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Approved and verified accurate by the Local Outreach Coordinator of the Office of Spiritual Life on July 8, 2025
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Picture a time when you felt wrongly judged. Maybe you accidentally underdressed for an occasion, and someone glared at you. Perhaps you were uninvited to a gathering because of a rumor that went around about you. As humans, we are quick to judge and yet we are sensitive to improper judgment against ourselves. God warns us to be slow to judge because Jesus did not judge.
People can use discriminative or evaluative judgment in every decision, choosing to handle and progress a situation from a loving or a condemning perspective. Humans judge in many ways, the most obvious being aesthetically. This is when we make assumptions based on appearances. We are also quick to judge people based on their demeanor or actions.
When Jesus was walking on earth over 2,000 years ago, He experienced judgment as we do today. Even though He was God incarnate, He was judged for not “looking” like the Messiah they expected. He was criticized for his teachings. He was ultimately given an unfair trial, which resulted in Him being nailed to a cross and bearing the judgment of the world’s sins.
“When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.”
— 1 Peter 2:23-24 NIV
Being quick to judge is part of human nature. It’s easy to fall into a conversation full of gossip or to make assumptions about people based on their appearance or mannerisms. Christians have a calling to stand up for what’s right and to be accountable. This means removing yourself from destructive conversations, praying to God for a heart to overcome temptation and reminding yourself that God is the only one who has the power to judge rightfully.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”— Matthew 7:1–5 NIV
The final judgment is when all of us on earth will pass away from our earthly bodies and face God. God will then judge us based on our faith during our lives, and we will either have eternal life with Him or eternal life separated from Him.
This day should not be feared. Instead, it should be a call to live righteously and to see every choice we make as a stepping stone to eternity.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."— 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
It may seem that many people on earth do not get punished enough for their sins or that they don’t get rewarded properly for their godly deeds. This is why it is comforting that God has the final say, because he is the one who sees everything — every intention, every word behind closed doors, and every thought.
God desires for His children to spend eternity with Him in heaven, and He loves us enough to give us the choice to follow him or to follow ourselves.
“He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”— Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV
Choose Grace Over Judgment
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