Pull the Plank

10 Days of Awe TOOLS & INSIGHTS

Judging gets a bad rap, but truth is, we all make judgments every day—sometimes life or death.

It’s also a little hypocritical. Even in recovery, we say “stick with the winners” (a judgment!) while condemning judgment—even if it happens behind closed doors.

WHAT JESUS REALLY SAID

When Jesus said “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, ESV), He wasn’t calling for moral free-for-all. He was calling for humility.

3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. 6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

Matthew 7:3-5 (NLT)

Pulling the plank means we can spot it because we got it and can sympathize. We can share our experience and cautionary tales. This was a hallmark of the Oxford Group that inspired 12-Step recovery. Even Paul used his own testimony to instruct (Acts 22:3–20, 1 Timothy 1:12–16).

PAUL’S CLEAR INSTRUCTION

Paul was blunt: “… but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning...You must remove the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12–13, (NLT).

This wasn’t cruelty—it was protection. For us and for the whole church.

RECOVERY & INTIMACY

Early recovery saw confrontation as essential—because the disease was fatal. Honest judgment built intimacy, accountability, and life change.

Today, we swing between extremes:

✦ LEGALISTIC HYPOCRISY—judging from superiority.

✦ MORAL FREE-FOR-ALL—refusing to confront anything.

Neither reflects the NT vision of community.

THE DEADLY COST OF ENABLING

Grace without truth is enabling—and enabling is deadly. Scripture is clear: unrepentant sin leads to death (Galatians 5:19–21, NIV; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, ESV; Revelation 21:8, NLT).

Those of us who lean codependent know the cost—our silence can wound just as deeply.

WHAT GOD SAYS

God’s Word calls us to lovingly confront sin:

✦ Confrontation protocol. (Matthew 18:15–17, NIV).

✦ Don’t associate with the disobedient—warn as a brother (2 Thessalonians 3:14–15, NIV).

✦ Restore gently and carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:1–2, ESV).

✦ Turning back a wanderer saves them from death (James 5:19–20, NLT)

WHERE JUDGMENT TRIPS US UP

✦Judging without seeing ourselves

✦Judging without mercy and compassion

✦Judging hearts and motives

✦ Judging from spiritual superiority

The call is not to abandon judgment, but to practice it with humility, truth, and love—knowing the same measure applies to us.

BOTTOM LINE: We don’t judge to condemn—we judge to protect, to heal, and to call each other back from the cliff’s edge. This is the call to judge in truth and love.

The goal is freedom!

REFLECT

✦ Am I examining myself?

✦ Where have I judged from wrong motives—pride or hidden resentment?

✦ Where have I failed to confront destructive behavior—choosing silence or enabling instead?

✦ What would it look like, in this season, to judge with humility, truth, and love?

PRAYER

Father, You are the only righteous Judge. Yet You gave us Your Word and instructions to lovingly judge one another in community—for safety, integrity, and soul care. Let our motive always be love, so every act of correction brings restoration, not condemnation. During these confusing times, guard our hearts, minds, and souls, anchored in Christ’s name I ask it. Thank You. I love You.💖