James 4:11-17
James 4:12
There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor.
By: Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula
James 4:11-17
(11) Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
(12) 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?
(13) Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
(14) Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
(15) Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
(16) As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Reclaiming Status as Siblings
James reaches the climax of his message to the church’s teachers. Since his opening salvo in 3:1: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will face stricter judgment”, James has held church teachers to a very high standard. He warns about the tongue’s dangerous power, the fruit-bearing behavior of those who claim wisdom, those who stir up conflict and dispute instead of peace, and the need for humility.
Now James confronts the hubris of teachers who usurp God’s role by judging their neighbors and Scripture. James confronts them in the hope that they will repent and reclaim their status as siblings within the community rather than power-hungry judges over the community.
American Baptists are a community of Christians who place a heavy priority on being brothers and sisters in Christ, as summarized in the priesthood of the believer and autonomy of the local church. These two Baptist principles rest alongside the authority of Scripture. These institutionalized polities are held in constant tension with one another. At different moments, our individual priesthood may need to submit to the larger community of the local church. Our freedoms only matter if we are willing to surrender them from time to time for the needs of the larger community. The same is true for our local church autonomy. At times in our shared Baptist journey, a local church may need to set aside a perspective or preference for the sake of fellowship with the other 5,000 American Baptist Churches. Similarly, what might work for the mission societies and regions must be set aside for the benefit of the local church and individual priesthood.
We do this in trust with one another because we are all under the authority of Jesus and Scripture.
However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes fall victim to seeking authority over one another. Often, this stems from noble zeal for the Scriptures. In our most well-meaning way, we read Scripture and make interpretations and applications for life. In a Baptist way, we bring these applications and interpretations to the larger community for consideration. The church, region, or larger ABC family receives all local work from the priesthood of believers and local church autonomy seriously. Some churches and individuals may accept such interpretations. Some churches and individuals may adjust them to their local contexts and culture. Others may reject them altogether. When we are at our best, such conversations enrich us, drawing us closer to the kingdom of God; United in Christ, Together in Mission.
Other times, we overstep ourselves, as James describes here. We usurp God’s role by judging one another and by judging Scripture. We pull ourselves out of the proper flow of relationships. We begin to slander one another with hurtful words. We remove ourselves from fellowship with those who disagree with our positions. We stop submitting to
Scripture and instead play judge over it. James says in verse 4:12, “There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?” Only God is the judge. Only God can save or destroy. When we become judges over other people’s priesthood or their local church autonomy, we have usurped our role as image bearers of God.
I love being American Baptist. But more than that, I want to follow Jesus well. That means I must surrender my desire to judge Scripture and judge others, no matter how well-intentioned I am.
By: Rev. Dr. Greg Mamula
Executive Minister