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Nobody with a beam in his eye can see things clearly. He is dangerously low on discernment. And, since we all have this distorted perspective, we need either to be very humble or else leave judging to God alone. We have a moral responsibility to judge the moral behavior of others—but only if we are humbly aware that we will sometimes be dead wrong and never totally right. We must remember that our ability to judge is limited and especially that we are sinful people who will ourselves, one day, come under judgment.

Lewis B. Smedes is professor emeritus of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

A ready-to-download Bible Study on this article is available at ChristianBibleStudies.com. These unique Bible studies use articles from current issues of Christianity Today to prompt thought-provoking discussions in adult Sunday school classes or small groups.

For historical perspective, see the St. John Chrysostom homily on Matthew 7:1 and a John Wesley sermon on the verse.

A radio Bible class posted on Gospelcom.net says, "based on Jesus' own actions, we can be sure He didn't mean we should ignore and tolerate evil."

A Christian humor piece on About.com looked at the issue in "Judge Not—Not!"

Christianbook.com carries several books written by Lewis B. Smedes.

Smedes is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Smedes earlier answered, "Can God Reach the Mentally Disabled?" and "Is Suicide Unforgivable?"

Earlier Good Question columns include:

Should We File Lawsuits?

Can We Expect God to Forgive Unbelievers Who 'Don't Know What They're Doing'?

Is the Stock Market Good Stewardship?

Is Satan Omnipresent?

Is Suicide Unforgivable?

Was Slavery God's Will?

A Little Wine for the Soul?

Should We All Speak in Tongues?

Did Jesus Really Descend to Hell?

Take, Eat—But How Often?

Is Christmas Pagan?

Are Christians Required to Tithe?

Is Revelation Prophecy or History?

You're Divorced—Can You Remarry?

If Grace Is Irresistible, Why Evangelize?

Does the 'Bible Code' Really Exist?

What's the Unforgivable Sin?

What Bible Version Did Jesus Read?

Did God Die on the Cross?

You Must Be Born Again—But at What Age?

Was the Revolutionary War Justified?

Can the Dead Be Converted?

What Is the Significance of the Shroud of Turin?

Is Hell Forever?

Why Are There Denominations?

Did Paul Baptize for the Dead?

Do Demons Have Zip Codes?

What Is the Gospel of Thomas?

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October 1 2001, Vol. 45, No. 12