Biblical Illiteracy: There Are Few Verses in Scripture as Mishandled as ‘Judge Not’

(Harbinger’s Daily)—The couple who became famous from HGTV’s popular Fixer Upper show, Chip and Joanna Gaines, made headlines recently because they are professing Christians, and yet they platformed two men in a gay “marriage” on their new show. Reportedly, in response to the outcry from Christians, the couple claimed, “Doesn’t the Bible say ‘judge not’; who are you to tell people what they can, and cannot do?” Well, the Bible tells us what we can and can’t do as Christians!

There are few verses in Scripture that are mishandled as much as Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Whenever someone quotes that verse, as apparently the Gaineses did, to justify embracing or turning a blind eye to sin, they are completely ignoring the context.

Here’s a larger part of the passage, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you” (Matthew 7:1–6).

Clearly, within context, Jesus is not saying never to make judgments—that’s impossible anyway. The Gaineses couldn’t even do it. In saying, “Who are you to tell people what they can, and cannot do?” they are judging the person they are claiming is being judgmental!

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