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A Study of James - Lesson 13 - James 4:11-17

Warnings against Pride (James 4:11-17)
Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?  Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

How quick we are to judge others, and to make our plans as though our earthly lives will last forever! All such thinking betrays an unjustified pride—an exalted view of our own righteousness and abilities—and fails to recognize that our lives are short, our hearts are corrupt, and that we are not ultimately in control of our lives and circumstances. Such thinking ignores God's sovereign providence in the world. It judges others by a higher standard than we use to judge ourselves. It fails to take into account that we will someday have to answer to God for the way we have lived our lives.

Do not speak against one another, brethren. One of the most prevalent sins that plagues humanity is our tendency to speak evil of others. It is a terrible sin to spread defamatory lies about our fellow human beings—bearing false witness against them to destroy their reputation.

… we must not speak evil things of others, though they be true, unless we be called to it, and there be some necessary occasion for it ; much less must we report evil things when they are false, or, for aught we know, may be so. Our lips must be guided by the law of kindness, as well as truth and justice.
Matthew Henry's Commentary, at James 4:11

Exodus 20:16 – You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Neither publicly in a court of judicature, by laying things to his charge that are false, and swearing to them, to his hurt and damage; nor privately, by whispering, tale bearing, backbiting, slandering, by telling lies of him, traducing his character by innuendos, sly insinuations, and evil suggestions, whereby he may suffer in his character, credit, and reputation, and in his trade and business;
John Gill's Expositor at Exodus 20:16


one another When Christians speak evil of one another, it greatly harms the reputation of our Lord. The evil report we give of our brothers will lead outsiders to believe the worst of Christians. Others who know that our report is false will consider our own sinful slander to be characteristic of Christians. The quarreling, protests and bitter feelings engendered by evil speaking brings great reproach upon the cause of Christ.

Christians are instead to be known for their love for one another—a love that covers and overlooks the failings of others—a love that gives preference to our brothers in Christ, regarding them as more important than ourselves. Look how often this theme occurs in the New Testament epistles…

 
Romans 12:10 –Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
1 Corinthians 12:25 –so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
Galatians 6:2 –Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Ephesians 4:2 –with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
Ephesians 4:25 –Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.
Philippians 2:3 –Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Colossians 3:13 –bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 –See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
Hebrews 10:24 –and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
1 Peter 4:8 –Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
1 John 4:7 –Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:11 –Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.To speak against a brother is to deny the very thing that the law seeks to do. The law is intended to maintain peace, justice and harmony among Christians. When we speak against one another, we destroy all these things and demonstrate ourselves to be enemies of the law, and judges of it—rejecting the law—condemning it as being unworthy of our obedience.

James seems to be addressing people who think like the Pharisees or Judaizers—those who pride themselves in faithfully keeping the law, when in fact their obedience is merely superficial and does not address the weightier matters of compassion and love.

Matthew 7:1 – Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? Why should we act as judges over our brothers in Christ? God is the ultimate Judge, and He has not delegated this responsibility to us. When we judge our brothers, we judge with malicious motives, and this proves that we are not representing God. Instead, we ought to tremble in fear that we are usurping His role as Judge, and will have to answer to Him for our actions…
Romans 14:10-13 – But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
We must remember that our brothers in Christ answer to the Lord, not to us…
Romans 14:4 – Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. How quickly we forget who directs the course of our lives. One of the chief sins of mankind is thinking that he is the master of his own affairs.
How vain a thing it is to look for any thing good in futurity, without the concurrence of Providence. We will go to such a city (say they), perhaps to Antioch, or Damascus, or Alexandria, which were then the great places for traffic ; but how could they be sure, when they set out, that they should reach any of these cities ? Something might possibly stop their way, or call them elsewhere, or cut the thread of life. Many who have set out on a journey have gone to their long home, and never reached their journey's end. But, suppose they should reach the city they designed, how did they know they should continue there ? Something might happen to send them back, or to call them thence, and to shorten their stay. Or suppose they should stay the full time they proposed, yet they could not be certain that they should buy and sell there; perhaps they might lie sick there, or they might not meet with those to trade with them that they expected. Yea, suppose they should go to that city, and continue there a year, and should buy and sell, yet they might not get gain ; getting of gain in this world is at best but an uncertain thing, and they might probably make more losing bargains than gainful ones. And then, as to all these particulars, the frailty, shortness, and uncertainty of life, ought to check the vanity and presumptuous confidence of such projectors for futurity…
Matthew Henry's Commentary, at James 4:13


You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Our days on earth are short and uncertain. How often do we hear of a strong, healthy athlete in the prime of life who is killed or permanently injured by a tragic accident! A successful businessman may suddenly find his business ruined by an unexpected downturn in the economy, or undercut by a ruthless competitor. A successful farmer could be ruined in a single year by drought or pestilence, or by unexpectedly low prices for his crops. We need to be acutely aware of our vulnerability and mortality.

Psalm 103:15-16 – As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.
James' illustration of the morning mist—a vapor that appears for a short time, and then is gone—is a good description of the vanity of earthly existence. We should live as though each day was our last day, redeeming the time for eternity…
Ephesians 5:16 –making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." We need to remember that the Lord has charted the course of our lives from all eternity. We should humbly acknowledge His sovereign providence in our earthly affairs. Our lives should be lived by faith and bathed in prayer.
Luke 12:16-20 – And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'
We grow in sanctification and faith as we increasingly recognize and acknowledge God's sovereign hand of providence in all of life. Even in the little things, as when the signal light changes just before you get to the intersection, we should not curse our "dumb luck", but should instead humbly acknowledge God's wise, loving purpose and sovereign governance of every detail of our lives.

But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. This is the sum and climax of the things we have considered in this lesson. Man's arrogance is the root cause for his propensity for passing judgment upon others. It is the root cause why he makes his future plans boldly, leaving no room for God's providential intervention. It is why he forgets his own frailty and the uncertainty of his life. Instead of humbly acknowledging his creaturely weakness, he instead boasts of his abilities and accomplishments. Such boasting is evil because it claims equality with (or even superiority above) God Himself! This was Satan's great sin…

Isaiah 14:12 – How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. It is not enough to know what is right. We must be willing to do it.
Romans 2:13 – for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
We should recognize that it is possible to commit sin in doing what is right. Suppose a man thinks it is a sin to each pork, and he eats it anyway. Then, he later finds out that it is not a sin to eat pork. Did he sin by eating the pork?
Romans 14:14 – I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
The answer is Yes! —he sinned against his conscience by doing the thing he thought was wrong to do. Even though the eating itself is not wrong, it is nevertheless a great sin to violate your conscience. This is one reason why it is important to know right from wrong, so that we don't commit sins of ignorance (committing a sin we didn't realize was a sin), and so that we are not burdened under a collection of unscriptural laws that are impossible to keep, and wind up violating our conscience.
 
 
 
Application
1.  Resist the sin to speak evil of others. Even if what you say about them is true, this doesn't necessarily justify your speech. Consider the shame you would feel if someone were to reveal all your sins and shortcomings.
2.  Consider the great reproach you bring upon our Lord when you speak against your brothers in Christ. Let your concern for Christ's honor outweigh any desire you may have to speak against your brother.
3.  Do not sit in judgment upon your brothers in Christ. Remember that they, like you, must answer to our heavenly Father, and that He is the ultimate Judge.
4.  Realize that, when you judge your brother, or speak against him, you are judging God's law and speaking against it. We must be submissive to God's law, and not critics of it.
5.  Beware of the sin of arrogant pride. Remember that our lives are in the hands of God's sovereign providence. 
6.  Never forget your own weakness and mortality, and the uncertainty of life. Pray to God that He may bless your ways, rather than boasting of your plans.
7.  Recognize that it is not enough to know what is right and true. We must be obedient to the truth we know. Never violate your conscience, for that too is sin. However, study the Scriptures diligently so that you will know what is truly good in God's sight.

 
  
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