What does the Bible say about judging others?

"Judge not" is one of the most quoted—and most misunderstood—verses in the Bible. Jesus is not forbidding all moral evaluation. He is forbidding hypocritical, self-righteous, condemning judgment.

The very next verses (Matthew 7:3-5) clarify: deal with your own log before pointing out someone else's speck. Jesus wants honest self-examination first, then careful, humble help for others.

Scripture actually calls believers to discern, evaluate, and even confront sin (Matthew 18:15, Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 5). What it forbids is condemning hearts, treating people as projects, and assuming we know motives only God can see.

The right posture is humility: remembering you also need grace, speaking truth with love, and aiming for restoration rather than condemnation. "There is one lawgiver and judge" (James 4:12)—and it isn't us.