James 4:11 - Meaning and Application

In this part of the chapter, James warns against the sin of speaking evil about others: “Do not speak evil of one another, brothers” (James 4:11). The Greek word means speaking in a way that hurts or harms another person. We should not say harmful things about others, even if they are true, unless there is a real need and proper reason. Much less should we spread false reports, or repeat things we only think may be false. Our words must be ruled by kindness as well as truth and fairness.

Solomon says that the good woman “opens her mouth with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26). That should also be true of every true Christian. James gives several reasons for this warning. First, Christians are brothers and sisters, so they should not damage each other’s reputation. If we cannot speak well of a brother or sister, it is better to stay silent than to speak evil.

We should not enjoy making known other people’s faults, especially when the faults are private. We should not make small faults seem larger than they are, and least of all should we invent stories about people who are innocent. Doing this only helps the world hate and persecute believers more. Christians belong to the same cause, so they must not weaken one another with careless speech. As James says, “Consider that you are brothers.”

Second, speaking evil of a brother is also speaking against the law. “He who speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law” (James 4:11). The law of Moses says, “You shall not go around as a gossip among your people” (Leviticus 19:16). The law of Christ says, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Both laws teach the same thing, that people should love one another. So a slandering tongue is really condemning God’s law and Christ’s command when it speaks against a neighbor.

James’s readers were especially prone to harsh speech because they differed over matters that were not essential, such as food and days (Romans 14). James’s point is that if someone judges a brother over something God has left undecided, that person is really judging the law itself. It is as if he thinks God did wrong by leaving that matter open. We should be careful not to judge the law, because “the law of the Lord is perfect.” If someone truly breaks the law, leave that judgment to God. If he does not break it, we must not judge him.

This is a serious sin because it forgets our place. We are supposed to be doers of the law, not judges over it. The one who sins this way is not acting like a servant under the law, but like a judge above it. He has taken a place that does not belong to him, and that pride will bring trouble in the end. Those who are quickest to judge the law are often the ones who obey it the least.

Third, God alone has reserved the final judgment of people to himself: “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:12). This does not mean that rulers and governments may not make laws, or that people may ignore human laws. It means that God is the highest Lawgiver. He alone has authority over the conscience, and he alone must be obeyed absolutely.

His right to make laws cannot be challenged, because he also has the power to enforce them. He is able to save and to destroy in a way no one else can. He can fully reward those who obey him, and punish all who refuse. He can save the soul and make it happy forever, or he can cast into hell after death. For that reason, he must be feared and obeyed as the great Lawgiver, and judgment must be left with him.

Since there is one Lawgiver, no person or group should claim the right to bind consciences with rules of their own. As James has warned against being many masters, he now warns against being many judges. We should not lay down harsh rules for our brothers and sisters, and we should not condemn them. God’s law is enough for all of us, so we must not set up our own opinions as if they were binding on everyone. “There is one Lawgiver.”

James then turns to another danger, presumptuous confidence about the future and careless planning as if life were certain. He says, “Come now,” an old way of speaking meant to get attention. It is as if he says, “Look here, and think about this.” He is speaking to people who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city, stay there a year, trade, and make a profit” (James 4:13). He wants them to stop and consider their words and plans.

Careful reflection on what we say and do would show us many sins we often slip into without noticing. There were people then who spoke as many do now, making plans for business and success while leaving Providence out of the picture. Worldly people often let earthly goals take over their thoughts. We should therefore guard against becoming too set on anything in this world.

James also shows how much people’s happiness is built on promises they make to themselves in advance. Their minds are full of bright hopes about what they will do, become, and enjoy later on. Yet they cannot be sure of time itself, or of any of the things they imagine for themselves. So it is a foolish thing to expect anything good in the future without God’s care and direction.

James now turns from rebuking their wrong attitude to correcting their way of thinking and living. People made plans as if they could count on reaching a city like Antioch, Damascus, or Alexandria, the major trade centers of that time. But how could they know they would even get there? Anything might stop the trip, send them another way, or end their life on the road.

Even if they reached the city they planned for, they still could not be sure they would stay there. Something might force them to leave sooner than expected. And even if they stayed as long as they intended, they could still fail in business. They might be sick, or they might not find the buyers or sellers they expected, and even then they might lose money instead of gain it.

All of this shows how frail, short, and uncertain life is. That should check the pride of people who make bold plans for the future. James says, "What is your life?" It is only a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears (James 4:14). God has wisely kept us in the dark about future events, and even about how long we will live.

We know what we mean to do tomorrow, but many things can stop us. We are not even sure of life itself, because it is like a vapor, something you can see for a moment but cannot hold. We can mark the exact time of the sun’s rising and setting, but we cannot fix the time when a mist will vanish. So our life is, in this world, only for a little while, and then it disappears. Since this life is so uncertain, we should prepare for the life to come.

We are also taught to keep a constant sense that our life and all our actions depend on God’s will. "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that" (James 4:15). James has just corrected them, and now he shows them a better way. We should say this in our hearts at all times, and with our mouths when fitting, especially in prayer. We should mean it, not repeat it as a formal habit, but speak with reverence and seriousness.

It is good to say this when speaking to other people, but it is necessary to say it to ourselves in everything we do. The Greeks even used words like "with God’s leave and blessing" at the start of their work. We must remember, first, that our times are not in our own hands, but in God’s hands. We live as long as he appoints, and under the conditions he appoints, so we must be willing to submit to him even in life itself.

Second, if the Lord wills, we shall do this or that. All our plans and actions are under heaven’s control. Our minds may be full of concerns and plans. We may decide to do this or that for ourselves, our family, or our friends. Yet providence, meaning God’s wise rule over events, can break our plans and scatter our schemes. So both our plans and our actions should be fully given over to God.

We are also warned to avoid empty boasting, because it is not just weak, it is sinful. "You boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil" (James 4:16). These people expected life, success, and great things in the world without a proper regard for God. Then they bragged about what they meant to do. That is the way worldly people often act, boasting about successes, and often even about plans before they know whether they will succeed.

How common it is for people to boast about things they have no right to claim, except their own pride and self-confidence. James says such rejoicing is evil, because it is foolish and harmful. It is a great sin in God’s sight, it brings disappointment on the person, and in the end it leads to destruction. But if we rejoice in God, because our times are in his hand, all events are under his rule, and he is our covenant God, then that rejoicing is good. In that case, God’s wisdom, power, and care are all working for our good.

Finally, James teaches that in all our conduct we should live up to what we know is right. Whether we are dealing with God or with people, we must not act against our own conscience. "To the one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). This is increased guilt, sin with added weight, because the person sins against clear knowledge and against his own conscience.

This fits right after the command to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." Some might say, "That is obvious. Everyone knows we depend on almighty God for life, breath, and everything else." Then remember this, if you know it, and still act as if you did not, your guilt is greater. To know what is right and not do it is sin, and a serious one.

Omissions are sins too, not just open acts of wrongdoing. The person who fails to do the good he knows he should do will be judged, just as the person who does the evil he knows he should not do. So we must make sure our conscience is rightly informed, and then we must obey it faithfully and steadily. If our hearts do not condemn us, then we have confidence before God, but if we say, "We see," and do not live accordingly, our sin remains (John 9:41).