Judge not, that you be not judged. The opening command of the Sermon's final chapter is its most frequently quoted and most frequently misunderstood verse. Judge not is not a prohibition on all discernment or evaluation — the chapter itself commands evaluation (verses 6, 15–20) and assumes the capacity to distinguish false prophets from true ones. The prohibition is on the judgmental posture that renders verdicts on others from a position of moral superiority while ignoring one's own failures. Luke 6:37 adds to this: do not condemn, do not judge, and you will not be condemned. The judgment that is prohibited is the harsh, condemning judgment that claims the right to determine another person's moral worth.

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