James 4:10 – 12 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”
Imaging that you are in a courtroom about to witness a murder trial. There is a hushed silence as everyone waits for the judge to enter. Finally, the door to the judge’s chamber opens, and out walks … a ten year old boy! What?Is this the august judge whose wisdom and discernment will make a decision for life or death?
Nobody in his or her right mind would ever accept such a judge. Judges are supposed to have years of study and experience before they are allowed to decide even small cases such as traffic violations. Ideally, a fair – minded judge should hear all sides of a matter and weigh all the evidence before making any kind of decision. But is that how we behave?
These are the days in which someone can make one comment on social media and instantly be branded without regard to any evidence whatsoever. Wham! This person must be a racist! Pow! That person must be a bigot! Even Christians are busy judging and labeling other Christians. But is this behavior Godly behavior?
1. We are to act in humility. The verses just before this speak about the dangers of behaving arrogantly. God is the only One with all the facts and He is the only One who is qualified to judge.
2. What are our qualifications to judge the law? It’s fascinating that the same people who will argue that there are no moral absolutes will then demand that others have regard for what is right and wrong. If there are no moral absolutes, how can one judge anything? God is a just Judge, and God’s Word still stands, no matter what men may say. God is the One who decides what is right and wrong, not any earthly philosopher.
3. God is the ultimate Judge. God knows our thoughts and our intentions. God knows everything we are about to do before we do it. God knows everything about us, the good and the bad. Doesn’t it make sense that if we are going to be judged, it should be by Someone who knows us better than we know ourselves?
4. The question remains: who are you to judge your neighbor? And the answer is simple; we don’t have the necessary qualifications to judge or to condemn.
A meme just popped up on my Facebook page that is so correct: “If a backslider comes to church, and the goodness of God leads them to repentance, but all you want to do is judge them for their sins, you’re the first one that needs to be at the altar.”
When we judge and condemn, we set ourselves up in the place of God. But we are no better qualified than that ten year old entering a courtroom with no training and no experience. And the law of the Spirit remains: he who exalts himself, puffing himself up, will be humbled. He who humbles himself will be exalted. If we insist on judging and condemning others, sooner or later, we ourselves will be humiliated.
PRAYER: Father God, today we beg you to forgive us for all the times we have swiftly judged and condemned others. Many times, we were doing the same things for which we criticized these other people. Lord, help us to see our sins for what they are! Help us to confess our own sins and not to be on the lookout for the sins of others. We thank you that you are not only just but merciful and that it is only because of Jesus’ blood sacrifice on Calvary that we can ask for forgiveness and mercy. Please heal us of judging and condemning! Clean our hearts, Lord! In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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