Don’t Criticize and Condemn

All throughout our study of James, we have been seeing that, while we are saved by grace through faith, genuine saving faith shows itself in our actions.

Chapter 4 began with a challenge to the people James wrote to. They were fighting with each other and acting selfishly.

The next several verses pointed us to the heart issues of chasing pleasure and friendship with the world and not removing sin from our lives.

It seems those heart issues were underlying causes of the fights happening between the Christians that James was addressing.

In this passage, James is going to address one of the ways those heart issues had impacted their relationships with other Christians.

While the command is pretty clear, the explanation he gives is worth us diving into a little deeper.

We are just going to cover two verses this morning, so go ahead and read James 4:11-12 with me.

James begins with a straightforward command: “Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters.”

With this command, James is going back to one of the other major themes in this letter: our words matter, and the wrong kinds of words are actually sinful.

This time, it is in the specific context of criticizing one another.

In the remainder of verse 11-12, James is going to help us see that this is a more serious sin than we realize.

We are going see him develop his argument in three distinct steps, each one getting closer and closer to the heart of why this is such a big deal.

But for now, let’s talk about what “criticism” means here.

Let’s start with what this is not.

In our desire to be tolerant and unoffensive, we might be tempted to think that this command would keep us from saying anything negative about another person or their actions.

That isn’t at all what he is saying here.

By commanding us not to criticize or, as he does later in this passage, judge, James is not saying that we can’t or shouldn’t address sin.

The New Testament is full of times when Jesus and the apostles clearly call someone out, pointing out that their actions are sinful.

Think about Jesus or John the Baptist and the way they related to the Pharisees. They called them “broods of vipers,” “blind guides,” and more.

That pattern continues all through the New Testament, even in this book!

Isn’t that what James just did? Look back up the page at some of the things James has just finished calling these Christians: adulterous, sinners, double-minded.

He has called them out for specific sins, and no doubt, he has offended some of the people he has been talking to.

He may have made others feel bad because the Holy Spirit is convicting them.

Let’s be clear: None of that is criticism.

In fact, Matt referenced 2 Corinthians 7 last week, where Paul talked about using words that produced a godly grief that led to repentance.

There are times, places, and ways in which we can and should call sin sin, even when it means calling someone out.

It feels counter-cultural in a lot of ways, but it is a good thing when we help other people see what is sinful, even when that means that we make them feel bad for the moment.

James isn’t telling us to pull back from saying hard things or even things that make people sad or angry.

So, what does James mean by criticism?

He is telling us avoid critical, defamatory speech.

In fact, the word “criticize” is the same word translated “defame” in the rest of this section.

One commentator put it this way: “Do not slander, defame, or otherwise speak against one another.” (Richardson)

In this context, criticism is, “aimed at eroding the position or character of the one spoken against.” (Hiebert, 241)

It includes “(1) willful false accusations, (2) exaggerations of faults that are real, (3) needless repetition of real faults, (4) slander.” (Wolfe, quoted in Hiebert, 241)

Let’s break those down for a minute:

Willful false accusations - straight up lying

Exaggerations of faults that are real - embellishing the truth and making it seem worse than it is

Needless repetition of real faults - As we have said, there is a time and place to call out sin. However, let me give you some advice my parents gave me:

If you aren’t part of the problem or part of the solution, you don’t need to be a part of the discussion.

If you are part of helping that person see their sin, helping bring them to a place of repentance and restoration, or you are warning others to avoid that same pattern, there are ways to talk about it. If you aren’t doing that, you aren’t doing what Galatians 6, Matthew 18, or this chapter in James do. Those passages talk about helping a brother or sister see where they are sinning with the goal of helping them turn from that and grow.

Otherwise, it may well be criticism.

The last category is that of slander, which is spreading false statements and trying to tear down someone’s reputation or character.

You probably don’t need too much detail here. If you have lived long enough, you have likely received it, said it, or had someone criticize someone to you.

It’s speech whose purpose is to make you look better and them look worse, and James makes it clear that it has no place among believers.

In the context, when we flirt with worldly ideas, follow our passions instead of Christ, and refuse to allow him to clean out the sin hiding in our hearts, it seems likely that we will run down other believers with our words.

We may exaggerate the sin in others’ lives while neglecting the sin in our own or even talk someone down because they do or see things differently than we do.

There are times when Jesus-loving people don’t see eye to eye on the way a passage should be read or the way ministry should be handled.

Those discussions can be good and helpful, but when they turn from calling out sin or expressing different viewpoints, they become sin.

It can happen in churches when someone gets their feelings hurt or someone else becomes more well-liked than another.

Suddenly, we use our words to criticize and tear each other down.

Our posture changes from loving one another to proving how wrong they are.

James makes it clear: We cannot allow that in our hearts and lives.

But why? Why is this such a big deal?

We could point to the relationship advice that talks about how criticism is is one of the deadliest patterns in a relationship, and that might be reason enough to avoid it.

We could even go to passages like John 13 where Jesus reminds us that the way the world will know we are his is through our love for each other.

That isn’t where James goes here, though.

There are deeper issues at play when we criticize and ultimately judge our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let’s look at the remainder of verse 11-12 to see what is actually going on when we criticize other people.

James is going to give us three realities we often overlook that are taking place when we willfully choose to disobey God in this and other areas.

They might be a little tricky to follow at first, so stick with me as we walk through them.

When you criticize, we are:

1) Actually judging the law.

Pick up in the middle of verse 11 again: “Anyone who defames his brother or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law.”

As James points out, criticism often turns to condemnation as well. “He not only does bad things, he is a bad person. There is no way he could be saved.”

Again, we are called to be discerning and call sin “sin,” especially in leaders.

When it moves beyond that to running someone down and assassinating their character, that has crossed a line.

When we engage in that kind of behavior, we aren’t just defaming and judging our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are actually defaming and judging the law itself.

Most likely, the “law” here does not refer to the Mosaic law in the Old Testament.

Instead, given the context and audience, he is likely referring to the “perfect law of liberty” as he called in 1:25 or the “royal law” in 2:8, which is the law that governs Christian life and calls us to love others the way Christ loves us.

How on earth is criticizing another Christian the same thing as judging the law itself?

Let’s think through it together.

Look at what James said in James 2:8:

James 2:8 CSB

Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.

According to the law, I am supposed to love my neighbor as myself.

When I defame, criticize, or slander a brother or sister in Christ, I am breaking the law of loving them as myself.

Effectively, I am saying, “This law to love other people is too hard or is just plain short-sighted. It is wrong of God to ask me to do that because of how this individual has hurt me or who they are.”

You aren’t just breaking the command, you are implying that the command is wrong in the first place.

It is unreasonable for God to command you to do that, so the law itself is incorrect on this point.

That’s a big statement, isn’t it?

Because when you do that, you are also…

2) Setting ourselves up as a judge.

Look at the end of verse 11 again…”If you judge the law, you are no longer a doer of the law but a judge.”

Now, you have put yourself as the one who decides what is right and what is wrong.

In our culture, that may not be as shocking as it should be because we have gotten used to the ideas of “your truth” and “my truth,” but that isn’t how truth works.

As we will see more in a second, God gave us the law of what is right and wrong, and he calls us to obey it.

When I start reinterpreting God’s commands to suit my understanding, I am no longer focused on doing what God tells me to.

Instead, I have stepped into the role of evaluating whether or not I think that is right.

The context for this passage is clearly talking about criticism and slander, but this applies to all the commands God has given us.

You and I cannot put ourselves in the position of saying, “I know what the Bible says, but I think God understands why I can’t do that.”

That’s not your place or mine because we are limited, finite creatures who have so little understanding of what is going on.

It’s above our pay grade to make those kinds of decisions. We don’t know all God knows, we aren’t able to see all God sees, and we can’t do all God does.

Our responsibility is to obey what he tells us to, which includes not criticizing, defaming, or judging our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When you stop obeying and start judging, You have made yourself a judge, and by doing that, you are actually…

3) Putting ourselves in God’s place.

Pick up in verse 12.

There is only one person in all of creation who has the knowledge and ability to establish what is right and wrong, and that is God himself.

When I start judging what he has said is right and wrong, I put myself in his place, and I have absolutely no right to do that.

What’s interesting is that I had the privilege of preaching the sister passage to this text.

James already talked in chapter 2 about the fact that we can’t show favoritism because that puts us in the place of judging people like only God can.

Now, we are coming back to that concept when it comes to all the commands God gives us.

Whether it is favoritism, criticism and condemnation, or any other sin, we need to remember that God is the one who ultimately decides what is right and what is wrong.

When you judge his law, you are saying you know better than him, and that is an incredibly dangerous position.

Look at how far God’s power reaches: “[he] is able to save and to destroy.” (v12)

God is the judge who not only gives the law but is the only one qualified to issue the ultimate sentence of life and death.

You don’t have that authority, and to be fair, you don’t want that authority, so you don’t have the right to judge what of God’s law you want to keep and what you want to throw out.

That means you and I are called to love our brothers and sisters in Christ with the love he has shown us, and we do not have the right to criticize, defame, or judge them.

As James finishes verse 12: “Who are you to judge your neighbor?”

None of us have that right.

Not only are we not God and didn’t set the law in the first place, we have all broken God’s law.

There isn’t a person alive who can say that they have always loved others as they loved themselves, especially when we look at way God has loved us.

God created us for a relationship with him, but we turned from him and chose to do what we wanted to do instead of what he created us to do.

There was no way for us to get right with him on our own. We broke his law, and it left us broken and condemned before the one who established the law.

Yet, because God is so rich in mercy, he sent Jesus, who is God in the flesh, to take the punishment we deserve and offer us forgiveness and life in return.

Jesus’s death on the cross took fulfilled the law’s demands, and now, anyone who seeks his forgiveness, turns from their sins, and commits to following him can have eternal life.

You were never meant to be the ultimate judge, and the One who is that judge loved you enough to pay the price for you. Will you surrender to following him?

If you are following Christ today, how are you doing with this whole “criticism” thing?

In their fights and feuds, the early Christians adopted critical spirits and patterns of speech about other Christians.

We cannot do the same.

Beyond the relational damage it does, criticizing each other is ultimately defaming and judging God’s law, putting us in the place only God should hold.

If you are a Christian this morning, who have you been overly critical of?

Do you need to seek forgiveness from those you have criticized or from people you have shared criticism with?

Are there other sins in your life where you have set yourself as the judge of what’s right and wrong? That’s not your job, and you’re getting it wrong.

Go back to what Matt called us to last week in James 4:10

James 4:10 CSB

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Don’t criticize each other. Instead, let’s humbly serve Christ together.

We will confront when we need to, but may our default posture be to support, encourage, and challenge each other to grow.

Bibliography:

Heibert, D. Edmond. James. BMH Books (Winona Lake, IN: 1992).

Richardson, Kurt A., James, vol. 36 of The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997), 194.