The Bible tells us that we are not to judge or enter into judgment. That means that we should never assume we know the intentions of others.
Jesus said not to judge people!
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” —Matthew 7:1-2 (KJV)
These verses have been misinterpreted to mean:
“If we judge others, something bad is going to happen to us!”
“If we judge others, God will be the one who will judge us!”
“If we judge others, the Holy Spirit will punish us!”
Studying a similar statement in Luke 6:36-38, we find Jesus teaching on the reciprocal principle of relationships.
36Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
We tend to split these verses, saying that verses 36-37 are about judgment and forgiveness, but verse 38 is about money and giving and receiving finances.
In context, it’s very clear Jesus was talking about what we give to others in a relationship. What you give is what you receive!
Any relationship is only as successful as our willingness to be generous!
It is people, not God, who respond proportionately to the way we treat them. What we receive is always going to be more than we give—good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
Judgment can take on many forms. But it isn’t “identifying the wrong” that other people are doing. That’s “observation!”
We judge when we assume we know why people do something!
Any time we think we know someone’s intentions, we set ourselves up to get hurt. Most of the pain and offense we suffer is based on the judgments we make concerning the intentions of others.
That is why it is so important to walk in love, give others the benefit of the doubt, and never assume we know their intentions.