"Do not judge or you too will be judged" (Matt. 7:1). This just may be one of the most misused and overused passages in the whole New Testament. And obviously for pretty selfish reasons. "It's not for you to judge;" "You're judging me;" "Judge not that ye be not judged;" (amazing how that King James English comes back to us when we need it).
The fact is there are two facets of judgment discernment between right and wrong as well as conviction and condemnation. The injunction here is to not be harsh in one's discernment, not to be self-righteous in discerning and not to be condemning at all. In fact, the Bible even says it IS our place to judge between Christians! "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you." (1 Cor. 5:12-13). Paul wasn't happy with the Corinthians' unwillingness to make a judgment about a fellow church member living in a situation of gross immorality.
The Corinthian Christians probably thought like a lot of Christians today that we are somehow more loving and gracious just to say nothing about gross, willful sin. "We are just so accepting, aren't we? Look how understanding we are in the face of gross disobedience on the part of our fellow brothers and sisters." Satan wants us to think that way for sure.
It's kind of like the last generation of parents, who listened to worldly philosophy about child-rearing, and instead of disciplining and punishing their children, they instead set them morally adrift. It was a great excuse to just go ahead and watch TV and avoid conflict instead of dealing with junior's misbehavior. Now we are all paying the price!
The same permissive philosophy is pervasive in the modern church. Just sit and listen to great praise music and wonderful ear-tickling sermons while our pews are filled with grossly immoral and disobedient children that God will hold US personally responsible for. Aren't we loving? Yeah, like parents and family members who sit idly by, even in the name of righteousness, while their loved ones march into Hell. Don't use this passage as an excuse to avoid personal responsibility.
In a chapter often called "Faith's Hall of Fame" the Bible describes the great heroes as, among other things, having been willing to "administer justice" (Heb. 11:33). Think about it. In the Old Testament, that included some pretty harsh punishments. Ever hear of stoning? If a requisite of faith is administering justice, then what are we do in light of the modern interpretation that we are completely wrong in ever making a discernment concerning another. How are Christians supposed to "correct and rebuke" (2 Tim. 4:2) if we can't even discern what needs to be corrected or rebuked? How are we to obey Paul's inspired command "not to associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler" (1 Cor. 5:11), if we can't discern who might be any of those? How are we to discern between who's a drunkard and who just messed up and got a little drunk? Or who is greedy? How are we to even KNOW their finances? Or where do we draw the line on gossip and call it slander? And then label those engaged as slanders? And then expel them from the fellowship?
The bottom line is that if you interpret one scripture in such a way that you can't possibly obey another clear command, you've got it wrong. The God-Thought that follows tomorrow will discuss what it DOES probably mean. (And I'll try to make that shorter.)