Who Are You to Judge? - September 19

Read James 4:11-12

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Reflect

Do you think James is prohibiting believers from holding each other accountable and addressing sin? If not, what type of judgement do you think James is prohibiting here?

We have seen the situation play out far too many times—someone who is thought of as godly and righteous gets accused of sin. The rumor mill starts cranking and everyone starts talking about it, even if the only information they know is second-hand and unconfirmed. “Can you believe he did that?” “I guess she finally fell of her high horse.” “I always knew something was going on there.” “It’s just so wrong. He should start practicing what he preaches.”

But unfortunately, few people stop to investigate the truthfulness of the claims before spreading rumors. Few question the accused privately and personally. Instead, they carelessly criticize and publicly malign the good name of a brother or sister in Christ.

In today’s passage, James said this should not be. We shouldn’t slander or gossip about each other. Remember, James had just been addressing pride and the need to humble ourselves before the Lord. Yesterday, we talked about how our own sin should break our hearts. We should mourn over it. In 1 Corinthians 13:6 Paul said that love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing.” “Oh my goodness…Did you hear what she did?!” certainly sounds like we are rejoicing over someone else’s struggle with sin.

James said that when we speak evil about one another, we set ourselves up as self-appointed judges over our brothers and sisters. This is the opposite of humbling ourselves. But James put us in our place and reminded us that God alone is the lawgiver and only God is the ultimate judge. We are fellow human beings. We are not above the law. Only God has the power and authority to save those who repent and condemn those who don’t.

But does this mean Christians shouldn’t confront sin? If we hold people accountable for wrongdoing, are we overstepping our bounds? Well, many people would have us believe that. Our culture today likes to cast judgement on people who cast judgement. They sometimes use James’ words here “who are you to judge your neighbor?” in support of this claim. They also appeal to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

The problem is that when we look at the whole counsel of God’s Word, we are never encouraged to ignore sin but bring it to light motivated by love and in the spirit of restoration. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus laid out the church’s chain of command for dealing with sin: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.”

In Galatians 6:1 Paul said, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness….” In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul charged Timothy to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” It is clear that when we see a brother or sister in Christ who is caught in sin, we are not supposed to just look the other way and mind our own business. Instead, we are supposed to correct them with gentleness, humility, truth, and love with the hope of leading them to repentance and restoration.

Friends, we are all sinners who would be in real trouble apart from the grace and mercy of God. Who are we to speak evil against one another? Slander, gossip, and rumors should have no place in the body of Christ. And yet, we know that it is not loving to allow a brother or sister to persist in sin. We must judge rightly between truth and error and righteousness and sin. We have been called to address sin, not overlook it. But we can do that in a way that is humble and loving instead of judgmental and critical. God’s Word tells us how.

Respond

Lord, I know that I am a sinner in need of Your grace and mercy and yet, I confess that I have hypocritically spoken ill of a brother and sister in Christ about their sin. Teach me how to address sin in a way that honors You and respects others. Help me hold myself and others accountable to You and encourage godly living in my church family with a spirit of humility rather than a spirit of condemnation. Amen.

Reveal

The next time someone starts gossiping, gently redirect the conversation by saying something kind about the person being discussed. It will point both of you toward grace instead of slander.