What does the Bible say about casting the first stone?
The phrase “casting the first stone” springs from John 8:7, where Jesus confronts a crowd itching to punish a woman caught in wrongdoing. He flips their zeal on its head with a piercing line: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” How does that moment make you feel? I ask because that moment hits me hard every time—it’s a gut-check, urging me to sift through my own flaws before I dare accuse anyone else. Here is what it’s not. People use this to justify their rebellion towards God. That’s of the devil! It’s not a blanket ban on judgment; we’re built to discern, and God’s Word often nudges us to name sin when it’s clear. But Jesus raises the standard—when I judge, it’s got to be real, rooted in humility, not some smug superiority. It should be free of hypocrisy. It’s the grace I’ve tasted that should color how I treat others. Imagine those stones slipping from their hands, clattering to the ground; it’s a summons to stop, think, and let mercy take the lead. How do you navigate this tension?
John 8:7 (NASB) – “But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'”
Matthew 7:1 (NIV) – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.“
Romans 2:1 (NKJV) – “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
Luke 6:37 (ESV) – “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
James 4:12 (KJV) – “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”
Matthew 7:3 (NLT) – “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”
Galatians 6:1 (Holman) – “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.”
Romans 14:10 (NIV) – “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.”
1 Corinthians 4:5 (NKJV) – “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.”
Luke 6:41 (ESV) – “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
Proverbs 16:2 (NASB) – “All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.”
Matthew 18:15 (KJV) – “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.”
Colossians 3:13 (NLT) – “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Romans 3:23 (Holman) – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
James 2:13 (NIV) – “Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) – “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
John 7:24 (ESV) – “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
1 Peter 4:8 (NASB) – “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
Luke 17:3 (KJV) – “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
Ephesians 4:32 (NLT) – “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Psalm 130:3 (Holman) – “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”
Romans 2:3 (NIV) – “So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”
Matthew 7:5 (NKJV) – “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
1 John 1:8 (ESV) – “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
Proverbs 20:9 (NASB) – “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin’?”
Luke 18:13 (KJV) – “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Micah 7:18 (NLT) – “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”
Romans 14:4 (Holman) – “Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
James 5:9 (NIV) – “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”
Matthew 6:14 (NKJV) – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Psalm 103:10 (ESV) – “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”
Galatians 5:15 (NASB) – “But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”
Leviticus 19:18 (KJV) – “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 (NLT) – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
Isaiah 1:18 (Holman) – “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow.”
Romans 12:19 (NIV) – “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
Luke 6:36 (NKJV) – “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV) – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Proverbs 24:17 (NASB) – “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.”
Matthew 23:12 (KJV) – “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
Colossians 3:12 (NLT) – “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
Psalm 51:1 (Holman) – “Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.”
1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV) – “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
Luke 11:4 (NKJV) – “And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Titus 3:2 (ESV) – “To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.”
Ecclesiastes 7:21 (NASB) – “Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you.”
Mark 11:25 (KJV) – “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Ephesians 2:8 (NLT) – “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
Psalm 37:8 (Holman) – “Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.”
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
