A No Judgment Zone
Years ago, while visiting my in-laws in Tennessee, I visited a large work-out gym. My sister-in-law had membership privileges.
What struck me about the place was its signage: No Grunts! and Lunk Alarm! (a “lunk” was defined as “one who grunts, drops weights, and judges”). Most conspicuous of all, in large painted letters at the top of one wall, it said, This is a No Judgment Zone.
We can understand the reason for this marketing scheme. People think a gym is for “lunks,” or those who are running marathons or playing sports. But this gym was reaching out to those who hadn’t been on a bicycle in twenty years. It’s almost as if you could hear them say, “It’s not the in-shape who need a gym membership, it’s the out-of-shape.”
There’s a strong parallel with this kind of message and the mission of Jesus and his church. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matt. 9:12). If we are to follow his example, then we should take care that his church is “a no judgment zone,” and is similarly welcoming to all who struggle spiritually. For Jesus says in John 8:15 that he judges no one, and he explains that his mission is not to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17; 12:47). The Pharisees were perplexed that Jesus would “eat with tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 9:11), but Jesus’ church should fully understand why, for it is made up of those who are “unworthy servants” (Luke 17:10).
While we are to “make righteous judgments” (John 7:24) in terms of discerning what is right and wrong and what is God’s will, the Bible is clear that, as fallible human beings, we do not have the knowledge, authority, or righteousness to judge others.
First, we lack the knowledge to judge. In each of the gospels, Jesus is described as having supernatural insight into people’s thoughts and hearts (see Matt. 9:4, Matt. 12:25, Mark 2:8, Luke 5:22, Luke 9:47, and John 2:24). 1 Samuel 16:7 reveals that “man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.” We cannot condemn others or judge them as unworthy because we lack the knowledge of the heart to which only the Lord has access.
Second, we lack the authority to judge. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul urges the church to judge a brother by disfellowshipping him for his flagrant sexual immorality. He explains that within the church leaders have some authority to judge, but that there is no authority for them to judge “those outside” the body of Christ (vv. 12-13), for that prerogative is God’s alone (v. 13). The church, rather, should open its arms to the world, inviting others into the salvation offered through the blood of Jesus.
Finally, we lack the righteousness to judge. Paul explains in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Each of us is under the same curse, because each of us has fallen prey to sin. That’s why Paul says in Romans 2:1, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
Beyond the philosophical reasons not to judge, there is a practical reason that Jesus indicates when he says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:1-2). Jesus implies that there is a human, relational element involved in judgment. When we judge others, we not only have to fear God’s judgment on us, but other human beings’ as well: if we have judgmental attitudes toward others or fail to show mercy to others, we can only expect to receive the same judgment and lack of mercy back from them. What goes around, comes around.
But judging others does more than provide a kind of moral boomerang effect. It also kills humility. James 4:6 tells us that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In judging someone else, we vault ourselves to a position of authority we don’t have the prerogative to take. Judgment places the self above someone else, and says, “I am worthy to be your master” (see Rom. 14:4). Jesus wants his church to take the position of servants, those who are willing to wash the feet of others (John 13:14-17).
The gym’s “No Judgment Zone” sign may have been nothing more than a marketing ploy, but if the church is to follow the example of the Savior, it too must become a “No Judgment Zone.”
-Nick Boone
First published in Words of Life News.