Judge Not?

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:1-5)

Verse one of Matthew 7 seems to be telling people not to judge because if you do not judge, you will not be judged. However, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad" (II Corinthians 5:10)-everyone will be judged by God. Then verse two tells us that in whatever manner we judge others, we will be judged. Jesus then proceeds to explain HOW TO JUDGE. First, he says, you must take "the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:5) and if you do not do that first, you are being a hypocrite. This passage does not condemn all instances of judging others, but it does speak against judging another person IF YOU HAVE A PLANK IN YOUR EYE. What is meant by a plank? Jesus is using an illustration and telling people that if you judge someone else, you better make sure that your life is right first-get all the planks out and THEN you may proceed to CAREFULLY judge (which helps to remove specks from someone else's life). Romans 2:3 agrees with this: "So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?" The Apostle Paul is saying that whenever you (a mere man) make judgments you better make sure that you do not do the same things. We need to judge righteously, as Jesus said, "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment" (John 7:24).