“You can’t judge me. The Bible says not to judge anyone.” The person who said that was a transgendered “woman”. He was wearing a mini-skirt, high heels, and a tank top. His hair was dyed three very bright colors and he had a lot of piercings. He was right: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matthew‬ 7‬:1‬ NIV‬‬…yet he was wrong.  In the book of John we are clearly told not to judge…by appearances. But it says we are to judge rightly (“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” John‬ 7‬:24‬ NIV‬‬). So, which is it? Can we judge, or not?

First, we need to be sure we are not being hypocritical.  We must first take a good, hard look at ourselves. Is there anything in our lives that violates the purpose and character of God? We are warned not to speak of another person’s sin if we have sin in our own life.  That is fundamental and essential. So…do that first and remove that sin from your life.  Then…and only then, are you allowed to judge.

But we are not to judge people.  We are to judge sin.  That man I quoted in the first paragraph is loved by God.  We do not know what happened in his life to lead him into such a lifestyle.  Was he abused, sexually, physically, and/or emotionally, at some point in his life?  Was he influenced by another person who had the same mindset and emotional problems? Just exactly why someone chooses to live a life of degradation and sinfulness is not ours to judge.

But sin? We are absolutely called to judge sin.  And base it solely on the Word of God. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy‬ 3‬:16‬ NIV‬‬) With the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding us in understanding scripture we know right from wrong, good from evil, and light from darkness. It is our responsibility to share the Gospel as we love in such a way as to change the world. How can we do that without calling out sin? Are we judging someone when we rebuke their sin and correct their way of thinking? Absolutely not.  However, we need to be careful as we do that.  Be sure you are doing it out of love and a pure heart.We are told to “speak the truth in love” as we grow in Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)

“Love the sinner, but hate the sin” is surely what we are called to do.