James 4:11-17
11: Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against 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.
12: 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?
13: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
14: Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
15: Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
16: But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
17: Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
James continued his thoughts on the conflicts and quarrels among them, their dabbling in worldly lusts, and the arrogance that goes with all that. After calling for their repentance, submission to God, resisting the devil, and humbling themselves before the Lord, he said not to speak against one another. If you speak against your brother or judge him, you are speaking against and judging the law. Which law? The law of love—the Gospel of Christ.
He told them if they broke that law, they were making a judgment against it. They were saying it was not right, and they didn’t need to keep it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the one who decides right from wrong—what is lawful and what is not. Who are you, James asked, to judge your neighbor, and in so doing make a condemning judgment on God’s law? James was confronting their arrogance head on. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). We need to remember our place compared to Him—the only Righteous Judge of all things.
James also addressed assumptions they made in planning their lives. They would plan to go somewhere for a year to do business and didn’t consider the Lord’s will. They just made plans and assumed they could do as they wished—make some money and go on with life as usual. James said they had no idea what tomorrow would hold. Life on Earth is but a vapor. Instead, they should say, ‘If the Lord wills we will do this or that,’ rather than making presumptions and plans, and then boasting in them. It’s all evil James said.
To know the right thing to do and not do it is sin. Control of the tongue, seeking heavenly wisdom, being a peacemaker, proper motives in prayer, resisting evil, humbling ourselves before God, not opposing Him in His laws, acknowledging Him in all our plans—these are the right things to do.
12: 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?
13: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
14: Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
15: Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
16: But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
17: Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
***
James continued his thoughts on the conflicts and quarrels among them, their dabbling in worldly lusts, and the arrogance that goes with all that. After calling for their repentance, submission to God, resisting the devil, and humbling themselves before the Lord, he said not to speak against one another. If you speak against your brother or judge him, you are speaking against and judging the law. Which law? The law of love—the Gospel of Christ.
He told them if they broke that law, they were making a judgment against it. They were saying it was not right, and they didn’t need to keep it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the one who decides right from wrong—what is lawful and what is not. Who are you, James asked, to judge your neighbor, and in so doing make a condemning judgment on God’s law? James was confronting their arrogance head on. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). We need to remember our place compared to Him—the only Righteous Judge of all things.
James also addressed assumptions they made in planning their lives. They would plan to go somewhere for a year to do business and didn’t consider the Lord’s will. They just made plans and assumed they could do as they wished—make some money and go on with life as usual. James said they had no idea what tomorrow would hold. Life on Earth is but a vapor. Instead, they should say, ‘If the Lord wills we will do this or that,’ rather than making presumptions and plans, and then boasting in them. It’s all evil James said.
To know the right thing to do and not do it is sin. Control of the tongue, seeking heavenly wisdom, being a peacemaker, proper motives in prayer, resisting evil, humbling ourselves before God, not opposing Him in His laws, acknowledging Him in all our plans—these are the right things to do.
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