This verse returns to the main sin condemned by James – the sin of the tongue. Most of the third chapter is on the tongue and reference is made to it in both chapters 1 and 2. Here evil speaking is put in an awful light. He says to speak evil of a brother is to be his judge, and that is the same as speaking evil of the law, and judging the law. This is putting oneself over the Lord Himself, who is the one lawgiver and judge.

"Speak not evil one of another ..." "Speak not evil one of another" is literally, "Speak not one against another," and is so rendered in the Revised Version. This evidently was a prevalent sin among these Jewish Christians, and James presses home the seriousness of it. No doubt there was a great deal of harsh speaking about and to one another. Their speech was overly critical and fault finding. We find this uncharitable spirit prevalent in some areas today, too.

Evil speaking helps no one: Some seem to think that by speaking evil of others they raise themselves in the opinion of those who listen to them. This is never so. No one likes a super critical, fault finding person, and it is sure to turn back on one's own head in time. To speak evil helps no one, but definitely injures three people: the speaker, the one spoken to, and the one spoken of.

All men are fallible: All men are fallible – none are perfect; so, it is possible to find fault with any man, if one is looking for faults. Great men of God have been criticized for the silliest things; for the way they pronounced a word; waved their arm or held their Bible while preaching. To speak evil of a servant of the Lord is serious. One man was bemoaning to a servant of the Lord the fact that none of his children had obeyed the Gospel. The man of God replied, I don't wonder; in the few minutes we have been together you've criticized several of the Lord's servants and if your children continue to hear you criticize the messenger, they won’t ever believe the message.

They spoke evil of the best: They spoke evil of Paul. John complains bitterly of Diotrophes, who prated against him with malicious words (3 John 10). The devil spoke evil of God in Genesis 3. They spoke evil of Christ, too. They said, "This man received sinners, and eateth with them" (Luke 15:2). The Pharisees called Him a sinner in John 9:24. So, do not be surprised if some speak evil of you. It is not pleasant to experience, but there is some consolation in knowing that many far better than we, experienced it, too.

False accusation: The worst form of evil speaking is the willful false accusation, the spreading abroad of a plain lie. This is being like the devil himself. He plainly lied to Eve about God. He was a liar from the beginning; "He is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). He is also called "the accuser of our brethren" (Rev. 12:10). So, to lie about a brother, accusing him falsely of anything is to do the devil's work. Even if we do not originate false reports, let us not help spread them. Let us first check their truthfulness, and even if true, we should not spread them. A rumor spreads and grows, and sometimes is very cruel in its effects. Already the law has said, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Ex. 20:16).

Exaggeration: Another form of evil speaking is exaggeration. A brother has a fault. Let us be careful not to make it worse than it is. There is a danger, if a brother falls into something, of picturing him as being habitual in it. If a man takes a drink, does that mean he is a drunkard?

Real faults: If a brother has real faults, these need not be repeated or broadcast. "Love shall cover the multitude of sins" (1 Pet. 4:8). We should follow the old saying, “If you can’t say something good about someone, then say nothing.” Let us tell of our brother's excellencies, rather than his failings. If we must speak of a brother's failings, let it be to him, so he may know and change his ways.

We have faults of our own: We all have faults of our own. You know the old adage, "A man living in a glass house should not throw stones." If we have not been severe on ourselves, we have no right to be severe on others. Some speak evil of others in order to ease their conscience concerning their own guilt.

Mock sympathy: There is a very sinister way of speaking evil. It is to profess great sympathy for the erring one. "Poor brother so-and-so, he fell into this terrible sin; isn't it too bad". This is poison mixed with sweet liquor and served in a golden cup. Nice language, perhaps truth, yet positive disobedience because it is evil speaking. It is well to remember that our verse is a command from the Lord.

Evil speaking the fruit of pride: The humble will not speak evil of others. It is lofty opinions of self that cause one to embark on the path of fault finding. If we can refrain from evil speaking, we have won a great victory.

Evil speaking chokes the fruit: Evil speaking grieves the Spirit (Eph. 4:30). If not laid aside we will not prosper as Christians (1 Pet. 2:1, 2). Much fruit in God's garden has been choked out by that awful weed, evil speaking.

"... brethren ..." James uses the term "brethren" and its singular form, "brother," many times. This is the only verse that has it more than once. Here we have "brethren" once and "brother" twice. He emphasizes this as a reason to refrain from evil speaking. It violates the law of brotherhood. As explained before, the Christian tie should be stronger than any earthly tie. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." To revile, or defame, or speak evil of other Christians is the opposite of doing them good.

"... judgeth his brother ..." He that speaks evil of his brother judgeth his brother, and the Lord Jesus says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1-5). We cannot help but judge many things. We see a man stagger down the street, and we judge he is drunk. We see a man run out of a store with unwrapped merchandise, and we judge he is a thief. The same chapter that says, "Judge not" also says, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20). We cannot help but come to conclusions about certain things or people because of what we see or hear. The civil judge must decide certain matters, and sometimes elders in the church must also. Our verse cannot therefore refer to this form of judgment.

Fair judgment: If it is our lot to pass judgment on someone, let us be very careful as to it all. Let us not be hard or uncharitable. Let us be sure we have facts, not mere rumors. Let us not try to judge a man's motives. We cannot look into his heart. Let us take the most charitable view possible, and give the judged the benefit of the doubt. If the act is not positively known, let us refuse to pass judgment.

Do not judge matters of the conscience: Sometimes things that are judged do not call for judgment at all. They are a matter of conscience between the Christian and his Lord. In Rom. 14 we have such a case. It was a question of eating certain meats. Some were condemned for eating them, while others were perhaps belittled for refusing to eat. Paul says, "Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth" (Rom. 14:3). It was a matter of individual conscience before God. He says in the same chapter, verse 10, "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ". There are many things of equal questionable nature today, about which we must be careful to refrain judgment.

Thou condemnest thyself: Paul says to the Romans in Chapter 2:1, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgst: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." How true this often is. The one who judges another is himself guilty, and maybe even more so. Our failings may not be exactly the same as the one we are judging, but we may have worse ones. Since Christ is the only one capable of impartial judgment, many things would be better left to His judgment seat to be settled.

"... speaketh evil of the law ..." What law is this that they were speaking evil of or "against" (R.V.)? Naturally, we think of the Ten Commandments, but James might not have had these in mind. We could read this expression, "speaketh against law." He may be thinking of the lawgiver and all His laws, as the next verse would indicate. However, the Ten Commandments do say, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," and perhaps most of their evil speaking was of this nature. He probably though is thinking of the royal law or law of love, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." When brethren speak evil of one another they do not love one another, and so they are speaking evil of the law. The spirit of criticism and fault finding is condemned by this law of love. To break God's law is in effect to speak evil of it. James may also have had in mind what our Lord Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1). This is also a law given by the one lawgiver. Evil speaking is a violation of this law.

"... judgeth the law ..." When one does not heed a law and openly breaks it, he is thereby judging the law to be of no value, or not capable of executing judgment. This is exactly what happens in the case of those who speak evil of their fellow Christians. By love, we recognize the righteousness and validity of the law, but by evil speaking we condemn it. For us to sit on the judgment seat is in effect saying the law and lawgiver are both imperfect.

"... not a doer of the law ..." An evil speaker is not a doer of the law, but a lawbreaker. He has broken the Ten Commandments, the law of love, and the law of judgment (Matt. 7:1). We are told to be doers of the law; this is to be obedient to the Word of God. Our verse, too, could be looked upon as law. It is put in command form: "Speak not evil one of another, brethren".

"... but a judge." To speak evil of a brother is to put oneself above God; to put oneself on His judgment seat. Such a one must think himself superior. He is not a humble man, who so exalts himself. Remember the old saying, "What goes up must come down" Those who think they are above the law, yea, above God Himself, need to quickly get down off that high perch, before the mighty God takes time out to put them down.

Scripture Reading: James 4:12 (KJV)

This is a very pertinent, almost sarcastic verse. There is one all powerful lawgiver and law enforcer, but who are you to think you can take His office away from Him. It is far wiser to humble ourselves before Him rather than trying to climb up on His bench.

"... one lawgiver ..." The Lord is the giver of all law. He gave all natural laws for the regulation of the physical worlds: the sun, the moon, and the stars. He gave a very simple law to Adam and Eve, do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, the penalty for disobedience was severe.

Other laws: On Mt. Sinai, He gave the law of the Ten Commandments. It was written on two tables of stone; the first giving man's responsibility toward God, the second his responsibility toward his fellow man. Then there are scores of other laws for every other department of life: for children, for parents, for marriage, for social life, for church life, and for the government of nations. The Word is full of them. We are better off if we observe all that are meant for us.

Character of His laws: His laws in contrast to man's, are always righteous (Rom. 7:12). They are always for the good of man. Most of man's are meant for his good too, but are not always so. God's laws are unbiased. He is no respecter of persons. His laws favor no class of people, and He cannot be bribed. His laws show His character. He demands nothing that He Himself does not do. His laws have penalties that are enforced, and breakers do not escape unless pardoned through believing and trusting in Christ.

Purposes of His laws: His laws were given to make the life of man better and happier in this world. They also were given to show man his sin. "For by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Paul says, "I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet" (Rom. 7:7). When a man is convicted as a sinner by the law, he then is driven to Christ for pardon. In Gal. 3:24 we read, "The law was our school master to bring us unto Christ." The law can show us our sin, but can do nothing for the violators, but condemn them. But wherein the law was "weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Christ is the only one who kept all of the laws of God; therefore he could, by dying on the cross, pay the penalty for man's sins.

Man cannot keep the law: Man cannot keep the law. Everyone ever born into this world, apart from Christ, has been a lawbreaker. It is significant that Moses broke the two tables of stone before he ever got them down to the children of Israel. They were dancing around a golden calf, breaking the very first commandment, while he was up in the mountain. Some today profess that they keep the law, but they fool nobody but themselves. One must be as holy as Christ in order to keep the law in perfection. He alone loved God with His whole heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and His neighbor as Himself. In truth, all the world stands guilty before God (Rom. 3:19).

"... who is able to save ..." Because of our sins and lawbreaking, we deserve nothing but eternal punishment. In spite of this we read, He "is able to save." Law knows no clemency. This is true of man's laws; they can only condemn, they cannot pardon or save. A judge who pardoned everyone who came before him would quickly be removed from the bench. God's laws are no different; they demand that the penalty for violation be fully met. God is, indeed, love, but He is also a righteous judge, so in order to satisfy both His love and His righteousness, the judge stepped down from the bench and by dying on the cross paid the penalty for the sinner. Now God can be just and yet be "the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). Because of His work on the cross, He now can save the vilest offender who puts his trust in Him (Heb. 7:25). This He can do without violating His righteousness.

"... and to destroy ..." God is able to save, but He is also able to destroy, so beware. He is a judge who can pardon, but He can also send to hell those who refuse His Son as substitute. Some make much of the grace of God, but seldom mention His wrath. "God spared not the angels that sinned" (2 Pet. 2:4). "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah" (2 Pet. 2:5). Because of our sin "He ... spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all" (Rom. 8:32). If Jesus Christ is despised and God’s grace refused, should one expect to be spared?

Will not escape: Some men, guilty of crime in this world, have completely escaped apprehension. Others, although guilty and brought before a judge, have escaped penalty through bribes or clever lawyers. But rest assured, none of these things will avail with God. He will apprehend and see that all the guilty receive due penalty. "And thinkest thou this, O man ... that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" (Rom. 2:3). "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:18). "Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). The word "destroy" in our verse and Matthew 10:28, does not mean "annihilation."

"... who art thou ..." Some translators put in the word "but" here, contrasting the man who judges another with the great judge and lawgiver. Here is the great judge, but who are we that we should judge? Are we sinless in our lives? Are our motives free from all envy and lust? Is our tongue in complete subjection? Are we free from worldly entanglements? Are we sure that we should not be judged, rather than be the judge? Each of us, as well as the one we are judging, must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Will Christ find you more righteous than the one you are judging? Maybe you are like Job's three friends who were judging him. They were less righteous than he. Are you sure that there is not a beam in your eye, while you are trying to remove the mote out of your brother's? After all, beloved, if you are saved, you are only a sinner saved by the grace of God. You rightly deserve to be in hell, so do not try to climb up on Christ's judgment seat.

We are not competent: We are not competent to judge properly for our knowledge is limited. We cannot see as God sees for our wisdom is limited too. Most times the situation is beyond our understanding, at least in its fullness. Furthermore, we are not pure ourselves and cannot see without prejudiced eyes. Often our judging does not help the situation. We can neither save nor destroy. We have no right to pardon, nor the power to inflict the penalty. He alone pronounces accurate judgment, and He alone has the power to enforce the penalty.

No right to judge another man's servant: Every Christian belongs to Christ as a slave belongs to his master. A slave is answerable only to his master. We have no business judging another man's slave. "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth" (Rom. 14:4). To judge another Christian is to pass judgment on that which is Christ's property, and to assume an office that is only rightly His. How terrible James makes this sin of judging to be.

Judge and correct ourselves: Rather than speaking evil of and judging others, let us confine ourselves to judging and correcting ourselves, realizing that we ourselves will be judged by Christ. If we have been given to this bad habit, let us seek forgiveness and help from our Lord that we sin no more in this dreadful way.

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