James 4:11 - 12 - The Way of the Proud - The test of worldliness

Passage

As a reminder for Context:

James 4:1–10 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn…”

Our Focus today

James 4:11–12 “Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders 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?”

Introduction

Illustration

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln once wrote an angry letter to one of his generals—George Meade—for failing to pursue the defeated Confederate army after the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln spelled out his frustration, pointing to mistakes Meade had made and how those errors prolonged the war. But after he finished writing, Lincoln never sent the letter. Instead, he labeled it “Never Sent. Never Signed.”

Why? Lincoln realized that attacking Meade in writing would do far more damage than good. The general might lose heart, feel humiliated, or grow defensive instead of improving. By holding back this sharp criticism, Lincoln kept the focus on unity and victory rather than creating deeper rifts.

That’s what James 4:11–12 is getting at. When we tear others down—through gossip, slander, or constant blame: we become self-appointed judges - With evil thoughts. We lose sight of our shared goal (loving God and one another) and fracture the very unity we need.

Humility, like Lincoln showed by shelving that letter, stops us from turning our frustrations into harsh words. Instead, it calls us to build up rather than tear down, remembering we all stand under one true Judge.

Hook

The Test of Worldly Indulgence

The barometer? - Unity!

Reminder

Of all the results worldliness could cause, James uses WARS among believers.

Instead of living in line with God’s character - unity in Himself, and unity with His children. These scattered believers started waging ‘WAR’ among each other!

Frame

Starting in James 1:22 “But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

There is a constant call from James to ‘BE DOERS’.

From providing us with actionable commands.

Receive the Word of God by listening

Apply what you learn DAILY

Do not show partiality and favoritism. Specially towards those unsaved rich.

It’s a call to serve one another as EQUALS despite the outward appearance

A warning against DEAD Faith. Your actions must align with what you say.

A call to tame your tongue. Watch your Mouth

The dangers of thinking you are wise, while you have no wisdom from above. A call to be WISE!

Do Not be friends with the world

Draw near to God!

Repent

He also gave us exhortation, clearly explaining to us WHY we should take action!

To be Holy, Spiritually mature

To live sanctified. Reflecting our Faith through action!

To live WISE

From 3:15 he presents the test and challenge on wisdom. He makes it clear that wisdom from above is: Pure, Peaceable, Considerate, Submissive, Full of Mercy and good fruits, without doubting, and without hypocrisy.

Immediately following these points, he says that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace.

Lack of wisdom and holiness results in division, as he mentions in verse 14. And tells us that worldly wisdom results in division, disorder and evil practices.

The most interesting theme comes from these passages once we look at it with a helicopter view:

Our maturity in holiness, and wisdom is tested by our love for, and unity with one another. That is why James called these believers ‘adulterers’. Our unity reflects our Holiness.

If we love the world more than God we create a separateness from God. Not a closeness as we should in a relationship.

The visible unity we have with God, is our unity with each other - the BODY of Christ.

Matthew 25:35–40 “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”

No wonders we read in Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

James’ argument, message, and test, since chapter 2 has been to grow in unity as we DO the law of God. Because, our actions toward each other DIRECTLY reflects our unity towards God! And now in 4:11-12 James comes to a close to this argument. After this he continues with more wisdom we apply as individuals.

These last two verses is like a close of the previous thought, and an introduction to what is coming next up to 5:6.

Addressing the way of the proud.

Specifically the great sin of boasting as the height of self-deception and a great evil.

Self-congratulation (Not repenting) is condemned just as ill-speaking, judging others, presumption, prayerlessness, and indifference to what is right and to the judgment of God.

Boasting and wealth go hand in hand throughout this section and unite its various segments.

Just when the reader might have been ready for an exposition of the meaning of the Lord’s exaltation and extra gracy for the humble believer, James launched into his final attack on self-exaltation and indifference to mercy as that which nourishes evil within the church and the lives of needy people.

The last part of this section (5:1–6) shows the importance of the direction of James’s thought: the final and justified judgment of the wicked.

James was determined to demonstrate the evil of those who know what ought to be done but sinfully fail to do it (4:17).

As before (1:7, 11; 2:3, 6; 3:14; 4:3), the rich who live in total disregard of God’s standard of mercy and the many believers who envy them are guilty of knowing God’s will but not doing it.

Main statement

These two verses indicates the attitude of the unsanctioned and unrepentant heart.

James wrote his epistle to present tests of a living, genuine, saving faith.

Having just shown that the mark of a true believer is repentant humility (James 4:10), he now reveals one practical way in which humility is violated and pride revealed, through defaming others.

A person whose life is characterized by habitual slander and condemnation of others betrays an evil, unloving, unregenerate heart (1 John 2:9–10; 4:20).

Their mouths become tunnels through which depravity exits their hearts.

On the other hand, sanctified speech marks believers (Eph. 4:25, 29; Col. 4:6). The issue of slander, then, becomes a test of genuine salvation, and for believers, a measure of spiritual maturity.

To help believers control their tongues and avoid slander, James give us 5 areas to examine our attitude: what we think of others, the law, God, our heart, and ourselves.

Outline

When we slander our brothers and sisters, we pridefully place ourselves above God’s law and reject the humble love He requires, revealing a heart far from true faith and unity.

1: The Attitude Towards Others

2: The Attitude Towards The Law

3: The Attitude of your Heart

4: The Attitude towards God

5: The Attitude towards Ourselves

Expository Points

The Command

Verse 11: DO NOT!

For some Context:

The greek word used here sets the tone for what follows. This word ‘me - MAY’ in greek implies a dependent and conditional negation (denying, rejecting, or making something the opposite. - such as the word NOPE, NO, or NOT)

The negation is qualified / depends on an idea, concept or thought of some subject. Thus making it subjective. From yourself in this case as the reader.

This word specifically carries the meaning of negating from will, wish, or doubt. This word is not as much a direct command of DO NOT.

The challenge

James makes it clear in the previous verses that there were fights, and quarrels (disunity) among the readers. Thus after exhorting them to repent he says ‘DO NOT’ - Their current attitude should change in themselves. What was there in the past must now stop. There must be an ATTITUDE change in the heart to NOT SLANDER.

As he often did in this letter, James is again showing there must be an inward change, for an outward change to be visible.

So this sets the theme for the next thoughts James is about to give us. Have a change of heart, inwardly desire that no slander will be found in us.

Slander

After wars, quarrels, and so on. The thing James concludes with - Do not slander! It’s like the final command, a wisdom bit that sums up his segment. Do Not Slander.

What then is slander?

Webster defined slander as “a false tale or report maliciously uttered, and tending to injure the reputation of another by lessening him in the esteem of his fellow citizens, by exposing him to impeachment and punishment, or by impairing his means of living.”

Coming from the greek word ‘καταλαλέω katalaleoo’ it’s simply put - backbiting.

Slandering, is speaking evil or negatively speaking against another, specifically to exalt yourself at the expense of another.

In the real world this is seen in:

1. Wilful false accusation. This may be held as the very worst form of it. It involves two evils—one of heart and one of conduct—malice and falsehood.

2. The exaggeration of faults that are real. Few things are more common than this. It springs from the same odious principle of malice.

3. The needless repetition of real faults. The principle of this is still the same.

4. Or ‘artfully’ leaving out the circumstances to color the wrong impression.

The Problem

The attitude of slander is to strike at people’s dignity, defames their character, and destroys their reputation—their most priceless worldly asset (Prov. 22:1; Eccles. 7:1).

The problem is. This is so often overlooked.

One commentator mentioned that:

James: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 16: The Blasphemous Sin of Defaming Others (James 4:11–12)

When medieval monks compiled a list of the seven deadly sins, they included pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and laziness. Conspicuously absent from that list was the sin of slandering others. Nor, in all likelihood, would slander rank very high on any contemporary list of serious sins. It is so widespread we scarcely seem to notice it.

Slander is a terrible sin. Of the many sins we can do, that affects one another, slander is one of the most damaging sins within the church. From ‘innocent’ gossip to deliberate defamation.

Discovery:

As the 9th commandment (do not bare false witness) the old testament speaks more often about and against the sin of slandering God or men than any other sin.

In Leviticus 19:16, God commands His people, “You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people.” It is the mark of a godly man that “he does not slander with his tongue” (Ps. 15:3); it is the mark of the wicked that they do slander others (Ps. 50:19–20; Jer. 6:28; 9:4; Rom. 1:30)

The New Testament also condemns slander. The Lord Jesus Christ identified its source as an evil heart (Matt. 15:19) and taught that it defiles a person (Matt. 15:20). Paul feared that he would find slander among the Corinthians when he visited them (2 Cor. 12:20), and he commanded the Ephesians (Eph. 4:31) and the Colossians (Col. 3:8) to avoid it. Peter also exhorted his readers not to slander others (1 Pet. 2:1).

The Result

The Scriptures even tell us of the devastating effects of slander. Proverbs 16:28 and 17:9 note that it destroys friendships. Proverbs 18:8 and 26:22 speak of the deep wounds inflicted on the one slandered, while Proverbs 11:9 and Isaiah 32:7 warn that slander can ultimately destroy people. Slanderers stir up contention (Prov. 26:20), spread strife (6:19), and become fools (10:18).

The Lesson

Before continuing the text of James 4:11–12, a common misconception needs to be dealt with.

The biblical command here against slander do not, as many in the church today erroneously believe, prohibit rebuking those who persist in unrepentant sin. On the contrary, such public exposure of sin is commanded in Scripture.

In Matthew 18:15–17, Jesus set forth the parameters for dealing with sinning Christians: If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Those who refuse to repent after private warnings are to be rebuked publicly before the church. Paul repeated the Lord’s command in Titus 3:10, telling Titus to “reject a factious man after a first and second warning,” and he himself publicly rebuked such a person (1 Cor. 5:1–5).

Thus, James’s words do not speak against one another do not forbid exposing sin with righteous intent, but rather lying with malicious intent. Katalaleō (speak against) appears only here and in 1 Peter 2:12 and 3:16. Along with the related nouns katalalia (“slander”; 2 Cor. 12:20; 1 Pet. 2:1) and katalalous (“slanderers”; Rom. 1:30), it refers to mindless, thoughtless, careless, critical, derogatory, untrue speech directed against others

1: The Attitude Towards Others

This brings us to the first area we need to examine to change our attitude and in turn grow in maturity. James says: “DO NOT Slander One Another, brothers (And Sisters)”

The first area of examination is our attitude towards OTHERS

Context:

Notice how James’ address changed now after the harsh address to these ‘adulterers’ - after the call to repentance he almost ‘assumes’ their hearts changed. Now he addresses them again as brothers. But more so. there is a threefold repetition here. Reminding them and us of the family relationship we share with other Christians.

Slander is the opposite of how a family should act. Throughout the scriptures we see the hallmarks of a Godly family is: love for one another, support, protection, and care. Our maturity is evaluated on our attitude towards others.

Constantly accusing others for wrongs (whether true or not), never at yourself?

Or do you DO Matthew 7:3–5 ““And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Are you falsely accusing?

or exaggerating others’ mistakes. Or constantly reminding everyone of others wrongs, or that you don’t agree, any form of degradation?

The Problem:

The problem is, your attitude to one another reflects your attitude towards God. Are you seeing one another as ‘brother and sister’, as close family? or are you simply ‘club mates’ on a sunday morning?

Our attitude toward each other reflects our spiritual maturitiy.

Lesson:

James: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary What We Think of Others

If fellow believers are viewed as those chosen by God before the foundation of the world, for whom Christ died, who are loved and honored by God, and with whom we will spend eternity in heaven, we will seek to honor, love, and protect them. The first step in avoiding the sin of slander is not keeping one’s lips sealed, but keeping one’s thoughts about others right.

2: The Attitude Towards The Law

James Continues to his second area to consider:

James 4:11 “Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders the law and judges the law;”

Hook: The LAW

This is the next logical step in James’s flow of thought. Since loving others is the center most important part of the law (Rom. 13:8; James 2:8), and slander is failing to love others, slander therefore is a violation of the law. The law is love in action; it is the expression of how to love others.

Context

John Macarthur has a nice short piece of how love is central in the 10 commandments. That is why Jesus, when asked to name the greatest commandment in the law, replied, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:37–40).

God gave His law to regulate people’s love for Him and their fellow human beings. James, then, does not condemn slander only as a violation of personal affection, or of basic human kindness, but of God’s holy law.

The Problem

Since slander is a violation of the law of love, a slanderer speaks against the law and condemns the law, thus showing utter disregard for the divine standard. And if you place yourself above God’s law, warns James, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

Satan’s ‘ambition’ to be higher than God Isaiah 14:12-14, is injected into our lustful hearts (Wisdom from this world is Demonic James 3:15) And through slandering one another, we are caught playing on the most dangerous playgrounds possible.

Discovery

The unimaginable implication of that is that the one who disregards God’s law in effect claims to be superior to the law of God, not to be bound by it or to be subject to its authority.

By such fearful disrespect the sinner judges the law as unworthy of his attention, affection, obedience, submission—all of which is blasphemy against God. - Similar to adulterating Experiencing victory over slander requires us to take our proper place under the law’s authority.

Lesson and Application

The long and the short in the application is this:

Love One Another in Humility!

3: The Attitude of your Heart

James 4:11 “Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders 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.”

The attitude of the heart is revealed. As mentioned. You place yourself where you cannot be.

Context:

Judging the Law, Not doing

Judging here means: to separate, or discriminate or select between good and evil.

In the NT, it means to judge, to form or give an opinion after separating and considering the particulars of a case.

The Problem:

The problem is James made it abundantly clear in the prior verses that we are driven by our own lusts. By this point it’s safe to assume that the reader has not yet won the internal battle.… The are still alive after all (atleast at the time they were reading it.)

Our Lust of the flesh that wages war within our members will cause us to choose wrong. If we do not submit ourselves humbly UNDER the law. and are left to ‘judge the law’ we will judge wrongly.

And this is not even including the blasphemous attitude of thinking ourselves greater than God, the sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven!

Discovery:

The simple attitude of the heart is found nicely tucked in the middle of the two ‘judge’ words: “You are not a doer of the law” . A judge of the law implies you have the choice of what you want to obey or not, cause you think yourself higher. The solution? Humbly just DO the law.

I remember this story my dad told me of an old illustrate man in a rural village. In short: When people came and asked who in the area is a christian, almost all pointed to him. Turns out, he had a child read to him. And when asked why everyone pointed to him, his response were simply, I do what the book told me.

Often our own smarts get in the way of simply, humbly bowing our heads and as a soldier in God’s army just obey what He ordered. Without fighting, questioning, or delay!

Lesson:

The test is our humble submission to the law. To Love God, by loving one another!

4: The Attitude towards God

James 4:12 “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy.

Hook

By placing himself above the law, the slanderer also attempts to place himself above the only true Lawgiver and Judge—God Himself.

Such foolishness places the sinner on a par with Satan, who sought unsuccessfully to usurp God’s throne.

His five “I wills” in Isaiah 14:13–14 expressed his desire for the place of supremacy: “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.”

The desire to take the place of God has been the essence of every sin ever committed.

Sin seeks to dethrone God, to remove Him as supreme Lawgiver and Judge and rule in His place. Because it asserts that the sinner is above God’s law, as noted in the previous point, sin strikes a murderous blow at the very person of God Himself.

James points out the blasphemy and folly of the sinner’s seeking to take God’s place, noting that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge.

Context

The Greek text literally reads “one is the lawgiver and judge,” stressing that God alone is the sovereign ruler and judge of the universe.

Nomothetēs (Lawgiver) appears only here in the New Testament. It refers to one who puts the law into place.

Kritēs (Judge) refers to one who applies the law. God, and God alone, insists James, is both lawgiver and law-applier (cf. Isa. 33:22); He gave the law and will judge men by His law. Only He, because He knows the hearts and motives of men (1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Kings 8:39; Prov. 15:11), can perfectly apply the law He has given.

God is able both to save those who place their faith in Christ and to destroy unrepentant sinners; that is how He applies His law (cf. Deut. 32:39; 1 Cor. 1:18). The angel told Joseph that Jesus would “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21), while Jesus Himself described His mission as “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Paul wrote that the gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).

The writer of Hebrews declares of the Lord Jesus Christ, “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

The Problem:

They are putting themselves in the place of God, whose mercy they themselves require

Those who refuse to repent, however, God will destroy.

Destroy is from apollumi, and does not refer to annihilation, but to eternal destruction in hell (cf. Matt. 10:28; 25:46; 2 Thess. 1:9).

Lesson

The sin of slander, James warns, is no trivial matter. It is brazen, reckless treason against the Sovereign lawgiver and judge of the universe.

Application:

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

If you have the right theology. Meaning, if you really know who God is, what he has done, can do, and will do. Then you would not slander at all! In fact you should go to the extreme of edifying one another in all things (Romans 14:19 “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” )

And what we see in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

And instead of slander: Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,”

It’s sad to see and hear of the amount of ‘Slander’ hurting and backbiting is found in the church. This does not mean we do not rebuke. We just don’t go around TELLING everyone!

5: The Attitude towards Ourselves

James 4:12 But who are you who judge your neighbor?”

Those who slander others paints an exaggerated view of their own importance.

Context

In a stinging rebuke to them, James demands, who are you who judge your neighbor?

Today we could almost say James would be saying, “Who in the world do you think you are, sitting in condemnation on someone else?”

In Romans 12:3, Paul exhorted the Roman believers, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think”;

Judging or slandering others is the opposit of the humility James commanded his readers to manifest (4:10). Those who habitually engage in such behavior cast doubt on the genuineness of their faith.

Lesson

Humble yourselves before God.

Stop thinking so highly of yourself!

Conclusion

Because self-deceived Christians are so prone to sinful rivalries and conflict, they must realize that such inevitably leads to a judgmental disposition.

Those who are judging are often indifferent to the terrible condition of their own faith.

Like their boasting and bragging (v. 16), these believers have set themselves up as “judges with evil thoughts” (2:4), whose speech has become filled with language no better than cursing (3:10).

Is it any wonder that James warned them against presuming to be teachers (3:1) when they had already presumed to take God’s role as judge? The complete opposite nature of this section, which warns against the presumption and pride of setting oneself up as a judge, and the previous section, which exhorts the believer to humility, could not be more important.

DO NOT Slander! Elevating yourself above another, is your attempt to ellevate yourself above GOD! How Can you draw near, how can you obey, if you think you can judge the law and each other!