And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 1:28 - 2:1–5)God speaks of those who refuse to acknowledge Him and deserve to die (be separated from Him) because they give approval to those who do the same thing. In other words, they are judging sinners to be okay. Then He warns not to judge any sin such as gossip, slander, etc. to be okay is the same as doing it yourself.
Too often I’ve read this passage as if judging the sin of others is wrong. Instead it is more about judging it as okay. Otherwise, all the OT prophets would be guilty and condemned for what they were doing!
Judging has one sense that I should not point fingers. If I am doing the same thing, I’m to clean up my act before saying anything, and I’m not to gossip to others about a third person’s sin without examining my own life. Jesus says it well;
Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see 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,’ when there is the log 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. (Matthew 7:1–5)Other NT passages also address this with clarity that we not sin or judge that something is sin, but we must not be guilty of that sin ourselves or we are not fit to do (or say) anything about it in others without repenting and being not guilty ourselves.
If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)I realize that when I point my finger at another, three fingers point back at me. My spiritual health is vital to proper discernment. Not only that, I must deal with it and not try to direct away any guilt on my part by seeing and judging it in someone else.
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. (1 Corinthians 2:15)
The OT prophets had to have clean lives. If not, God worked on their hearts and behavior first. Isaiah testified:
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people. . . .” (Isaiah 6:4–9)Only those with pure hearts can properly see and evaluated sin in others. If I am guilty of the same sin, then I’m trying to avoid dealing with my own guilt by accusing or excusing it in someone else.
Jesus, this is vital, not just for my own purity but gives me instruction in another way that You show me where I need to examine my own life and make sure that the sins I see in others are Your mirror to help me keep my own life clean.