WHO WE ARE

“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:12

In this verse James makes it clear who we are NOT: the Lawgiver and Judge. These titles belong to God alone. Remembering this fact is supposed to help us bite our tongues when we want to speak evil against another believer to a third-party, judging their actions and the motivation behind them.

When we do this, James says we end up speaking evil against the Law and judging the Law (James 4:11). This is because the Law tells us not to defame our neighbor (Leviticus 19:16) but instead to love them as we love ourselves (Leviticus 19:18). Thus, by breaking the Law we are not only placing ourselves above it as if we were the Judge, we are also showing contempt for the One who gave us that Law. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.

Only God can save and only God can destroy. And only God can judge the hearts of people.

What James doesn’t mean is that believers are not allowed to discern that another believer’s actions are incompatible with a life of faith. Quite the opposite, for this is one of the safeties God has set up to help us endure to the end on his path of life. James writes, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

There is a difference between judging our neighbor and warning them unto life. When we discern this difference, we grow up into maturity and begin to look more like Christ.