QUESTION

How do we hate evil like Jesus commands and not judge others like Paul talks about in Romans?

ANSWER

This is a good question, and there were several similar questions we received after the sermon Joseph preached on the martyr Stephen praying for the forgiveness of those persecuting him in Acts 7:60.

When Scripture tells us not to judge, it is not telling us to pretend we see no difference between good and evil. As you correctly said in your question, the Bible plainly teaches us to hate evil: “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Rom. 12:9). We could not obey this command from God without judging between good and evil. Even Stephen, who prayed for his murderers, acknowledged that what they were doing was evil: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Forgiving someone requires us to judge that what they did to us was sinful. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be forgiveness.

So what kind of judging does Scripture condemn?

Since you brought up Romans, we’ll focus there. There are three main places the Apostle Paul addresses judging others in Romans.

Hypocrisy (Romans 2)

In Romans 2, the Apostle Paul condemns those who judge others without judging themselves:

Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? (Rom. 2:1–3)

Really, the sin being condemned here isn’t judging others, but hypocrisy. This is what Jesus condemns in the Sermon on the Mount:

In the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at 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,” and behold, the log is in your own eye? (Matt. 7:2–4)

Personal Revenge (Romans 12)

In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul writes,

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:19–21)

We are not to carry out the execution of justice based on our own personal judgment of someone’s sin. We should be especially wary of falling into this when someone has sinned against us, because it is very easy to let personal offense corrupt our ability to judge rightly.

That being said, there are divinely appointed authorities in this world whom God has given the duty to make judgments and then inflict punishments for wrongdoing. (More on this below.) But even these governing authorities are not to use their authority to execute justice according to their own personal opinions and prejudices. A duly appointed earthly judge is not exempted from Scripture’s rules about not taking out one’s own revenge. He’s simply a man who has been authorized by God to carry out God’s vengeance.

Passing Judgment on Opinions (Romans 14)

In Romans 14:1, the Apostle Paul commands the Roman Christians, “Accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.” This chapter deals with matters of conscience where Christian brothers may differ in how they seek to please the Lord. Part of making good, scriptural judgments is judging between matters of greater and lesser moral significance. We’re not told to refrain from judging our brother who insists that his sexual immorality is pleasing to God. We are, however, told to refrain from judging our brother who has a different opinion on what it’s okay for Christians to eat or drink.

Keys to a Proper Hatred of Evil

Here are some key principles for how to “judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

Hate evil because it dishonors God. We should always be more concerned with God’s honor than our own. Hating evil for God’s sake will help keep us from falling into sinful ways of judging others, because it will be about God, and not about us. God commended the priest Phinehas because he was “jealous with My jealousy” (Num. 25:11).

Furthermore, when hating evil, make sure to hate especially those things that God hates:

There are six things which the LORD hates,

Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that run rapidly to evil,

A false witness who utters lies,

And one who spreads strife among brothers.

(Prov. 6:16–19)

Leave vengeance to God. First, this means we should look to Judgment Day as when all things will finally be set to rights. Second, this means we should trust God’s appointed means for justice in this life. Which is to say, don’t take the execution of justice into your own hands. You or I may rightly judge that a murderer deserves to be put to death, but that does not give you or me the right to go and kill him. We should wait patiently for the duly appointed ministers of God’s wrath (Rom. 13:4) to carry out His vengeance. We should be patient even when they do this imperfectly, remembering again that our ultimate hope is in Judgment Day, not in how you or I imagine perfect justice being carried out right now.

Hate evil in yourself first. Don’t be a hypocrite. Judge yourself before you judge anyone else. “Do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Rom. 2:3). Take the log out of your own eye before you worry about the speck in your brother’s eye.

Hate evil for the good of others. When Jesus says to take the log out of our own eye, He goes on to tell us why we should take the log out: “Then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:5). It’s right and good to correct our brother’s sin if our goal is to build him up, rather than to tear him down. This kind of judging and correcting is commanded by God: “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother” (Matt. 18:15).

Don’t be hasty. Remember there are always (at least) two sides of a story. And remember your limitations as a finite man who cannot look into someone’s heart. Only God can truly judge according to the heart. This shouldn’t keep us from striving to make righteous judgments, but we should always remain humble in our judgments. “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13).