Righteous Judgment

One more post about judging before we move on to the next topic.  Last Sunday I suggested that “righteous judgment” means to judge with grace and truth.  This isn’t the whole picture but I think it is an important part of the picture.  The only person to ever walk this earth who was perfect in judging was Jesus.  Jesus got this right every single time and in every single situation.  John 1:14 is a description of Jesus, and John writes that Jesus is “full of grace and truth”.  What a great description of someone who can judge the right way.

Proper judging requires truth.  If we don’t have a standard of truth in which to use how could we be a good judge?  Any type of right judging requires a right standard; one that doesn’t shift with time and works for all people.  I suggest using God’s word as your standard for judging.  I can’t think of another standard that doesn’t change with time and fits all people and cultures.  Jesus judged others by the truth of God’s word.

However, truth isn’t really enough.  Jesus was also full of grace.  We see this in Jesus’ reactions with the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 or with the woman caught in the act of adultery in John chapter 8.  Jesus didn’t “throw the book” at these women.  Rather, He fully mixed His truth with His grace.  Since none of us follow the truth fully all of the time, we would stand in constant and consistent judgment were it not for God’s grace.

Think about those two words as they relate to judging.  Are you more driven to truth or to grace?  Some of that predisposition is born out of our backgrounds and environment.  Look to Jesus, the perfect Judge, to help you balance truth and grace when it comes to passing judgment on yourself and others.  You won’t be disappointed.