The Chick-fil-A brouhaha of summer '12 brought up an issue that I’ve seen several people talk about on Facebook: is it ever appropriate to judge another person?  So many people quote Matt 7:1 (“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” NIV) that it seems that’s the only thing the Bible has to say on this issue.  So the informal Facebook consensus appears to be no.

Everything that could be said about this question would require much more space, but I’d like to offer a thought or two about the role of judgment in the Christian life.  First, it is not true that Jesus was all about love, sunshine, and giggles.  There are many times when he pronounced judgment coming on others (e.g. John 5:24-29 and Luke 16:14-5).  He was at times harsh and commanding (remember the clearing of the temple in Mark 11?).  Of course he was full of compassion for the weak and downtrodden, but he was fire and brimstone for the arrogant and hypocrites.  In the classic Matt 7 passage, please note that Jesus a few verses later gave the prescription for judgment: first, deal with your own issues, then you will see clearly to help your brother/sister deal with theirs.

Second, Paul actually gives some teaching on judging others in 1 Corinthians 5.  In the context of associating with sexually immoral people, Paul explicitly states that we are NOT to judge those outside the church (i.e. those who do not claim to be followers of Christ).  But, for those who DO claim to follow Christ and yet live immoral lifestyles (here Paul mentions more than just sexual immorality), Paul makes it clear that those in the local church should judge that person.  For the Corinthians, Paul tells them to put the immoral person out of the church.  This wasn’t exactly “seeker friendly”, but effective at curbing sin the church.

To sum up: Judgment of another person is sometimes appropriate.  Don’t judge someone for something if you have the same problem.  But if a person claims to be a follower of Christ and yet lives in sin, the local church should judge that person, both for his/her benefit and for that of the church.  If they don’t claim to be a believer, then our role is not to judge, but to share the Gospel in a loving manner.

So, these are just a few thoughts for you to chew on, and there is much more that could be said.  Please understand that this is written for those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ.  I welcome your thoughts.