Judge Not

I have often thought that, excepting His infinite and eternal atonement, the final judgment that the Savior must pass upon each of us will be the most difficult task that the He will be called upon to perform. He is so patient, compassionate and loving with each of us that to tell us we have not measured up to the standards that His Father has set will cause him great sorrow and pain. If we have not taken full advantage of the infinite atonement that he has so selflessly provided for us, his sorrow will be compounded by our insensitivity to his love and compassion.

How difficult will it be for Him to say something like: “Oh, dear brother or sister, Thou knowest the truth. Thou wast taught. How many times did I try to gather thee? How many times did the Holy Ghost try to reach into thy heart, and ye would not?” Frederic Farrar, in his book, Life of Christ, speaking of Christ’s sermon in Luke 12, says:

…at the thought of that awful judgment a solemn agony passed over the spirit of Christ. He thought of the rejected peace, … he thought of the divided households and the separated friends.

So, painfully, the Savior must pronounce judgment. He loves each of us beyond measure, and He desires to give us all that we have merited, all that the Father offers, but when mercy cannot be offered because it is “everlastingly too late” (Helaman 13:38.), justice must be satisfied through suffering for sin. D&C 19:16-18 tells us what the unrepentant sinner must endure:

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

After justice is satisfied, such persons will inherit the glory to which their mortal efforts entitle them. Still, the Savior will mitigate our judgment as compassionately as he possibly can because he knows us better than we know ourselves. In April 1901 General Conference, Elder Charles W. Penrose said this:

He that is obedient in all things and overcometh all things, shall inherit all things. All that the Father hath shall be given unto him. But if he will not be obedient, if he will not bow to the laws which entitle him to celestial glory, he must receive that condition and that measure of glory in that kingdom the laws of which he is willing to obey.

The Savior is uniquely qualified because of his supreme sacrifice to sit as judge of our mortal progress and accomplishments. No other of The Father’s sons can do so. The keys of this priesthood ordinance rest with Him. He alone can decide whether we were sufficiently diligent in mortality to merit the words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21.)

We can never fully know another person’s thoughts, aspirations, motivations, feelings, needs, desires, or emotions. Often we do not fully understand those things even in ourselves. We are all sinners. We all fail. We are all successful. We are never perfect in this life, even though that is our goal. We all repent. Only the Savior knows and understands us fully. We cannot lie on that day because He knows. His judgment will be just because He knows, and we know that He knows.

I think that is one reason why the Savior counsels us not to judge others. He knows, as only the Savior and judge of all the sublime creations of the Father can, that judgment of others in this life can only result in sorrow and pain for both the judge and the judged. When we judge, we can offer neither mercy nor justice. Stephen L Richards,In his book, The Church in War and Peace, tells us:

An unforgiving person who harbors resentment and ill feeling against another often suffers more than the victim of his enmity, so that in divine providence there is a self-imposed penalty for uncharitable judgment.

But we do make judgments ourselves almost daily. We must gauge the trustworthiness of business people, those who keep our earthly funds secure, those to whom we make charitable contributions, and even sometimes our own children, among many others. It is the destructive and divisive condemnations we make based on what we think we know about others that are the real concern of the Lord.

Another reason that we are commanded not to judge is simply because we do not have the right. The right to judge is part of the keys of office held by certain leaders: bishops, stake presidents, and general authorities as given by the Savior himself through His prophets and delegated by them (D&C 107:74). This right to judge carries with it the gift of discernment so that a righteous judgment can be effected. The King James Version of the scriptures is very clear. The Savior, in Matthew 7:1-2, says:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

The JST adds the following to the verse in Matthew 7:2:

Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment. [italics added]

I have always thought that the addition of the word “unrighteously” was a perfect clarification of that scripture. It still does not give us the right to judge, even if we are living a righteous life (although that could be hard to do if we are judgmental), but I assume that the Savior recognized the right of certain priesthood holders to sit in judgment as delegated by those in authority. Why can those who are delegated the authority from the Savior through the prophet sit in judgment? Besides holding the keys, I think that this is explained fully by some advice given by Jehosaphat, the King of Judah, (2 Chronicles 19:6) when he appointed judges in every city throughout his land. He counseled them thus:

…Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.

So the reason that a bishop can judge righteously is because if he approaches the task properly with prayer and fasting, the Lord is with him as he sits as a common judge in Israel. The gift of discernment is his right as the holder of the keys. It’s true that bishops have the keys of judgment delegated to them in mortality, but even so, they judge only a partial judgment. They do not judge all of anyone’s mortal performance, but only acts for which they must be called to repentance by Church authorities. Even as they judge, the balm of repentance is still offered, and even if refused, is still available when finally awareness of guilt prevails.

Only the Savior can judge our mortal performance, and he never passes eternal judgment on us while we are in mortality. His love and patience with us in this second estate are boundless. He sorrows when we sin, and joys with us when we repent.

I have had the opportunity and responsibility to serve as a common judge in Israel, always a difficult and last resort process. Church courts are designed to effect repentance, to help a person forsake sin and return to full fellowship in the gospel, but when there is no remorse, justice must be served.

It seems to me that the pain and sorrow I felt as I sat with my counselors and rendered judgment for a transgressor is only a small measure of the sorrow the Savior will feel in the final judgment. When that final judgment comes from the Holy One of Israel, there can be no repentance or reinstatement, only suffering for sin and consignment to that eternal state which the person has merited.

 I like the King James Version. It does not equivocate. Perhaps it is the better scripture for us to use as a basis for our feelings toward others. “Judge not.” No hedging. No exceptions. Unless you hold the keys, do not judge. Be compassionate, loving, and understanding. Luke 6:37 teaches us:

…condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

So when the Savior asks us not to judge, he does so out of compassion and love for us, and out of a desire for us to avoid the sorrow and pain associated with such judgments. Let’s follow his admonition: “Judge not.”