"We do not understand another human being when we know only that what he or she did is wrong, unkind, destructive, or whatever. We need to know the internal considerations that prompted the behavior. There is always some context in which the most offensive actions can have their own kind of sense. This does not mean they are justified, only that they can be understandable." (Nathaniel Branden in Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, p.94)
There are some parallels between the way God calls us to deal with our own sins and the sins of others.
When considering our own sins, confession and repentance are in reach only when we move beyond mere recognition of our sinful behaviors and into the consciousness of the context in which they occur.
As for dealing with other people, compassion and forgiveness involve moving beyond recognition of the sinful behavior of others to consciousness of the context in which those sins occur.
If we go no further than the mere recognition of other people's sinful behavior, we are simply being judgmental.
(And that's a serious no-no.)
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