Study of James
Lesson # 14
Judging Brothers In Christ
Introduction
Man cannot have a wrong attitude toward his fellow man & a right attitude toward God at the same time. 1 Jn.4:20,21 - If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (NIV) In these verses James seeks to correct a specific sin which grows out of strife – the sin of evil speech & judging others. When man is proud & pleasure seeking, he ends up criticizing others & emphasizing their faults. God hates all sin, but there are few sins that are as strongly condemned in scripture as the sin of judging.
1. Do not slander one another
a. Slander = to speak evil of someone in that person’s absence; to criticize or
insult someone when they are not there to defend themselves.
1) Carries the idea of running someone down; lowering them in someone
else’s estimation. To criticize & grumble against another.
2) Often the motive is to exalt oneself at another’s expense
3) It is the sin of those who meet in corners & gather in little groups to
pass on confidential tidbits of whispered information which
destroys others.
4) Sadly, there are few activities in which the average person finds more
delight than in telling & listening to spicy gossip.
b. In the present tense - in Greek indicating the action is habitual & ongoing
c. It is expected for non-Christians to speak against Christians, but not for
Christians. It is inappropriate & irresponsible. It is a sin.
d. When true humility goes lacking, malicious backbiting occurs. We think we
have arrived & stop examining ourselves & go to finding fault with others.
e. One another = suggests the situation was not one sided – those being slandered
were themselves slandering in return. There was no turning of the other
cheek.
f. The sins of slander, insult & evil speaking are condemned throughout scripture.
1) Ps.15:1-5
2) Ps.50:16-21
3) Ps.101:1-8
4) Prov.6:16-19
5) Rom.1:28-32
6) 1 Cor.6:9-11
7) 2 Cor.12:19-21
8) 1 Peter 2:1
g. The reason is clear – we are brothers & our focus ought to be caring for,
encouraging & looking after the spiritual well being of one another.
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2. Why is it that people judge & slander one another
a. Criticism boosts our own self-image. Pointing out someone else’s failure and
tearing him down makes us seem a little bit better, at least in our own eyes.
It adds to our own pride, ego, and self-image.
b Criticism is simply enjoyed. There is a tendency in human nature to take
pleasure in hearing and sharing bad news and shortcomings about others.
c. Criticism makes us feel that our own lives (morality and behavior) are better
than the person who failed.
d. Criticism helps us justify the decisions we have made and the things we have
done throughout our lives. We rationalize our decisions and acts by
pointing out the failure of others.
e. Criticism points out to our friends how strong we are. Criticism gives good
feelings because our rigid beliefs and strong lives are proven again.
Proven how - By our brother’s failure.
f. Criticism is an outlet for hurt and revenge. We feel he deserves it.
Subconsciously, if not consciously, we think, “He hurt me so he deserves
to hurt, too.” So we criticize the person who failed.
3. James condemns this activity for two reasons
a. It is a violation of the law – James 2:8 = royal law is love neighbor
1) You can’t love your neighbor & speak slanderously of him at the same
time – 1 Cor.13:4-8
2) Jn.13:34,35 – new command – love as I have loved you
3) Lev.19:9-18 – laws concerning actions toward others
4) Such actions show that you are sitting in judgment upon the law &
saying that it (the law) is not good or valid.
a) It can sometimes be neglected, abused & violated & it’s OK
b) When you know that you are in violation of the law & justify
violating it, you are setting yourself above the law. We
are making our will more binding than the law.
c) Our duty is not to judge the law, but to obey it
b. We are infringing upon God’s prerogative
1) Only God has the right to judge another human being
2) God gave the law & He is the only one above the law; to seek to change
or violate the law is to seek to take the place of God.
4. Only God is able to save & destroy – who are we to judge one another?
a. God gives life & He takes it away – Deut.32:39; 2 Kings 5:7
b. God is the one who gives the verdict – not us
c. He alone has the say in who is saved & who is destroyed
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5. There are several reasons why we should never criticize another person.
a. All the circumstances and all the facts are never known.
1) There are always many behind-the-scene facts. Things happen when
they are alone behind closed doors.
2) Unfortunately there is something seldom remembered: when people
emerge from the closed doors and enter the public, the one who
does the talking does not always reveal the true facts. 3
b. All people—religious as well as non-religious—come short, fail, and fall.
1) No one is ever exempt from sin. (1 John 1:8, 10)
a) It is a continual cycle that is the downfall of mankind.
b) The believer must always remember that his righteousness is
Jesus Christ, and he is always dependent upon Christ’s
righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:8-16)
2) When we criticize and judge, we have a problem: we forget that we are
sinners.
a) When we acknowledge our own true condition, we act with care
and compassion toward all as they come short.
b) They are failing now, but we failed before.
c) Our friend shall fail later too. No one is ever exempt from sin.
d) We must always be seeking God’s forgiveness and forgetting
those things that are behind.... (1 John 1:9; Phil. 3:13-14).
e) Now this does not mean that we have license to sin nor that our
sin is excused. We are not to continue in sin, not by
criticizing nor by doing any other evil. But we must
acknowledge our weakness and remember that the person
who really knows God is the person who is ever seeking
God. “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”
(Hebrews 11:6).
c. All that there is to know about a person is never known.
1) What kind of mother, what kind of father, what kind of friends did the
failing person have to influence and mould him?
2) What kind of genes and temperament has he inherited and developed:
fiery, composed, inferior, strict, strong, lovable, shy?
3) So much goes into influencing a human life that only God can know a
person, know him well enough to judge him.