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.
James 4:11
A lot happens in the body of Christ that has many wondering, “is it judging to call out sinful behavior and attitudes?”
The short answer is “no.” In fact, James is calling out sinful behavior and attitudes in this very verse.
James is telling the Church that judging others occurs when speaking evil against someone else. “Speaking evil against” means “destructive verbal attacks, gossip behind another person’s back and false accusations.”* It can also translate as “criticize,” “malign,” “disparage,” and “backbite.”* These behaviors seek to tear others down. This judgement of others is more than an unfriendly act. It is an attack against God.
How so?
When we judge someone else, we place ourselves outside of the law, and above the law.* In James, he alludes to Leviticus 19, referring to loving one’s neighbor as oneself.* Judging someone else violates this law.* In placing ourselves outside of and above the law of the Lord, we ignore the mercy extended to us through Jesus, and we place ourselves as judge.* This act displaces God as judge.* When we judge, we attempt to act as God in our own lives and the life of the one we judge.* It’s the opposite of the posture of humility that God calls us to through the writings of James.
I must confess, I lived this way for too much of my life. I judged others harshly, and I found myself lacking revelation of the grace and mercy of God. Unsurprisingly, I eventually judged myself harshly as well, deprecating myself constantly. This sad season of my life could be described in one word: pride.
The Lord invites us to walk in humility, and humility recognizes the grace and mercy we have received. It’s a grace and mercy that must be passed onto others.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to stop judging your neighbor. Perhaps today God wants you to extend grace and mercy. Maybe today God wants you to receive grace and mercy. Perhaps today God wants you to be a better neighbor to yourself too.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Blomberg, C. L., & Kamell, M. J. (2008). James (Vol. 16, pp. 196–197). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. H. (2006). James. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, p. 258). Zondervan.
Stulac, G. M. (1993). James (Jas 4:11–12). IVP Academic.
Moo, D. J. (2021). The Letter of James (D. A. Carson, Ed.; Second Edition, pp. 249–251). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Nystrom, D. P. (1997). James (pp. 248–250). Zondervan Publishing House.
Martin, R. P. (1988). James (Vol. 48, pp. 162–164). Word, Incorporated.