Judge Not

·38 min·3 clips

Why has our culture flipped from 'Friends' non-judgment to Greta Thunberg's 'how dare you' shaming?

The episode is a sermon from St Columba's Free Church titled 'Judge Not', based on Matthew 7:1-6. The speaker begins by reading the biblical passage, which includes Jesus' command not to judge and the metaphor of removing a log from one's own eye before addressing a speck in another's. He then analyzes cultural attitudes toward judgment, contrasting the 1990s era of non-judgmentalism, exemplified by the TV show 'Friends', with today's culture of shaming and cancel culture, represented by figures like Greta Thunberg. The speaker predicts that current hyper-judgmentalism will give way to a tribal dynamic where people demand grace for themselves and righteousness for others. He addresses the apparent contradiction in Matthew 7 where Jesus says 'judge not' but then calls some people 'dogs' and 'pigs', explaining that scholars like John Calvin saw these as separate teachings, but John Stott viewed them as connected through the theme of relationships. The speaker clarifies that Jesus condemns wrong judgment, not all judgment, citing other gospel passages where Jesus commands right judgment. He introduces Charles Spurgeon's insight that the gospel stops Christians from being both censorious and naive. The sermon defines censoriousness as harsh, fault-finding criticism and illustrates it with modern examples like social media condemnation and a Scottish politician's hypocrisy. The speaker argues that censoriousness fails because it offers no redemption, contrasting it with the gospel's message of mercy, as shown in the parable of the unforgiving servant from Matthew 18. He then addresses potential skepticism that Christianity makes people naive to evil, explaining that Jesus' eye metaphor calls for humble, gentle correction rather than tolerance. The sermon moves to Matthew 7:6 about not casting pearls before swine, interpreting it as discernment in sharing the gospel with those who reject it, linking it to Matthew 10 where Jesus sends disciples as sheep among wolves. The speaker concludes that the gospel shapes Christians to be non-censorious yet wise, ending with a prayer for growth in Christ-like humility and gentleness.

As heard by us

Matthew 7 on judgment, self-examination, and grace that still leaves room for correction.

The sermon frames Matthew 7:1-6 as a direct warning against the ways people police one another, moving from Jesus' judgment warning to the log-and-speck image and the call to face one's own faults first.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you have ever enjoyed correcting other people, this sermon knows exactly where to look.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from St Columba's Free Church - Sermons