Jesus said the above in John 7:24. We usually hear people claiming that the Bible says not to judge and they are usually making this claim having judged someone for having supposedly judged someone else. They seldom catch themselves, however.

Actually, the title quote above is incomplete. Jesus’ full statement was, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment”. The only way to make a righteous judgment is to have sufficient information. When you know the facts, you are able to make a “righteous judgment”.

A well-known celebrity recently displayed a tattoo espousing the right of homosexuals to marry. As soon as the marking became public, the celeb claimed that those who condemn the practice of homosexuality and forbid them marriage are judging them in violation of the Bible.

Without intending to sound harsh, this individual just doesn’t know what they are talking about either in regard to what the Bible teaches about judging or about the practice of homosexuality.

God has made clear His judgment against the practice time and again. In the creation, God made a woman for the man, not another man, Genesis 2:18-24. He later destroyed Sodom (the town that lends its name to the perverted act) and Gomorrah with fire for abandoning this arrangement, Genesis 19:1-26. The practice of homosexuality was condemned under the law of Moses, Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13. Condemnation of the practice is also a part of the new covenant of Jesus Christ, Romans 1:24-32.

What is not clear about God’s consistent and articulate judgment here?

The question is not whether we judge those who practice homosexuality correctly or even whether we should judge them at all. The real question is whether we are willing to submit to God’s clear judgment.

If you’re going to quote the Bible, quote it like its author gave it to us.