Jam 4:13-14 | KingComments | STEP | . At the beginning of this chapter James had to speak about quarrels and conflicts. These are outbreaks of disputes whereby parties openly stand against one another and are hostile to each another. In the section you have now read he mentions another evil that is found among them. He addresses his readers on speaking evil of one another. That seems to be less serious than having quarrels and conflicts. Quarrels and conflicts are immediately visible. Speaking evil, however, can happen while you are enjoying a cup of coffee with another person and with an expression of concern on your face. Of course in reality there is no mention of real concern. Real concern for the brother or sister of whom you are speaking evil, would be that you yourself address him or her about that evil. Then I assume that the things you discuss really are evil. Speaking evil does not have to indicate that you speak untruth. It is about identified malpractices or statements. Nevertheless, James prohibits speaking evil of one another. If you speak evil of a brother you put him in a bad light and you exalt yourself above him. Evil is evil and you need to label it as that too, but speaking evil is a demonic action. If you see or hear something that is evil you should first consult the Lord about it and then speak with the person in question. To speak against a brother is both speaking against the law and judging the law that condemns the evil ( ). The law has to condemn the evil, but due to your slander it has no chance to do that. You keep the right to yourself and you arrogate yourself as a judge of the evil. By keeping the law outside the evil and making your own judgment on the evil, you speak evil of the law and you exalt yourself as a judge. You judge the law as not being able to judge and in that way you contempt the law of God. Then you accept, instead of obeying the law, a self-made law as a standard for the judgment of the evil. . You not only set aside the law of God and take the place of the law, but you even take the place of God as the “Lawgiver and Judge”. That is a far-reaching arrogance. After all, God is sovereign (cf. ), for only He is able to save and to destroy. He saves on the basis of the work of His Son, but He will also destroy everyone who rejects His Son. That is the context in which you should see the question: “Who are you who judge your neighbor?” Therefore every arrogance to judge one’s fellow man must shrivel in the face of the majesty of God as Lawgiver and Judge and as Savior and Destroyer. It is also important to consider that it is not about judging public evil. The point here is judging one another and speaking evil of one another . Besides, we also cannot and are even not supposed to judge the motivations of one another ( ; ). What James is saying is not in contrast to judging the evil in the church. There we are supposed to judge public evil ( ). . In view of others, James admonished not to speak evil and not to judge. In that way he rebukes the wrong attitude of his readers as people who always arrogate themselves to know best. With this attitude they reveal a spirit of exaltation above others. That independent spirit also expresses itself in another way in their life and that is in their own life with regard to the plans they make. They make plans to which city or cities they will travel to do business and of course to make profit as much as they possibly could. Jews always have been a trading people. They always seek for profit. Therefore they travel from city to city. Trading and making profit are not wrong in themselves. In an allegory the Lord Jesus uses trading, doing business, as an occupation that happens for His sake ( ). Therefore it cannot be wrong. The wrong thing about it is making plans for the future in the spirit of independence, thus without specifically involving God’s will in our plans. That is what James is telling his Jewish readers whom in such a way were driven by their trading spirit, that they forgot their dependence on the Lord. . James warns against the arrogant illusion that we ourselves control the future. We even do not have the next second at our disposal. We are to be aware that life is ephemeral and fragile. It has to be a sobering lesson to people, who think to have control over their life, when James compares their life with a vapor. A vapor you see a short moment, but then it has disappeared, dissolved. There is nothing left that has the slightest meaning. That is the significance of the life of the people of the world and also of those who confess to belong to God’s people, but without considering the will of the Lord. If you heed the will of the Lord, your life is not a vapor. The life of the Lord Jesus was not a vapor and also the life of God’s children is not a vapor, at least if they behave themselves as children of God. If you heed the will of the Lord, you are engaged with the works the Lord has for you ( ). These works will follow you through all eternity ( ). By heeding the will of the Lord you will sow the seed now of which you will find the fruit again in eternity. But life is short. Moses speaks about life as if it is a sleep ( ). When we sleep the morning comes quickly. David speaks about life as a shadow that lengthens ( ). Down in the East it gets dark quickly. To Job life is equal to a swift turning weaver’s shuttle ( ). Peter compares life to grass that today is on the field and tomorrow is thrown in an oven ( ). We can live our short life on earth only once. The big question we could ask ourselves is: what do we do with it, who do we live for? If we realize that our ‘service time’ is that short, it will be an encouragement to do what is good for the Lord ( ). . It is not wrong to make plans. The only thing is whether they are plans made with the thought that the Lord can go along with them. You are surely allowed to make plans to travel to a certain city, only, you should do that in the awareness that it can only happen if the Lord gives you the strength and preservation to do that. In making these plans we should always consider: “If the Lord wills.” You see that James presents it positively. He doesn’t say that we should be thinking: ‘If the Lord doesn’t want it, then He will surely not allow it to happen.’ We have a Lord Who wants to reveal His will to us, also with regard to doing business and to daily life. That also goes for making plans on behalf of the work for the Lord. You see that with Paul when he visited the church at Ephesus and then departed. When he said goodbye he said that he would come back to them, though with the addition: “If God wills” ( ). . James reprimands his readers for boasting in their “arrogance”. He is saying that it is in fact pride if they do not take God’s will into consideration. There is no consideration for unexpected changes in the plans that have been made; there is a short-sightedness regarding their own capacities. While assuming to having control over everything, there is blindness as to their own limitations and weaknesses. Boasting in your own abilities is therefore evil for two reasons. With regard to yourself it is pride and with regard to God it is a denial of His sovereignty. . In the previous verses James rebuked his readers for their wrong attitude toward one another and toward God. They now know how not to do it and can draw from that the conclusion of how to do it. Because they know how to do good they will be accountable for sinning if they neglect to do good. A person who knows how to do good but refuses to do so, makes himself guilty of the sin of negligence (cf. ). The negligence of doing good, while you know that you should do it, proves that there is a lack of grace and that your own will works. The life of the Christian does not consist of a lot of things that he is not allowed to do, but of doing good. The only way to be able to do good is by the power of the new life, in being conscious of the grace we have received and in which we are led by the Spirit. A Christian is not a kind of scout who is satisfied with committing just one good deed a day. In such a case you may wonder what he is doing the rest of the day. No, doing good is what a Christian is continuously occupied with. If we know what is good, but block the new life, which causes that it does not expresses itself, it is sin. This principle also applies to unbelievers. Many people do know that they have to repent, but they don’t do it. Each person, whether he is a believer or an unbeliever, is responsible for what he knows. That is what God will hold against him and He surely will speak with him about it on His day. Let that be an exhortation for you, if you know to do something which is good, to do so indeed. Now read James 4:11-17 again. Reflection: Which are the two aspects of life that James is dealing with in these verses? What speaks to you?

‏ James 4:13-14

Against Judging and Boasting

Jam 4:11. At the beginning of this chapter James had to speak about quarrels and conflicts. These are outbreaks of disputes whereby parties openly stand against one another and are hostile to each another. In the section you have now read he mentions another evil that is found among them. He addresses his readers on speaking evil of one another. That seems to be less serious than having quarrels and conflicts. Quarrels and conflicts are immediately visible. Speaking evil, however, can happen while you are enjoying a cup of coffee with another person and with an expression of concern on your face.

Of course in reality there is no mention of real concern. Real concern for the brother or sister of whom you are speaking evil, would be that you yourself address him or her about that evil. Then I assume that the things you discuss really are evil. Speaking evil does not have to indicate that you speak untruth. It is about identified malpractices or statements.

Nevertheless, James prohibits speaking evil of one another. If you speak evil of a brother you put him in a bad light and you exalt yourself above him. Evil is evil and you need to label it as that too, but speaking evil is a demonic action. If you see or hear something that is evil you should first consult the Lord about it and then speak with the person in question.

To speak against a brother is both speaking against the law and judging the law that condemns the evil (Lev 19:16). The law has to condemn the evil, but due to your slander it has no chance to do that. You keep the right to yourself and you arrogate yourself as a judge of the evil. By keeping the law outside the evil and making your own judgment on the evil, you speak evil of the law and you exalt yourself as a judge. You judge the law as not being able to judge and in that way you contempt the law of God. Then you accept, instead of obeying the law, a self-made law as a standard for the judgment of the evil.

Jam 4:12. You not only set aside the law of God and take the place of the law, but you even take the place of God as the “Lawgiver and Judge”. That is a far-reaching arrogance. After all, God is sovereign (cf. Rom 9:11), for only He is able to save and to destroy. He saves on the basis of the work of His Son, but He will also destroy everyone who rejects His Son. That is the context in which you should see the question: “Who are you who judge your neighbor?” Therefore every arrogance to judge one’s fellow man must shrivel in the face of the majesty of God as Lawgiver and Judge and as Savior and Destroyer.

It is also important to consider that it is not about judging public evil. The point here is judging one another and speaking evil of one another. Besides, we also cannot and are even not supposed to judge the motivations of one another (1Cor 4:5; Mt 7:1). What James is saying is not in contrast to judging the evil in the church. There we are supposed to judge public evil (1Cor 5:12-13).

Jam 4:13. In view of others, James admonished not to speak evil and not to judge. In that way he rebukes the wrong attitude of his readers as people who always arrogate themselves to know best. With this attitude they reveal a spirit of exaltation above others. That independent spirit also expresses itself in another way in their life and that is in their own life with regard to the plans they make. They make plans to which city or cities they will travel to do business and of course to make profit as much as they possibly could.

Jews always have been a trading people. They always seek for profit. Therefore they travel from city to city. Trading and making profit are not wrong in themselves. In an allegory the Lord Jesus uses trading, doing business, as an occupation that happens for His sake (Lk 19:13). Therefore it cannot be wrong. The wrong thing about it is making plans for the future in the spirit of independence, thus without specifically involving God’s will in our plans. That is what James is telling his Jewish readers whom in such a way were driven by their trading spirit, that they forgot their dependence on the Lord.

Jam 4:14. James warns against the arrogant illusion that we ourselves control the future. We even do not have the next second at our disposal. We are to be aware that life is ephemeral and fragile. It has to be a sobering lesson to people, who think to have control over their life, when James compares their life with a vapor. A vapor you see a short moment, but then it has disappeared, dissolved. There is nothing left that has the slightest meaning. That is the significance of the life of the people of the world and also of those who confess to belong to God’s people, but without considering the will of the Lord.

If you heed the will of the Lord, your life is not a vapor. The life of the Lord Jesus was not a vapor and also the life of God’s children is not a vapor, at least if they behave themselves as children of God. If you heed the will of the Lord, you are engaged with the works the Lord has for you (Eph 2:10). These works will follow you through all eternity (Rev 14:13). By heeding the will of the Lord you will sow the seed now of which you will find the fruit again in eternity.

But life is short. Moses speaks about life as if it is a sleep (Psa 90:4-5). When we sleep the morning comes quickly. David speaks about life as a shadow that lengthens (Psa 102:11). Down in the East it gets dark quickly. To Job life is equal to a swift turning weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6). Peter compares life to grass that today is on the field and tomorrow is thrown in an oven (1Pet 1:24-25).

We can live our short life on earth only once. The big question we could ask ourselves is: what do we do with it, who do we live for? If we realize that our ‘service time’ is that short, it will be an encouragement to do what is good for the Lord (1Cor 7:29-31).

Jam 4:15. It is not wrong to make plans. The only thing is whether they are plans made with the thought that the Lord can go along with them. You are surely allowed to make plans to travel to a certain city, only, you should do that in the awareness that it can only happen if the Lord gives you the strength and preservation to do that. In making these plans we should always consider: “If the Lord wills.”

You see that James presents it positively. He doesn’t say that we should be thinking: ‘If the Lord doesn’t want it, then He will surely not allow it to happen.’ We have a Lord Who wants to reveal His will to us, also with regard to doing business and to daily life. That also goes for making plans on behalf of the work for the Lord. You see that with Paul when he visited the church at Ephesus and then departed. When he said goodbye he said that he would come back to them, though with the addition: “If God wills” (Acts 18:21).

Jam 4:16. James reprimands his readers for boasting in their “arrogance”. He is saying that it is in fact pride if they do not take God’s will into consideration. There is no consideration for unexpected changes in the plans that have been made; there is a short-sightedness regarding their own capacities. While assuming to having control over everything, there is blindness as to their own limitations and weaknesses. Boasting in your own abilities is therefore evil for two reasons. With regard to yourself it is pride and with regard to God it is a denial of His sovereignty.

Jam 4:17. In the previous verses James rebuked his readers for their wrong attitude toward one another and toward God. They now know how not to do it and can draw from that the conclusion of how to do it. Because they know how to do good they will be accountable for sinning if they neglect to do good. A person who knows how to do good but refuses to do so, makes himself guilty of the sin of negligence (cf. Lev 5:1). The negligence of doing good, while you know that you should do it, proves that there is a lack of grace and that your own will works. The life of the Christian does not consist of a lot of things that he is not allowed to do, but of doing good.

The only way to be able to do good is by the power of the new life, in being conscious of the grace we have received and in which we are led by the Spirit. A Christian is not a kind of scout who is satisfied with committing just one good deed a day. In such a case you may wonder what he is doing the rest of the day. No, doing good is what a Christian is continuously occupied with.

If we know what is good, but block the new life, which causes that it does not expresses itself, it is sin. This principle also applies to unbelievers. Many people do know that they have to repent, but they don’t do it. Each person, whether he is a believer or an unbeliever, is responsible for what he knows. That is what God will hold against him and He surely will speak with him about it on His day. Let that be an exhortation for you, if you know to do something which is good, to do so indeed.

Now read James 4:11-17 again.

Reflection: Which are the two aspects of life that James is dealing with in these verses? What speaks to you?