No one wants to be judged when their actions are considered inappropriate or just flat out wrong.  Isn’t it interesting that when people state that no one can judge them it is not when they are being applauded for some generally accepted good action that they achieved.  Only when someone’s actions are critiqued because of their inappropriate nature do we hear some say Don’t Judge Me God Is My Judge.  Believe it or not people judge us all the time, for to judge is merely to express an formed opinion or conclusion about an action or ideology.  Such judgment occurs quite often, so let me ask you a question when picking friends are they honest, reliable, competent, kind, capable of taking the blame, able to persevere, modest, and capable of controlling their anger.  Well believe or not you had to judge based upon exposure to those individual you considered potential friends.  At the point  you made a decision to allow that person to be in your life possibly hundreds of judgments had to be made.    Absolutely, and there is nothing wrong with thoroughly,  screening / judging people before you allow them access to the inner court of your life. 
 
Yet when it comes to matters of one’s soul and eternal destiny we throw in the You Can’t Judge Me clause.  First of all most of the people saying that are connecting it to Jesus teaching and I believe they are missing the point.  In Luke’s gospel in chapter six Jesus said, “Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to PULL out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye”(Luke 6:42). Clearly Jesus is not saying that you can’t judge he is merely saying that when you judge look for the same type of judgment to be given to you.  Secondly, that when you judge a brother make sure that you are not being the hypocrite by not applying the word of God to oneself before attempting to be Junior Holy Spirit to someone else.  Thirdly, when Jesus said “Judge not” after the word “not” there is no period so the complete thought is “that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).  So if we understand the word “judge” in Matthew 7:1, it is to decide that someone is guilty or to be condemned.  So Jesus is saying if we don’t want someone to condemn us make sure that we don’t condemn others, and if we do declare someone is guilty that we ought to be certain that we will not be exempted from such judgment, so make sure our life is clean. 


Lastly, Paul gives teaching concerning judging.  He said, “when I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to ASSOCIATE with anyone who CLAIMS to be a BELIEVER yet indulges in SEXUAL sin, or is GREEDY, or worships idols (placing serving God second to any created thing/person/place), or is ABUSIVE, or is a DRUNKARD, or CHEATS people. Don’t even EAT with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but IT CERTAINLY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO JUDGE THOSE INSIDE THE CHURCH who are SINNING.”
1 Corinthians 5:9-12 NLT

Blessings,
Bishop Tylos Jackson, Jr.