Humility and Love: Overcoming Judgment in Community

I want to begin by pointing out two things first of all to point out how seriously the New Testament takes the sin of slander when Paul writes a very straightforward epistle to the Corinthians especially concerning their misdemeanors and their faults and so on, he writes as follows in First Corinthians 5 I've written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people and then he quickly says not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters in that case you would have to leave this world but now I'm writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother or a sister but who is sexually immoral or greedy an idolater or a slanderer a drunkard or a swindler with such a man do not even eat and right in the heart of it a slanderer the Bible says this very seriously that's the first thing to notice [00:56:54]

James in what he now goes on to say is not calling for us to set aside our critical faculties nor is he forbidding his readers from forming opinions about certain actions or ideas or people this is very very important because it's not uncommon to hear people use Jesus' warning against judging as a basis for accepting Behavior which the Bible actually condemns all right so for example let's say we have something that is clearly set out in scripture as being unacceptable whatever it might be and then someone says I notice that Mr X is involved in why and someone says well judge not that you be not judged that's not actually what James is on about here rather what he is addressing is something rather different [00:58:40]

The sad pattern is in verse 11b and following anyone who speaks against his brother and judges him or judges him speaks against the law and judges it when you judge the law you're not keeping it but sitting in judgment and the whole pattern of events he says unfolds when we speak against our brother or our sister we are almost inevitably setting ourselves up as judges slander and judging are almost inseparable you will notice in the NIV it says anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him in the authorized version it says anyone who speaks against his brother and judges him in doing this as Tasker the slanderer is going far beyond the bones of what is legitimate for ordinary human beings [00:03:38]

The problem with the one who speaks evil against his brother or sister is that we're quick to pronounce judgment before the facts have been heard and sometimes we don't even want the facts to be heard because it impinges upon our ability to slander if all the facts were to get out then we wouldn't be able to say what we say and so it's actually better for us to get it out even without the facts of the case and so the pattern is one of jumping to conclusions jumping to judgment without any attempt to discover the truth [00:04:47]

When we enter into superficial misguided uninformed cruel judgments we're actually speaking against the law and expressing a judgment on the law we're really saying this doesn't apply to me now when he says you speak against the law I wonder what he's referencing it could be that he's referencing the Royal law found in Scripture which is love your neighbor as yourself and he says if you speak against your brother and judge him you actually speak against the law and you're executing judgment on it instead of seeing how it applies to me and keeping it I end up sitting in judgment on it and I begin to become a law to myself [00:05:30]

When we are honest enough with ourselves to acknowledge what we know of our own hearts and how wretched they are and how justifiably we ought to find ourselves in the dark we will then be less prone to assume a position on the bench but if we are deceitful about our own hearts if we lie to ourselves about our position before God if we refuse to Humble ourselves before him then in exalting ourselves and defaming others we find ourselves right in the heart of this pattern [00:06:36]

There is only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and to destroy it is more than likely that James with his knowledge of the Old Testament has in mind a verse from Deuteronomy chapter 32 and verse 39 and God is speaking and he says see now that I myself am he there is no God besides me I put to death and I bring to life I have wounded and I will heal and no one can deliver out of my hand now if you turn back to James and he says there is only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and to destroy you say that is good James obviously knows his Bible [00:08:03]

There is only one whose laws are permanently valid and there is only one whose judgments are of Eternal significance now in seeing this he's also not suggesting that there is no place for human legislation that would be a misinterpretation of the Bible wouldn't it no what James is saying is this not that there is no place for human legislation but rather that the foundation of all such legislation is in the revealed law of God what legal Scholars refer to and many contemporary Scholars disdain now as being natural law which is actually Supernatural law [00:09:42]

Human courts may get it right human courts may get it wrong But ultimately the judge of all the Earth will do right because God is the only one who is able to detect absolutely accurately to convict with absolute Authority and to punish with absolute fairness God Alone and that incidentally and in passing is why the foundations of civil liberty in this nation and the fundamental place of the Ten Commandments is so vehemently opposed by those who reject God and his authority [00:11:00]

Judge nothing before the appointed time wait till the Lord comes he will bring Delight what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts and at that time each will receive his praise from God now that kind of expression is I think grounded in what James is making clear here in the 12th verse the absurdity of taking upon ourselves a prerogative which is God's alone should not be missed hence the closing sentence but you who are you to judge your neighbor [00:14:49]

It is an absurdity it is an utter futility it is a rash presumption it is infinitely pathetic that we should not only demand to be heard but that we should seek to assume the judge's place and rush to judgments unfounded and unwarranted and all on our own as if somehow or another we are able to judge even the motives of one another's hearts well I think that's what these verses are addressing [00:15:46]

The longer I live the more I feel the importance of adhering to the rules which I have laid down for myself which are as follows number one to hear as little as possible what is to the Prejudice of others to believe nothing of the kind until I am absolutely forced to it three never to drink into the spirit of one who circulates an ill report four always to moderate as far as I can the unkindness which is expressed towards others five always to believe that if the other side were heard a very different account would be given of the matter and he used to say to his friends let us sit upon the seat of love instead upon this upon the seat of judgment [00:20:27]