Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 60th. Edition.
Dear Friends of Jesus,
We return to the theme of speech and the tongue (James 4:11-12) yet again. This constant repetition underlines the importance of the subject matter. We would do well to pay close attention. Speak no evil (v. 11). The evil speech here is also called judgment. This echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5 about judging others. Put in modern-day language, Jesus is saying, “Before you remove the speck of sawdust from your brother’s eye, remove the electricity pole from yours.” Jesus is not saying that we should not call sin out when we see it. He is saying rather that we should be conscious of our own sinfulness and not judge others from a pedestal of righteousness.
James expands this by saying that when we judge others, we judge the law. What that means is that we decide how the law applies. In other words, we become the standard on the interpretation of the law. Knowing that we are not perfect should sober us up so that we approach the sin of another with caution (Galatians 6:1). Speaking about the faults of another person will not help us or them. We could speak instead to the person involved. But when we speak to others, we have judged and become the “holier than thou” hypocrite.
Surrender to the Judge (v. 12). God is the lawgiver and judge. We should reference everything to him and obviously when we do that, we will find ourselves wanting. We have no right to sit in judgment on others because the eternal Judge will not fail. The point is the focus. When we focus on the faults of others, we lose sight of our own.
When we focus on God, we cannot ignore our faults. Turn your eyes away from your irritating neighbor and on to God. You will be shocked at the reflection.
Your loving Pastor Chris.