“Judge not…” is one of the most misused quotes of all Scripture. This passage is seen as a trump card to end any and all moral warnings from Christians. Even some self-proclaimed Christians utter the phrase “Only God can judge me” when confronted with their sins. Of course, if they actually read Matthew 7:1-5, they would know that Christ’s argument is not a ban on all judgment, but on hypocritical judgment. In fact, verse 5 is a direct command to judge. Jesus says, “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
This kind of opposition can cause honest Christians to fear the work of evangelism among their family, friends, and colleagues. You know that they aren’t living right, but if you say something, they will likely retaliate under the cover of a verse like Matthew 7 taken out of context. But, we cannot allow the fear of confrontation to keep us from warning others about the truth of God’s judgment.
In Ezekiel 33, the prophet was commanded by the Lord to deliver a message to the children of Israel. This message was both a warning to Ezekiel as much as it was a warning to Israel. God calls Ezekiel His watchman and explains his purpose and responsibility. In verses 2-5, the Lord explains that if a watchman warns his people of an attack and they choose to ignore it, their fate is in their own hands. The watchman has done his job. “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezek. 33:6). If a watchman doesn’t do his job, there will be consequences.
God makes it clear in the next few verses that Ezekiel, as a man of God, has a responsibility to warn Israel of their sins. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants them to turn and live (v. 11). So, if Ezekiel fails to confront his brethren, then he will be responsible for their condemnation.
The Christians’ responsibility to sound the alarm about the condemnation of sin cannot be taken lightly. We have been compelled by the Lord to be Christ’s watchmen. It is not optional. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.” And woe to us if we withhold the gospel from those who are lost in sin. “Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul’ (Ezek. 33:9).