God Says Not To Judge Others (Hold One Another Accountable)

Key Elements

In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus addressed the issue of condemning others showing us the better, Biblical way of holding one another accountable.

Main Idea: As Christ followers, Jesus calls us to accountability, not condemnation-beginning with the examination of our own hearts leading us to humbly approach everyone with the grace and mercy Jesus has shown us pointing one another back to Him.

I want my audience to follow Jesus in humble accountability, taking a look at their own hearts first then pointing one another back to Jesus.

Intro

Summer time has just ended and school has started back and hopefully you and your family had a great summer. Summer is usually when families try to take a little extra time to spend with one another. And most families plan a vacation or sometimes multiple vacations. We go to the beach for a week or the mountains or maybe we get the opportunity to travel to a part of the country we have never been to before. And if you’re like me, if I’m going to be staying at a place that I’ve never stayed before, what do you do, you google search the hotel or condominium or air bnb and you type in those infamous words “review.” And why do you do that? Well, if you’re like me, a germaphobe and paranoid, you don’t want to stay in some nasty place. You want to see what other people who have stayed there have to say about it. I want to know how clean it is, how comfortable the beds are, what the bathroom is like, maybe what amenities they have available. All of those things are important for a good, relaxing vacation. And there is nothing worse than booking a place to stay for vacation and getting there and it’s nothing like what the pictures depicted it to be. There’s nothing worse than getting to a place that was supposed to look like this (show pic) and it actually looks like this (show pic). So reviews are important. Now, online reviews vary right? There are those who are going to be lenient and there are those who think they are expert hotel critics. And what’s interesting about online reviews is that with just a few keystrokes, someone can post the harshest review of a place, that actually may not be that bad, but with that harsh review they can tear down a place they’ve only been to once or leave a comment about a staff member that they don’t even know. The power of an online review is that we can be quick to condemn because we are doing that from behind a screen.

And this morning, condemnation is going to be the topic we are exploring. As we continue our sermon series entitled The Bible Doesn’t Say That, today we are looking at the misconception that God says not to judge others. We’ve heard other people say it and we’ve probably even said it ourselves. In the midst of a conversation with someone who doesn’t agree with us or has different beliefs about something, the statement gets made that we are not supposed to judge others because the Bible says not to do that. In fact, it’s one of the most misquoted and misunderstood verses in the Bible. And it’s one that gets thrown around and used in situations where other people and even we ourselves want to justify something that we are doing or a way we want to live our lives. And when we do that, basically we are saying, Let me live how I want to live, and don’t say anything about it.

But when we slow down and actually look at what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:1-6, we discover He wasn’t telling us to avoid all judgment. He wasn’t telling us to live however we want to live. What Jesus is telling us here in our text today is how to judge rightly. What He is telling us here is to hold one another accountable as followers of Him. Because Jesus knows we need accountability in our lives. He knows sin blinds us, and without loving correction in our lives from other followers of Jesus, what happens is we drift further and further away from Him.

So what is Jesus really teaching us here? He’s not doing away with judgment-He’s warning us against, hypocritical, harsh, self-righteous condemnation of others. And He’s calling us to a better way. He’s calling us to hold one another accountable and to do that with humility. You see, that’s the difference between condemnation and accountability-condemnation seeks to tear others down and accountability seeks to build one another up. So, it’s not that “God says not to judge others” it’s “God says to hold one another accountable.”

Message

So, as we explore this misconception of judging others today and we look to the truth of God’s Word, here’s our main idea for our message today: As Christ followers, Jesus calls us to accountability, not condemnation-beginning with the examination of our own hearts leading us to humbly approach everyone with the grace and mercy Jesus has shown us pointing one another back to Him.

So, what does accountability look like for a follower of Jesus? In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus teaches us how to do accountability well by revealing three guidelines for us to follow:

1. Accountability starts by looking inward, not outward. (vs. 1-4)

When we talk about this whole issue of not judging others, it always leads us back to what people think Jesus was saying here. Unfortunately for us as followers of Jesus, being judgmental is closely associated with us and is a characteristic with which we get labeled. I would say that some of that is our own fault as the church and some of it is the result of the culture we live in. In fact, when you do a Google search of things that Christians are not supposed to do, judging others is pretty close to the top of the list. Also, when Christians or the church is talked about, the characteristic of being judgmental usually comes up very quickly. Whether we agree with it or not, the whole subject of not judging others or being judgmental is something that is unfortunately closely associated with the Christian faith.

And that’s because the whole approach to what Jesus says here usually gets taken out of context not just by the culture around us but by the church as well. We either find ourselves falling into one camp or another. We usually find ourselves on the extreme side of suspending all beliefs and expressions of those beliefs when we come into contact with people who those beliefs don’t line up with or we find ourselves on the other end of the spectrum where we are forcefully and judgmentally condemning people who are caught up in patterns of sin in their lives. And the truth is this, both extremes are wrong. And neither extreme is what Jesus was calling us to as Christ followers. It is wrong to assume that Jesus meant we should not express what we believe and the truths of scripture when it comes to sin. And the proof of that is in the fact that all throughout the Gospels, Jesus Himself spent time correcting people and speaking truth into situations where it needed to be spoken. It is also wrong to assume that Jesus meant we should condemn others setting ourselves morally and spiritually above other people. And the proof of that is in the fact that we see Jesus constantly addressing this attitude in the lives of the Jewish religious leaders.

You see, what Jesus is after here in us is accountability and not condemnation. What Jesus is stressing here is speaking the truth to others in love while avoiding an attitude of judgmentalism. So, He begins in vs. 1 and right out of the gate He says,… Jesus says “Do not condemn.” It’s an action that has finality to it. It is looking at someone who is trapped in a sinful pattern in their life and pronouncing them condemned and judged without hope. And Jesus is saying “Don’t do this. Don’t live this way. Don’t let this attitude of judgmentalism define your life.” In fact, it’s a call by Jesus to stop an action that is already taking place in your life. What Jesus is saying could be properly said like this, “Stop judging now and do not judge in the future!” And it all falls in the context of what He’s been teaching in the two chapters prior to this. It all falls in the context of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5,6,7. He’s been building momentum for two chapters teaching truth after truth of what the life of a follower of Jesus should look like, that it should be radically different from the culture surrounding it. He’s been talking about the Kingdom of God and how God has called followers of Jesus to be Kingdom minded people. In Matthew 6:33, He says “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Focus your life on God and becoming more and more like Him, don’t focus on the things of this world which bring fear and anxiety and worry into our lives; because when you do that, your heart is not set on God but the things of this life. And when that happens, we set ourselves up in a place that we were never meant to be and we occupy a place that God is only meant to occupy. And we become judgmental of others because we see ourselves as superior to them morally and spiritually.

And Jesus looks at the crowd who is listening to Him on the hillside in Galilee that day, specifically to the Jewish religious leaders who are there, and He says “Stop condemning others. Stop playing the role of God.”

And I think that’s really good advice for us as well. As followers of Jesus, to shift our mindset from condemnation of others to accountability. Not seeking to condemn others but to lovingly hold other Christ followers accountable and desire to be held accountable as well. And Jesus gives us a really good reason why in vs. 2, He says… You see, condemning others is us attempting to play God when we are not God. And it is us applying to others a standard that we do not want applied to ourselves. And when that happens, our spiritual vision gets blurred. We lose perspective in our lives and we fail to see the reality of our own lives and how we are living.

Instead of focusing on others first, Jesus says accountability starts by looking inward, by looking at ourselves. He says...

a. Start with self examination.

And then He gives us a really memorable example that perfectly lays out what He’s talking about here. He says in vs. 3-4...

Now, if you ever thought Jesus didn’t have a sense of humor, this right here totally does away with any of that. I can’t read these verses without getting the image in my head of this huge 2x4 jutting out of a person’s eye. And remember, Jesus is speaking to a crowd that is made up mainly of common people who were craftsman working with stone and wood every day. They would have understood this illustration completely. For us it may make more sense to say it’s like telling someone to clean a smudge off the lens of their glasses when mine are covered in mud. The problem is I won’t be able to see clearly enough to help them. I have to start with mine. The thrust of this example is that it is impossible to hold someone else accountable for what’s going on in their life if I haven’t dealt with what’s going on in mine. How can I even attempt to help another brother or sister in Christ when I am in greater need of help than them? You see, the problem is not seeing sin, the problem is seeing everyone else’s sin while ignoring my own sin.

So, looking inward starts with self examination. Am I confessing my own sin to God daily? Am I quick to repent before pointing out what someone else is doing wrong? And then we...

b. Move towards truth.

Once we have taken a look at our own lives, then our vision is clear to help others. And this is the purpose of the accountability process Jesus is laying out before us here in Matthew 7. It becomes easier to move others towards the truth of the Gospel and the life God is calling us to if we ourselves have been transformed by that same truth. That’s why Jesus says “look at your life first. Take the log out of your eye first.” Because it’s at that point that your life becomes a testimony that is an example of what God does. You see, a knowledge of our own sinfulness and the grace of God in our lives helps us in the accountability process and speaking truth into the lives of others. When we remember the depth of our sinfulness and that, on our own, there was nothing we could do to remove our sin; but God in His grace responded to our sin by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us, that helps us as we approach and encourage other believers struggling with sin as well. And as we move towards truth, having looked first at our lives, we approach others with the same grace and love we’ve been shown ourselves. The truth we move them towards is the saving grace of Jesus Christ. That if God saved me, He can save you as well. That He has a better plan for you and if He can forgive me and use me, He can do the same for you.

Accountability starts by looking inward, not outward. A second guideline we follow is...

2. Accountability seeks restoration, not humiliation. (vs. 5)

And it all really comes down to the motives of our hearts. It’s the “why” behind what we are doing. Motives are all about the “why.” And it’s important to know our motives when we do anything but especially when it comes to accountability with other followers of Jesus. Why are we desiring to hold another believer accountable? Is it because we truly feel called by God to do that and we truly desire to see them pursue God in their lives or is it because we think we are better than them and maybe, want to point out what’s wrong in their lives? And that’s the difference between condemnation and accountability. Condemnation seeks to humiliate, to put others down and in the process set ourselves above them but accountability seeks to see them restored in their relationship with God becoming the disciple of Jesus they were created to be. Accountability comes alongside someone instead of setting ourselves above them.

So,Jesus continues in vs. 5, He says...

So, notice here Jesus says, “First, take the beam of wood out of your eye,...” The assumption here by Jesus is that there is a log in our eye. Jesus doesn’t say, “take the beam of wood that might be in your eye out...” According to Jesus, it’s not something that might be there, it is there. So, it’s hypocritical for us to seek to humiliate someone else who is struggling with sin or to look down on them for what they are dealing with when we are struggling with sin ourselves. And the realization of that changes our motives. It moves us from condemnation to accountability.

Notice also here that Jesus says, “then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.” That word take is a command from Jesus indicating a decisive action. In the Grk it means “to remove something with force; to cast out; to drive out.” This is Jesus saying that part of our calling as followers of Him is to hold one another accountable. He calls and commands the rightness of humbly and graciously correcting other brothers and sisters in Christ. But it must be done with a heart that is fueled by the right motives for accountability.

You see the accountability that Jesus is calling us to doesn’t ignore what’s going on in another follower of Jesus’ life, it lovingly and humbly seeks to help that person. The accountability Jesus is calling us to has the ultimate goal of restoring others back to the growing relationship with God that they were created for. So, in holding one another accountable with the goal of restoration, we...

a. Correct with love, not shame.

Again, the goal is restoration. We “remove the speck” but we do so with the same love God has shown us. And this is where I think many times accountability in the church gets misunderstood. Holding someone else accountable and coming alongside them in their struggle with sin can automatically be perceived as being judgmental. But the reason we do it is because we love one another and want God’s best for one another.

It’s like going to the doctor and having tests run. When those test results come back and they indicate something is wrong, what does our doctor do, he has a discussion with us about treatment and he pinpoints behaviors that are contributing to the illness. Because warning us of the risks of an unhealthy lifestyle is his job and it’s what makes him or her a good doctor. They aren’t casting judgment, they are encouraging us to be more mindful of our choices so we can avoid more serious, life threatening consequences.

And the same is true for us holding one another accountable in the church. We seek to help one another and we correct one another with love because we love one another. And we also do this because we want to see them avoid getting further and further away from the purpose God has planned for their lives. We don’t shame them or scold them, we lovingly correct them and guide them back to Jesus.

And we...

b. Build up, don’t tear down.

Again the goal is pushing one another in a positive direction. The word judge here means to draw a conclusion. Meaning we form an opinion or come to a conclusion about someone based on what we see rather than the whole truth. And when we do this it serves not to build one another up but to tear one another down. And that’s the furthest thing from what Jesus is calling us to here. And that actually is what causes us to sin. When we condemn others with pride, comparison, or to belittle them, it’s at that point that we have chosen condemnation over accountability. And that not only has an affect on our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ but it serves to promote arrogance and pride in our own hearts.

God calls us to accountability for the purpose of building one another up and pushing one another towards Jesus. So, am I motivated by love and encouragement of other Christ followers when I’m holding them accountable? Am I coming alongside them for the purpose of building them up? And am I willing to walk with them through change in their lives for the purpose of seeing them restored in their relationship with God?

Accountability seeks restoration, not humiliation.

A third guideline we follow is...

3. Accountability requires discernment, keeping the Gospel at the center. (vs. 6)

So, there are two keys here to understanding what Jesus is saying. And it flows right along with this subject of condemnation and accountability. First, Jesus is pointing us to the Gospel and second He is pointing us to discernment. When we remember the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is constantly before us and we remember the grace and mercy of Jesus and the affect it has had on our lives, it serves as the guiding factor for us in accountability. It keeps us humble and from drifting to condemnation. Because our true motivation will be to build up not tear down. To encourage not shame. And seeking the purpose of pointing others towards Jesus and them experiencing the abundant life we have experienced ourselves. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what guides us to discernment as we seek to provide accountability in the lives of other Christ followers. And as we do this, there are two things to remember...

a. Not every heart responds well to accountability.

Look at vs. 6, Jesus says...

So, let’s look at this in the context of this passage on condemning others. What Jesus is doing here is giving us guidance on how to engage with people, other believers in particular, when it comes to accountability. And what Jesus is pointing us to is that not everyone will be receptive to accountability.

In Jesus’ day, dogs and pigs were seen as disgraceful animals. Dogs were scavengers in villages and garbage dumps and were seen as wild and dangerous animals. While pigs, in the Jewish mind, were seen as unclean. So, is Jesus calling people dogs and pigs? No. What He’s emphasizing here is that not everyone we come alongside for accountability will receive it well. Depending on the state of their hearts, they will either accept it or they will reject it. Our calling, ultimately, is to be obedient with the Gospel message we have been entrusted with and to seek to love one another. The bottom line is, I cannot control how people react, I can only be obedient to what God has called me to do.

Also, we remember...

b. Always aim to point people to Jesus.

When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is central to our lives and central to our motivations, it keeps us focused on the ultimate goal of pointing others to Jesus. And this is the perfect example Jesus set for us every time He spoke into someone’s life. His goal always, whether it was preaching to the crowds, correcting the Jewish religious leaders, teaching His disciples, performing miracles, His ultimate goal was to point people to God the Father. And we also see this in the lives of Christ followers all throughout Scripture. The Apostle Paul taught and offered correction to the believers in the churches he started ultimately pointing them to Jesus. Simon Peter gives instruction and correction to Jewish believers ultimately pointing them to Jesus. Over and over again we see all throughout Scripture men and women coming alongside other brothers and sisters in Christ and every time the ultimate purpose is to point people to Jesus.

And that’s the ultimate goal. That’s why God has given us the church and one another. To come alongside one another in loving accountability pointing one another to Jesus Christ. And if that is always at the forefront of our hearts and minds, if the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the guiding factor for us, then Jesus will always be our purpose and goal.

Closing

God formed the church for community and accountability. As Christ followers and members of His church, we are called to submit ourselves to this design God has given us if we want to grow and mature in our faith. May we submit to accountability in our own lives and commit to humbly hold one another accountable with the ultimate goal of pointing one another to Jesus.

At the end of the day, accountability isn’t about proving who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s about pointing one another back to Jesus. When we look to ourselves first, we remember that we’re sinners in need of grace. When we help others faithfully, we’re extending the same grace we’ve received. And when we use discernment wisely, we’re following the wisdom of Christ who always spoke truth in love. The good news of the gospel is this: Jesus took the condemnation we deserve so we could walk in His grace. That means we don’t have to live in fear of judgment, nor do we swing to the other extreme and ignore accountability. Instead, we live as a community of grace—holding each other up, pointing each other back to the cross, and reminding each other that in Christ, there is hope, healing, and restoration.