The Most Well Known Bible Verse in the World

I am sure that when you read that title, you likely thought immediately of John 3:16 or Psalm 23. Psalm 23 was once the most memorized passage of Scripture, for sure. But over the centuries, that habit has fallen by the wayside, it seems. But do not think that the use of the Bible has waned much, for the Scripture that we mean in this article is neither of these. The verse we mean is Matt. 7:1: “Judge not lest you be judged.” In my experience, this verse is the most well known and used by people across the world. Why do you say that, you ask? Ah, because even millions of non-believers use this one! In fact, it is the favorite verse to cast in the Christian’s teeth, if you will, and is used by not only Christian believers but mostly by those who are not believers at all, when they think that believers are being judgmental of their wicked lives and behaviors. There is no sin so wicked that when they are called to task on it, they immediately and with the proverbial knee-jerk reaction, quote this verse to chastise the Christian for any criticism of their sinful behaviors. “Judge not lest you be judged,” they say, to excuse their sins of sexual perversion, promiscuity, licentiousness, greed, hatred, fleshly indulgences, and the like -- the list is endless.

What disturbs me most of all, though, is that believers themselves, failing to use proper discernment and proper Biblical interpretation, are far too quick to agree with their unbelieving friends and acquaintances. So they bow their heads in shame and come to believe that they are in fact the hypocrites that the unbelievers say they are. The irony is that the wicked sinner is casting Matt. 7:1 in our teeth while at the very same time violating that same scripture by doing the very thing that it condemns: judging the Christian as a hypocrite. That kind of contradiction does not surprise me in the least, for in my worldview, the unbeliever is in fact irrational and contradictory in the very way they think and reason. The lost sinner in a most real way suffers from a variety of insanity, and has turned reason on its head, really. But that is another article for later. For now, I want to try to clarify the way in which this text is sorely misused and misunderstood so that the reader of the Bible is not mislead by so much ignorance. We shall do a brief exegesis of that passage [for Matt. 7:1 is part of a larger passage, not just a “proof text” for unbelievers]. How silly it seems to me to have unbelievers using Scripture as their source of authority when they actually reject the God and Savior who authored the Bible and spoke Matt. 7:1 Himself!

Context, Context, Context.

This is a maxim that every student of the Bible learns early on in their study of the Holy Scriptures. It is but one of a larger number of hermeneutical [interpretive] principles employed in proper interpretation of the Bible. Indeed, even profane and secular literature must be understood with reference to standards of interpretation, and the Bible is no less so. It is to do violence to the text to rip it out of its context and interpret it in one’s own idiosyncratic way. It is to understand the text in its context that will yield the right interpretation. Also, this principle of interpretation must be used in unison with the principle of the analogy of Scripture, which put colloquially is the principle that scripture interprets scripture or that scripture is its own interpreter. Though there are quite a number of other standards and criteria for sound and proper interpretation, these two are most important in the use [misuse?] of Matt. 7:1. Let us take a look.

First, we must understand the distant and the near context of Christ’s words in Matt. 7:1. Even a brief look at chapters five through seven will reveal that this discourse is part of what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount, which Christ delivered shortly after beginning his public ministry. It was directed at his disciples, not the multitudes:

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain; and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying”-- [Matt. 5:1]

In other words, it would seem that he purposely sought a retreat of sorts in the hill country where he would teach those who were fully committed to following him. I do not believe that we can force the meaning of the word disciple as meaning those who were true Christians, but rather those of the multitude who were fully committed to following him. But suffice it to say here that he was speaking to those who were of the persuasion to follow him and believe his words. I can tell you, many of those who cast this verse in our teeth are not of that sort!

Now, we must determine and set the near context. Jesus had just concluded a passage in which he condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees [Matt. 6: 1-18] and taught them of the way that we are to think and act in the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6: 19-34). So, Matt. 7:5, just four verses from our text of Matt. 7:1 cries out, “Thou hypocrite …”, showing that this text is still part of the larger context of Christ’s teaching about hypocrisy in his discourse.

So, What Does He Mean, Then?

First, what he doesn’t mean.

Well, it is for certain, right off the bat, that this verse does not forbid any judging of any kind, which is what the common user of this text is trying to make it say. The text simply will not allow such an interpretation. In fact, the moral distinctions that are made in the same discourse demand and require that decisive judgments be made. Jesus himself demonstrates this when he calls some hypocrites [I suspect that the Pharisees were his intended target, but also to all such persons who are judgmental, by natural extension] dogs and pigs [Matt. 7:6]! He also warns against false prophets in Matt. 7: 15-20, which by its very nature requires judgments to be made about the truth or falsity of their teaching -- and their behavior (“by their fruits you shall know them”).

Additionally, Jesus elsewhere specifically and explicitly calls upon believers to make judgments:

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” [John 7:24]

Closely related to that text is 1 Cor. 5:3-5, where Paul is instructing (chastising?) the Corinthians for their neglect in judging sinfulness in their ranks.

“For verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that has do done this deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a person unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So, it would seem that the Apostle Paul, inspired writer of more than half of the New Testament, is quite willing to judge a person who has sinned, even if he had not so much as met the person! How that does seem to contradict the profane use of Matt. 7:1! Not only is he ready to judge the person and “deliver such a one unto Satan,” but he severely chides the Corinthians for not doing this themselves sooner. At another place, Paul again shows the proper place and attitude of godly judgment:

“I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel: which is not another; but there be some of that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” [Galatians 1:6-8]

It would seem that the unbelievers and others who cast Matt. 7:1 in our teeth when we condemn sin or falsehood are not reading the same Book as we. But that is not all; there are many more examples. We will list but a couple more.

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” Phil. 3:2

Here Paul the Apostle is still ready to call some dogs and evil workers. Pardon me, but I think that might be a judgment about their character and motives! It takes some judgment to characterize false teachers and evil doers as dogs. And lest you think that Paul is not aiming his judgment at particular folks, you should know that almost every commentator would agree that Paul was aiming his remarks and charges at a group of Jews that followed after Paul from place to place to try to undo his work. He was judging the Jews who were teaching that Christians must be circumcised just like Jews.

One more:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God; because many false prophets are gone into the world.” [1 John 4:1]

Again, John, along with Paul, mandates that judgments be made about what teachers and preachers say and teach, using discerning judgments, but surely decisive judgments, too. Many other texts could be cited, but I think I have made my point - and my case, I trust.

Now, what it does mean.

What Jesus is teaching in Matt. 7:1 is that Christians are not to be judgmental and censorious. Making proper and decisive judgments is a far cry from being censoriously judgmental. The Greek word KRINO [“judge”] used in Matt. 7:1 has the same force at Romans 14: 12-13:

“For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knew shall bow to me and every tongue confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”

See? It has to do with first judging yourself, and seeing yourself in the proper light. That tends to make a person less judgmental. Also, we must answer to God for our judgments, for “with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.” In other words, make righteous judgments based on sound Biblical teaching, and not censorious, judgmental judgments. What Jesus is teaching is that making judgmental, censorious judgments is not being forgiving and loving, but is showing one’s own arrogance and impenitence, and is therefore shut out from the forgiveness of God. That should give everyone who would cast Matt. 7:1 in our teeth pause, for in reality, they are committing the very evil which the text condemns and warns against, and even to the point that they lock themselves out of the forgiveness of God with such tactics.

D.A. Carson, in his comments on this verse and quoting John Stott, seems to capture the case accurately:

“Here the command to judge not is not a requirement to be blind, but rather a plea to be generous. Jesus does not tell us to cease to be men (by suspending our critical powers which help distinguish us from animals) but to renounce the presumptuous ambition to be God (by setting ourselves up as judges).” [Quote is from Stott, and quoted in Carson, D.A. Commentary on Matthew, vol. 1, page 184]

I would hope that our brief exegesis and explanation of the proper interpretation of this text would extinguish the improper use of the text by not only believers but unbelievers. But, alas, it is not likely to be the case! It seems that we shall forever be refuting the misunderstanding and the misapplication of this verse, which is really a very wonderful verse, properly understood and applied to the Christian life. It is designed to prevent us from being reactive to any and every foible in others. But it in no way prohibits or disallows proper godly discerning judgment. Indeed, without that, we are hopelessly lost in carrying out the mandate of our faith - to live godly lives that bring honor to Jesus Christ our Lord.