No one likes the awkwardness that comes with being told “you’re wrong and here’s why…” but it’s a fact of life. Sometimes we are wrong. We can either admit that to ourselves going into every situation, or we can bury our heads in the sand and refuse to believe it, yelling at everyone who tries to show us.

I don’t know how modern a trend it is, but it certainly seems more fashionable than ever to just let people be wrong in their own way, without ever trying to show them what is right. It seems like people today are unwilling even to acknowledge there is a “right” or “wrong” about anything, so when you tell someone “that’s not right,” they’re probably going to scream that you’re “judging” them. Are you? Are we called by the Gospel to help people out of their wrongness? Yes! That’s the crux of evangelism. And yet, doesn’t Jesus also say that we should not judge? How do those two ideas mesh?

Very easily, in fact.

As with most things, the issue here is with a failure to properly define our terms. Just telling someone they are wrong (assuming they actually are) isn’t what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7. Jesus isn’t condemning the idea of warning people who are going the wrong way. Jesus isn’t telling us not to tell people to turn around. On the contrary, we are obligated to try and help people in such cases, lest we be punished (Ezekiel 33:1-6).

Jesus doesn’t say not to tell someone what is right and wrong. What He condemns is judging someone based on YOUR standard of right and wrong. Jesus is condemning the action of telling someone they are wrong just because YOU don’t like what they were doing. In other words, when you tell someone they are wrong based on God’s standard, and they say “you’re judging me!” that’s factually incorrect. You’re not judging them. God is judging them. You’re just letting them know about it.

You don’t get to set up your own rules and then rebuke someone for not following them. You ain’t Jesus.

But you know who is Jesus?

Jesus.

And Jesus will judge the unrighteous. Maybe give them a heads-up before He does.

~Matthew