Summary

“Don’t judge me!” is usually the line people throw out when they know they’re doing something wrong. Judgment is woven throughout the entire Bible: God judging us, us judging ourselves, and how we judge others both inside and outside the church. Unfortunately, the culture has twisted this topic into a cliché, but Scripture gives us a much clearer (and much sharper) framework. In this episode, I break down what judgment actually means, why it matters, and how misunderstanding it is wrecking accountability, relationships, and the church today.

In this episode, I cover:

• Judging Ourselves: the personal responsibility we can’t outsource
• Judging Others (inside the church & outside): why accountability matters and what biblical judgment really looks like
• God’s Judgment (toward the church & the world): how He judges now, not just at the end of time

1. Judging Ourselves: The Responsibility Nobody Wants

In the self-help world we’d call this “self-awareness,” but biblically, it’s judgment. Scripture tells us bluntly to examine ourselves:

“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” — 1 Corinthians 11:31
“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord.” — Lamentations 3:40
“Examine yourselves….” — 2 Corinthians 13:5

Most people don’t do this. Culture tells us we’re “good” just because we exist. Religious people think they’re “better” just because they believe. Both are delusional. That’s self-righteousness. Nothing more.

And sometimes you need someone else to hold up the mirror because you’re blind to your own patterns. That’s why God gave us the body of Christ.
This is personal responsibility. If you don’t take it, someone else will: either the church or God Himself.

2. Judging Others: Accountability Without Hypocrisy

This is where everyone loses their minds. Accountability is a dirty word in our generation. We’ve built a world where “everyone does what’s right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), and now we wonder why society is fractured.

Jesus addressed judgment directly:

“Judge not… For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged.” — Matthew 7:1–2

He wasn’t banning judgment—He was banning hypocrisy.
Then He tells us:

“Stop judging by outward appearance, but judge justly.” — John 7:24

Both are true and both are required.

And let’s be honest, Christians online are some of the worst at this. People will annihilate someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend based on a 30-second clip. They’ve never met the person. They assume. They project. They judge in ways they themselves could never endure or want to.

Ask yourself- “Whose standard am I using?“
Your own?
Cultural Christianity?
Or the Word of God?

Inside the Church (Discipline & Restoration)

Judgment inside the church is about restoration, not humiliation.

“Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…” — Galatians 6:1

Paul goes even further:

“Deliver such a one to Satan… that his spirit may be saved.” — 1 Corinthians 5:4–5

God uses hardship (even satanic pressure) to bring people to repentance. Jesus told Peter:

“Satan has asked to sift you like wheat… but I have prayed for you.” — Luke 22:31–32

The goal is repentance, maturity, and unity.
Sin unchecked becomes cancer.
If one member of the body of Christ suffers, the whole body feels it.

Outside the Church

Paul makes the boundary crystal clear:

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?… God will judge those outside.” — 1 Corinthians 5:12–13

We don’t judge unbelievers as if they’re Christians, but we absolutely make moral evaluations, defend the innocent, and stand for truth.
Moral law doesn’t come from popular opinion—it comes from God.

People say “don’t judge me” because their conscience already is (Romans 2:14–16). They want to silence the guilt, not deal with it.

3. God’s Judgment: For the Church and For the World

Most people only think of the final judgment—the Great White Throne for unbelievers and the Bema Seat for believers. But God is constantly judging now.

“I am the Lord, exercising… judgment in the earth.” — Jeremiah 9:24

God Judging the World

He judges nations like He did in Scripture—Sodom, Babylon, Rome. He gives people time to repent (2 Peter 3:9), but eventually He deals with evil.

He also intervenes when people come after His servants.
He freed Peter from prison the night before execution.
He protected Jeremiah.
He always ensures His purposes are completed.

God Judging the Church

Believers aren’t judged for condemnation—we’re judged for refinement.

“O Lord, correct me… not in Your anger.” — Jeremiah 10:24
“Afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness…” — Hebrews 12:11

If the church won’t correct you, God will.
Whom He loves, He chastens.
The upside is that He always leaves His children better than He found them.

Final Thought

Judgment isn’t the enemy.
Hypocrisy is.
Avoidance is.
Self-righteousness is.

God desires justice and honestly, so do we. That desire comes from Him.