James 4:11-12

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.  There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

We tend to have a very clear picture of what we think others should do but suddenly become unclear when it comes to observing our own actions and attitudes.  It is easy for us to recognize when someone hurts us because we feel it deeply.  However, we are slow to see the way our words and behaviors hurt others.  Self-awareness can be developed as we learn to follow a few basic principles.

AVOID BEING CRITICAL OF OTHERS: Evil speech has no place in the Christians mouth.  Gossip, dishonesty, slander, swearing, yelling, and perversity are all examples of evil speech believers should avoid.  When we speak against another brother in Christ, we are setting ourselves us as that person’s judge.  In essence, we are setting ourselves in the place of God.  We are not to be judgmental of one another.  That is not saying that we cannot lovingly and humbly confront one another or hold each other accountable.  When we lovingly confront sin in each other’s lives, we are edifying each other and practicing a grace of God in one another’s lives.  When someone calls us judgmental for biblical confrontation, that is evil speech.  This kind of condemnation declares that are able to judge the motives and intents of others to the point of even disobeying the commands of Scripture.  The intention of godly speech is to build one another up in the Lord.  Evil speech seeks to tear someone down.

ADMIT GOD’S POSITION AS JUDGE: God has established the Law and determined what is right and what is wrong.  His moral will is absolute and always right.  His motives are always pure.  His judgments are always absolutely correct.  He is able to save us from sin and condemn us for our sin.  We do not have the ability or right to do either of those.  It is an evil thing for us to assume the position of God in the lives of others.  We are called to come along side one another and help each other become more like Christ.  We are prohibited from standing above one another pretending that we are Christ.  We must let God be God and recognize Him as the only Judge over the Law.

APPLICATION: Seek for ways to encourage others and build them up in the faith through kind, gentle, edifying, gracious words that foster growth and discourage sin.  Recognize our own limitations and affirm that God is the perfect giver of and Judge over the Law.