assess those things. That's what we do. We're called to make judgments all day long. Now, what we're not called to do though, we are not called to condemn someone. That's not on us, that is for God to do. But to point out where sin is, that is okay. As a matter of fact, principally where we should judge, where we must judge, where we need to judge is with the household of faith amongst other believers. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5, 12, he says, for what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church, but those who are outside? God judges, remove the wicked man from amongst yourself. And this is in response to the man who was actually sleeping with his father's wife. And so what does Paul do? He doesn't say not judge. He didn't say mind your own business. No, let's just preach the gospel. Let's just tell the good as a vote. No, there are times where you've got to get rid of something that is cancerous, much like we would do in a doctor's office. The doctor is not going to, you know what, refrain from judging your physical condition. I'd rather not be too, I'd rather not be mean, spirit, or offensive towards the sickness that is in your body. If it's cancer, if it's something else, then what we wanna do is we want to remove it as best we can, why? So that it does not harm the body. Now in the case of a brother, we do so, so one for the benefit of the body, two for the name of Christ, but three also for the soul of that person, just like Paul is putting that person out, turning him over to Satan, hopefully that he will learn, that he would repent, then that's the same goal. The goal is for the name of Christ, for the body and for that person. And the priority is the name of Christ. Secondly, the body. Third, that person, that person may or may not be a believer after all, but we must at least put out and let us let everyone know that we hold to a standard, whether it be us or anyone else, no one is allowed to violate that standard and we are required to call out that standard according to his word. And so no, it's not a problem to judge someone. It's not an issue, even though the world would rather us not to, because the world would like to be left alone. Oftentimes what we find, and here's the problem, we find Christians who might be engaged in sin, who might be engaged in promoting faulty or heretical doctrine who do not want to be called out. But Jude tells us to defend the faith. The only way you can defend the faith is if you can also counter something that goes against the faith. Remember, we see oftentimes Paul, Peter, James, John, and of course Jesus calling out, making a judgment against sin, bad behavior, erroneous teachings. And so we are to do the same thing. We gotta do likewise. And judge righteously, not hypocritically, but then also necessarily means that if someone makes a judgment against yourself, you use the exact same rules. Don't be a hypocrite when the judgment rule is on you. If someone says, I think that what you're doing is wrong, or I know what you're doing is wrong, but tendency is to want to be defensive, not mean no, well no, the same way, the same heart, the same manner that you want them to receive, your correction, do the same thing. Be likewise and receive it, examine it. Because you don't wanna be guilty of a sin or a heresy, and at the same time be hypocritical in receiving it. All of these things should be done for the edification of the body. Why? Because the name of Christ is supreme in our lives and then the building of the body is necessary for our own growth, as well as those who are yet to hear the gospel and to come to the gospel. So it's okay to judge as long as we judge righteously. Amen.