One of the favorite quotes (and perhaps one of the few quotes) that non-believers like to share from the Bible is "Judge not, that you be not judged." Matthew 7:1 NIV. Christians remind each other of this also, and Jesus told us this Himself.

Why then does He also say, "You will know them by their fruits" (in the very same chapter of Matthew 7, verse 20.) If we notice the fruit of someone's life, aren't we also making a judgment?

It can get confusing, can't it?

On the one hand, we aren't to judge others. On the other, we will know people based on the fruit of their lives. So how do we determine if and when making such assessments is biblical? Let's take a closer look.

In the early part of Matthew 7, remember that Jesus has been speaking for quite awhile now (the Sermon on the Mount.) He's been sharing a lot of principles for godly living. In these verses, He seems to be specifically speaking to "brothers" or those related in Him. He gives an example of someone noticing an issue with a brother (or dare I say sister) and pointing it out while completely ignoring their own issues. He warns that the same level of judgment or criticism you are willing to use toward a brother will be the way you yourself is judged.

Later, in verse 15-20, He warns about false prophets--people who at first appear to be innocent and godly, but have an evil motive and aren't trying to advance the kingdom of God. He tells the people that eventually, their true nature ("fruit") will come out just like the fruit on a tree eventually pops out.

I think of false prophets as non-believers, not brothers and sisters in Christ. Perhaps Jesus is then showing that you should be savvy about what the world teaches, but gracious and patience with the faults of your fellow believers. (This does not mean you don't sometimes speak the truth in love, but with an attitude of humility and knowing you also have faults of your own.) When it comes to false prophets though, be wary and watchful. You don't necessarily have to point out their error all the time, but you are to be careful about how they can lead people astray.

I've only touched the surface of the tension between "Don't judge!" and "You'll know them by their fruit." Please take what I've written above more as observation and thinking points rather than hard and fast truth, for it truly is a sticky subject. Do some study for yourself about the right and wrong times to judge/evaluate what you are seeing in your friends and associates and share your thoughts with us.

(This post compliments our current Break Time Bible Study in Matthew. This week's reading is Matthew 5-8.)