James 4:11-12

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

Earlier in this chapter, James writes about our tendency to position ourselves as friends with the world, making us enemies of God. James explains that God’s response to our rebellion is to extend more grace and offer forgiveness. Our response to God’s grace is to humble ourselves before Him and submit.

Jesus said those who are forgiven much, love much. When we recognize that our great offense against God has been forgiven, we live our lives in a different way. James lays out what that looks like in this verse. We no longer speak evil of our brethren, even when they have wronged us. To speak evil of a brother is to speak evil of the law and makes you a judge of the law. As James states, there is only one Lawgiver who is able to save and destroy. If God is able to forgive our great offense, who are we to judge others and speak evil against them. As followers of Christ, we are in the family business of forgiveness.

For the King,

Daniel Batistelli