If You Can't Say Something Good

11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him 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?

Today we walk a theological tightrope. Jesus said that we are not to judge [Matthew 7.1ff]. But he also said we are to judge those who claim to proclaim the truth by the fruit thy bear [Matthew 7.15ff]. In today's text, James echoes the former while practicing the latter.

The issue, according to James, is quite straightforward. To slander is to judge; to judge is to usurp God's authority.

To slander is to judge.

The word literally means to speak evil or ill of.

Barclay says it carries the idea of defaming others behind their backs with no opportunity for the accused to defend themselves.

It often appears in tandem with gossip, but is a bit different.

Gossip is to carry tales while slander is to malign someone’s character as judge and jury.

In the church’s Jewish heritage, to slander another was to slander God.

The man who slanders finally denies even God. (R Asi)

It is a besetting sin of humankind [Rom 1.30] so its appearance in the church [2 Cor 12.20] should be no surprise.

He said to me, Be simple and guileless, and you will be as the children who know not the wickedness that ruins the life of men. First, then, speak evil of no one, nor listen with pleasure to any one who speaks evil of another. But if you listen, you will partake of the sin of him who speaks evil, if you believe the slander which you hear; for believing it, you will also have something to say against your brother. Thus, then, will you be guilty of the sin of him who slanders. For slander is evil and an unsteady demon. It never abides in peace, but always remains in discord. Keep yourself from it, and you will always be at peace with all.

Now comes the balancing act.

James told them (tells us) not to pass judgment on others even while he was calling out their bad fruit.

When Jesus said to judge the tree by its fruit, he was telling us to choose carefully who and what to listen to and be guided by.

Considering the larger context of Jesus’ words, he was telling us what happens to that tree is in God’s hands, not ours.

Intent is also a factor: Why are we speaking what we are speaking?

While the Bible places a premium on speaking the truth in love, evil intent turns the truth into something malicious.

Judging brother or sister becomes, by default, a judgment of the law.

The law can have a couple of meanings here.

It certainly can have reference to the Jewish law insofar as certain pseudo-Paulinists used grace as an excuse to live without standards altogether.

James’ emphasis was on what he called he Royal Law: Love your neighbor as yourself.

To slander is to judge one another and to judge one another is to judge the law.

To break the law is to set oneself above the law.

To set oneself above the law is to judge it not binding on the one breaking it.

To judge the law is to set oneself above the Lawgiver.

Only God is qualified to judge.

Matthew 10:28 LEB

28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul, but instead be afraid of the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Rom Rom 14.1-4

Romans 14:1–4 LEB

1 Now receive the one who is weak in faith, but not for quarrels about opinions. 2 One believes he may eat all things, but the one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats must not despise the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you, who passes judgment on the domestic slave belonging to someone else? To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.