WEDNESDAY January 22, 2020

Who Are You to Judge Another?

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of 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 one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?
James 4:11-12

James continued to address the problems and situations that caused strife and conflict in the Church. He spoke about envy, self-seeking, coveting, and the friendship with the world. Now he came to another issue that caused strife in the Church––speaking evil against a brother or sister in Christ. Judging others is a major problem in the Church. The word judge is the word for “criticizing.” When we judge and criticize someone, we start a war.

Understand, when people act as judge in the lives of others, they are placing themselves in the place of God. They can destroy a person. When someone does not smile at them in church, they are quick to judge them. People can make up fantastic stories in their minds. They think to themselves, Well maybe they are in sin––adultery. Have you ever thought, that they are having a bad day? Maybe they did not feel like smiling and saying “Hello.” We need to give people a break––show them grace.

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus taught us:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!