There is a subtle danger in following Christ that many of us, if we’re honest, stumble into without realizing it. It is the temptation to believe that because we know Him, we also know what’s best for everyone else. When we slip into judgment or arrogance—deciding what another person should do, should feel, or should believe—we take on a role that belongs only to God.

Jesus saw this clearly in the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day. They studied the Scriptures, prayed publicly, and made a show of their devotion. Yet He called them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27)—clean on the outside, but lifeless within. Their arrogance blinded them to their own need for mercy. They were so busy pointing out others’ faults that they missed the Savior standing in front of them.

Before we shake our heads at them, we should pause. Don’t we do the same? We scroll past someone’s choices online and whisper, If only they would listen to me… We hear of someone’s struggle and think, Well, if they just had more faith… We confuse certainty with holiness, and our arrogance with righteousness.

When we act as if we have the answers for others, we do more harm than good. Our judgment places burdens on people already weary. Our arrogance shuts down the safe space where God’s Spirit might be doing quiet, unseen work. And most tragically, our certainty can push people away from the very grace we ourselves depend on.

The irony is that the more convinced we are of our rightness, the less we reflect the heart of Christ. Jesus, who actually had all the answers, rarely led with them. Instead, He led with compassion. He knelt to wash feet. He touched the untouchable. He dined with the outcast. He welcomed questions, doubts, and even failures without shame.

As followers of Christ, we are not called to be the answer-givers but the love-bearers. Scripture paints a different picture:

Humility: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Humility doesn’t erase truth but delivers it with gentleness and respect.

Compassion: Romans 12:15 invites us to “weep with those who weep.” Sometimes the most Christlike thing we can do is simply sit beside someone in their pain, with no solutions on our lips.

Trust: To step away from arrogance is to trust the Spirit. He alone convicts, guides, and transforms. Our role is to love, encourage, and bear witness to His goodness.

So the next time we feel certain about how someone else should live, may we pause. May we ask ourselves: Am I offering this from pride, or from love? From my need to be right, or from a desire to reflect Christ?

God doesn’t call us to have all the answers. He calls us to walk humbly with Him, to love mercy, and to act justly (Micah 6:8). That posture softens hearts in ways our arrogance never can.