Do Not Judge by the Outward Appearance

"Stop judging by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." -JOHN 7:24. 

WHAT DO THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES TEACH US ABOUT JUDGING OTHERS?

* Acts 10:34, 35

* Leviticus 19:15

* 1 Timothy 4:12

Through his prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ, Isaiah warms and reassures out hearts.  Isaiah foretold that Jesus would "not judge by what appears to his eyes, nor reproved simply according to what his ears hear."  He would "judge the lowly with fairness." (Isaiah 11:3, 4)  Why is this encouraging? Because we live in a world filled with bias and prejudice.  We all long for the perfect Judge, who will never judge us by our outward appearance!

Each day we make judgments about people.  Yet, as imperfect humans, we are not able to judge matters perfectly as Jehovah does.  We tend to be influenced by what appears to our eyes. Nonetheless, when Jesus was on earth, he commanded: "Stop judging by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  (John 7:24)  Clearly, Jesus wants us to be like him and not judge others by their outward appearance.   In this article, we will discuss three areas in which people  are frequently influenced by what appears to their eyes: race, or ethnicity, wealth, and age:  In each area, we will consider practical ways to obey Jesus' command. 

Next time: Do Not Judge by the Outward Appearance -JUDGING BY RACE OR ETHNICITY

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