Sound Judgment Goes Deeper Than What We See

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” — John 7:24 KJV

We live in a world where we can see one action, hear one sentence, read one post, or witness one moment and immediately believe we understand the person behind it.

Someone stops coming to church.

Someone becomes angry.

Someone makes a bad decision.

Someone responds differently than we expected.

Someone falls into sin.

And almost immediately, we begin filling in the blanks.

“They don't care about God.”

“They're jealous.”

“They just want attention.”

“They're trying to control people.”

“They're rebellious.”

“They're bitter.”

But there is a problem.

We saw the action. We didn't necessarily see the reason behind it.

Jesus tells us:

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” — John 7:24 KJV

Righteous judgment requires more than observing what happened. It requires wisdom, truth, humility, and often something we have forgotten how to practice:

Relationship.

Fruit Can Tell You Something Is Wrong Without Telling You Why

Jesus absolutely taught us to examine fruit.

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” — Matthew 7:20 KJV

Fruit matters.

Actions matter.

Words matter.

Patterns of behavior matter.

But fruit can reveal that there is a problem without necessarily explaining the root of that problem.

Imagine seeing a tree with dying leaves.

You can correctly say, “Something is wrong with this tree.”

But the leaves alone may not tell you why.

Does it need water?

Is there disease?

Are the roots damaged?

Is the soil unhealthy?

Is something attacking it?

If you want to restore the tree, eventually you have to investigate what is happening beneath the surface.

People aren't trees, of course, but the principle is useful.

What we see can tell us something needs attention. It doesn't automatically tell us why it is happening.

We Have Become Very Comfortable Assuming Motives

This becomes especially dangerous when Christians attach God's name to their assumptions.

“God showed me their heart.”

“God told me they're jealous.”

“God revealed that they're doing this because they want control.”

We need to be extremely careful here.

Scripture tells us:

“I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins...” — Jeremiah 17:10 KJV

God knows the heart perfectly.

We don't.

That doesn't mean God cannot reveal something to someone. Scripture contains extraordinary examples of God revealing hidden things. But that is very different from assuming our interpretation of someone's behavior must be divine revelation.

Sometimes what we call discernment may simply be our interpretation of what we observed.

And interpretations can be wrong.

What If We Asked Instead of Assumed?

Proverbs gives us an incredibly practical warning:

“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” — Proverbs 18:13 KJV

What if Christians became slower to assume and quicker to ask?

Instead of:

“Why are you so rebellious?”

What if we asked:

“What's going on? Are you okay?”

Instead of:

“You've stopped coming because you don't care about God.”

What if we said:

“We've missed you. Is there something you're going through?”

Instead of:

“You're just angry and bitter.”

What if we asked:

“I can see that you're hurting. Do you want to talk about what's happening?”

Those conversations might reveal something completely different from what we assumed.

Maybe the person who disappeared from church isn't rebellious.

Maybe they're ashamed.

Maybe they're overwhelmed.

Maybe they're working different hours.

Maybe they're struggling with something privately.

Maybe someone hurt them.

Or maybe they really are running from God.

But relationship helps us discover which one it is.

And once we understand what is actually happening, we can begin asking a much better question:

How can I help this person move toward Christ?

Correction Should Lead Toward Restoration

Galatians tells us:

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness...” — Galatians 6:1 KJV

Notice the goal.

Restore.

Not expose.

Not embarrass.

Not prove that we were right.

Not announce that our discernment was accurate.

Restore.

That means understanding the root of someone's struggle can matter greatly when determining how we minister to them.

Two people may display similar behavior for completely different reasons.

One person may be angry because they want control.

Another may be angry because they're terrified.

Another may be angry because they're grieving.

Another may be angry because they've misunderstood what happened.

Another may simply need correction because they have developed a sinful pattern.

The outward behavior may look similar.

The ministry needed may be completely different.

That's why relationship matters.

Understanding Doesn't Mean Excusing Sin

There is another side of this that we cannot ignore.

Seeking to understand someone doesn't mean pretending their actions don't matter.

If someone hurts another person because they themselves are hurting, understanding their pain doesn't make the harmful behavior acceptable.

If someone steals because they're desperate, desperation doesn't suddenly make stealing righteous.

If someone lashes out because they're afraid, fear doesn't make cruelty good.

Understanding the root doesn't redefine the fruit.

It helps us understand how to minister to the person producing it.

Sometimes they need encouragement.

Sometimes they need teaching.

Sometimes they need practical help.

Sometimes they need someone to listen.

Sometimes they need repentance.

Sometimes they need loving correction.

And often they need several of those things together.

Get Close Enough to Understand

This is where I believe the Church has an incredible opportunity.

Instead of standing at a distance diagnosing people, get relational.

Sit with them.

Listen.

Ask questions.

Pray with them.

Hear their story.

Open Scripture together.

Let them talk without already having decided what they're going to say.

Because sound judgment doesn't mean pretending we don't see problems.

It means refusing to believe that seeing the problem means we automatically understand the person.

There is a huge difference.

Don't Just Examine the Fruit—Care About the Person

Jesus said:

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Righteous judgment requires truth.

But it also requires humility.

We can recognize what someone did without pretending we know why they did it.

We can identify bad fruit without claiming to know everything happening beneath the surface.

And when something needs correction, love should cause us to move closer rather than simply point from a distance.

Biblical discernment notices the fruit without pretending it automatically knows the root.

Then love gets relational enough to ask questions.

Wisdom listens.

Scripture provides truth.

Prayer seeks God's direction.

And correction, when necessary, seeks restoration.

Maybe the Church doesn't need more people standing at a distance telling everyone what is wrong with them.

Maybe we need more believers willing to sit beside someone and say:

“I see what's happening. But I don't want to assume I know why. Talk to me. How can I help you seek God through this?”

Because righteous judgment isn't about proving how clearly we can see someone else's faults.

It's about seeing clearly enough to know when we need to get closer.

Pastor Scott