As it is, the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son ….I judge no one … For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world! (Jesus Christ. See In. 5: 22. 8: 1 S. 12: 47)
Therefore, judge nothing before the time, [that is] until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of every heart. Then each person will receive due praise from God. (Apostle Paul. See 1 Cor. 4: 5)
Do not judge in order not to be judged. (Matt. 7: 1-2)
We often complain nowadays that to live according to God’s commandments is a difficult struggle. We think that to be truly Christian we have to fast, pray, give alms and perform other such virtuous acts. And as we ponder over the trouble we have to take to be virtuous and live a life in Christ, we lose heart and give up. Christ, however, suggested a very simple and easy way for us to please Him and avoid condemnation at the Last Judgment, saying: Do not judge in order not to be judged (Matt. 7:1-2).
The following incident is mentioned in the stories of the Desert Fathers (Gerontikon 1):
A brother asked Abba Joseph: “What am I to do, Father? I can neither endure hardship for the love of Christ, nor can I work and give alms.” The Elder replied to him: “If you cannot do any of these things, at least guard your conscience from negatively judging your brothers, or denigrating them, and you will undoubtedly be saved.”2
The aforementioned words of Jesus and the conversation between the two ascetics provide an opportunity to talk about something that constitutes a blight on the spiritual life: malicious gossip and passing judgment on others.
This is a matter that concerns everyone, because we find it easy to pass judgment on our brethren’s behavior and to vindicate our own. When we do this, we forfeit divine Grace and bring misery upon ourselves, even though by avoiding such judgments we could quite easily live the life in Christ. What follows is based on the live
The venerable Fathers teach that passing judgment on others is a horrible vice, spurred on in us by the Devil. St. John of the Ladder says: “The demons push us into sin. Or if they fail to do this, they get us to pass judgment on those ‘who are sinning … “3 For “malicious gossip,” writes the Saint, “is the offspring of hatred, a subtle yet coarse disease, a leech lurking unfelt, wasting and draining the blood of charity. It is simulation of love, the patron of a heavy and unclean heart, the ruin of chastity.” 4
~Hiermonk Gregorios, Do not Judge: Understanding the Vice of Passing Judgment
1 The Gerontikon (Sayings of the Elders) is a book that contains the sacred deeds and words of Holy Ascetics.
2 The Evergetinos: A Complete Text, vol. 3, Etna 2008, p. 10.
3 Ladder of Divine Ascent, Step 10, 13.
4 Ibid, Step 10, 2.
