Building On The RockSample

A False Sense of Superiority

In his book, Respectable Sins, Jerry Bridges writes, “The sin of judgmentalism is one of the most subtle of our ‘respectable’ sins because it is often practiced under the guise of being zealous for what is right.” Being zealous for what is right is, of course, a good thing; but it can be a dangerous thing. It can morph into judgmentalism. 

Making sound judgments and being judgmental occupy opposite ends of the spectrum of human behavior. The first is commended by our Lord. One day He had healed someone on the Sabbath. That was something the religious leaders should have been thrilled about, but they condemned Him for doing it on the Sabbath. His response was, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” (John 7:24). We are even called upon in our passage to judge whether people are worthy to receive the gospel (Matthew 7:6). We are given minds to make correct judgments, and that is called wisdom. 

On the other end of the scale is judgmentalism: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matthew 7:1). When we misapply our ability to judge and put someone down for not keeping a rule, legitimate or not, that we have in our heads, that’s judgmentalism. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were zealous for what they thought was right, but with that zeal they became judgmental, and Jesus condemned them. 

We may live in a different culture than the scribes and Pharisees did, but we can certainly participate in the same kind of judgmentalism. Finding fault with others can give us a false sense of superiority or self-righteousness and, as a result, give us an artificial sense of self-worth. 

Here is a little exercise to try: As you think of people in the course of a typical day, make a mental note of how many times your thoughts are positive and how many times they are negative. Do you typically harbor negative judgments about people, or do you have appreciative and affirming thoughts toward them? Or here is another: When you hear someone has done something that is open to interpretation, is your first instinct to draw a negative conclusion or a positive one? Is your natural reaction to blame (“He is such a ______”) or to affirm (“She must have had a good reason for doing that”)? Either of these exercises will tell you whether you tend to be judgmental.

Prayer: Lord, may I be so attuned to Your heart that I avoid judgmentalism and express Your love and forgiveness. Give me the spirit of sound judgment but never of judgmentalism. Let me see others through Your eyes and love them with Your heart.