Not only is this verse ripped out of its context and continually abused by the ungodly so that they may continue in their sin unchallenged, but it is often misunderstood by Christians. The entire passage is as follows:

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (Mat 7:1-5)

Unbelievers only know the first verse, and that is where they stop. But notice the rest of the passage. Context is important. What does Jesus mean by judging? What kind of judging is He prohibiting and condemning? Is He prohibiting all kinds of judgment? Unbelievers, and unfortunately even many Christians, seem to think that Jesus is here prohibiting every kind of criticism or condemnation of another person’s behavior. But is this really what He is teaching? Hardly! In a moment, we will see why this is an impossible interpretation. For now, let us consider the context to see what Jesus is actually saying.

What we see when we slow down and look carefully at the passage is that Jesus is prohibiting the kind of judgment that hypocrites practice. He is telling us that we should not use a standard of measure with others that we don’t apply to ourselves. He is telling us that we should not be strict with the sin of others and lax toward our own sin. We should be strict with all sin, not lax toward all sin. He is telling us that we are not qualified to remove small specks from the eye of our brother, when we have a huge log in our own eye.

An example would be an unrepentant adulterer condemning other adulterers for their adultery. This is someone who has a log in his own eye. He is not qualified to deal with other adulterers, for he commits the same sin himself. He has no right to pass judgment on others for the very same sin that he himself commits. Paul echoes this theme in Romans 2:1-3 and Romans 2:17-22:

“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” – Rom. 2:1-3

“But if you bear the name ‘Jew’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” -- Rom. 2:17-22

We see how foolish it is for someone to judge others for the very sin he himself commits. That is called hypocrisy.

Furthermore, it is wrong for me to condemn others for faults that are of a lesser nature than my faults. If I condemn someone else for their impatience, when in reality they are far more patient than I am, then I am judging them with a stricter standard than I am willing to apply to myself. If I am a fornicator, it is hypocrisy for me to condemn someone else for eating too much at a given meal. My fornication is much more heinous than their overeating. I have a log in my eye and I am making much of the speck in their eye. I also become guilty of sinful judging when I assume the worst about someone without evidence. If someone doesn’t pay me back and I accuse them of intentionally stealing from me, rather than simply forgetting to pay me back, I am using a strict measure that I don’t want others to apply to me. Many other examples could be given. The point is that what Jesus condemns is hypocrisy.

Is all judging hypocrisy? No. If I understand myself to be a sinner deserving the wrath of God and that I am only saved by the grace of God and that I am no better than any other sinner, then I may lawfully judge that another man’s behavior is in fact wrong and sinful. I may also declare that such sin is wrong. Did Jesus really intend for His disciples to see only goodness in everyone else? If the disciples were to hear someone curse, were they to maintain some sort of a blank slate in their mind about whether that cursing was sin or not? Were they to think cursing a good thing? Were they to think it an indifferent thing? Were they under obligation to remain silent about it? No, on all counts! Yet this seems to be the very application many today make concerning “Judge not lest you be judged.”

Read the New Testament (as well as the OT, which is also inspired) and you will easily see that the disciples formed judgments about the conduct and behavior of other people all the time. What’s more, they verbalized those judgments. The following are examples:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” (Rom. 1:18-27)

In this passage Paul passes judgment on mankind for being unrighteous, for suppressing the truth, for choosing idols instead of God, for not giving God honor, for not giving thanks, for professing to be wise, and for exchanging the natural sexual function for degrading passions like homosexuality. What shall we say to Paul? “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Was Paul violating his own principle of not judging others in the very next chapter, Romans 2? I don’t think so. Was Paul judging people who practice those sins? Yes, he was. Was he guilty of the kind of judging Jesus prohibited? No, he wasn’t. He wasn’t being hypocritical. Paul was not practicing those sins. Paul was not saying that he was innocent of all sin. Paul was also not meddling with specks in the eyes of others while he had a log in his own eye.

And yet today, many people will accuse Christians and pastors of “judging” when they speak against certain sins. Does speaking against a sin make one guilty of judging? Of course not. Where then did such people get this idea? The idea came from the pit of hell. It is propagated by false prophets and false Christians, and then some true Christians who don’t study their Bibles enough become influenced by this outrageous way of interpreting Jesus’ words. What about the apostle Peter? Did he understand Jesus to prohibit all kinds of judging? No, he did not.

“For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1Pe 4:3-5)

Here Peter makes a judgment about the sensual behavior of the Gentiles. He is not neutral or approving of their sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and idolatries, which he calls abominable. He judges such behavior as wicked, and He declares that such people will be judged by God in heaven. Was he guilty of being “judgmental” when he did so? No.

What about the apostle John? Did he understand Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 as a prohibition against all kinds of judging? No, he didn’t either.

“The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” – 1 John 2:4