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According to the Bible, you shouldn't judge or condemn people. The ideal is to know right from wrong according to biblical precepts in order to judge only yourself, with the aim of always improving as a person.

According to 1 Corinthians 11:13, a judgment can be right or wrong. When you pass judgment on a person just to distinguish between right and wrong behavior, in order to change yourself, there is no sin.

However, according to Romans 14:13, if you judge a person to condemn them mercilessly, just to cause suffering, you are wrong.

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Furthermore, Jesus Christ was very emphatic in teaching us to judge only ourselves, but not with merciless self-reproach: only as a way of realizing our own defects and changing them.

In Matthew 7:1-5, it is said that judging a person is a hypocritical act, that you need to change this behavior in yourself, because you are breaking Christian precepts.

The ideal is to understand that you don't own all the absolute truths. Only God can judge. And even he offers forgiveness for sins committed.

It's also important, according to 1 Corinthians 5:12, to know when to give your opinion in a conversation or when to drop the subject. 

Finally, it's essential to do some self-analysis to understand what you need to change about yourself as a true Christian.

What does it mean to judge someone else?

To judge is to make an evaluation or criticism of a certain person. You can evaluate and/or criticize a person's behavior, an aspect of their personality, their physical appearance, certain tastes, anything about them.

In the Bible, in Psalms 98:9, it is said that only God is the judge who can judge human beings according to their actions. This is because God is completely just, as well as being omniscient. This means that He can see, hear and know everything that happens to a person.

In this sense, God is the ultimate judge of other people's lives, not you. Only God is completely fair and impartial in his judgments. Not even the judiciary of men is capable of judging a person fairly and impartially in the same way as God.

Personally, you see and hear things about people that happen around you and decide between a judgment of right or wrong. However, this is not up to you. This can cause harm and suffering for the person who has been wrongly judged.

It is up to each of us, then, to judge only ourselves, to change our defects and live in communion with God's precepts.

How can you give your opinion to someone else without judging them?

In everyday life, you often form opinions about certain events, people or places, for example. This is inevitable.

In fact, some people may ask for your opinion or advice. In this context, you need to learn to give your opinion or advice without judgment towards the other person.

The Bible teaches some ways to do this. Here's how you can give an opinion or advice without judging anyone:

  • Offer your opinion or advice based on love for others. Don't say anything to the person that could hurt them, offend them or cause them suffering;
  • Offer advice according to true Christian precepts, as instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:21. Make your own judgment: is your advice based on biblical teachings? If not, it's best not to advise anyone;
  • Make a judgment of yourself. If you're not an example in the advice or opinion you're going to offer, it's best to keep quiet. This is the case with giving advice to a friend not to commit treason, when you yourself have already committed this sin;
  • Be tolerant. However, this does not mean remaining silent in any approach. If you don't agree with something that is against Christian principles, you should give your opinion or advice, without judgment;
  • Avoid controversial subjects. These topics only serve to divide people and bring them into conflict. If a controversial topic arises, it's best to abandon the conversation, according to 1 Corinthians 11:16;
  • Judge yourself whenever necessary, but without excessive blame or self-blame. This is fundamental to abandoning mistakes, vices and moral failings and acting in accordance with the conduct proposed by God.