“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.” – James 4:11
Throughout Christianity and Baptist circles, there’s a lot of judgment going on. We have to be careful as Christians not to speak evil of our brother. In James 4, we find this concept of name-calling and judgmental speaking that needs to be addressed head-on.
Here’s what I want you to do: Think of the sin you hate the most, the sin you would never do. Now treat name-calling and speaking evil of others as equivalent to that sin. That’s how serious this is.
Who Appointed You Judge?
There are some concepts we need to understand. The first and most important question is: Who is the judge? If you think you are the judge, you are saying you are above the law.
Now at first glance you may think James is talking about the Old Testament law. But James is actually talking about the second law, the greater law—the law of liberty:
“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” – James 2:12
The Bible speaks of two testaments: the law of Moses (the Ten Commandments plus other laws) and the law of liberty (the law of grace). What’s interesting today is we have Christians speaking evil of God’s grace.
Listen to how this sounds:
- “I can’t believe that person showed up in church wearing that…”
- “Did you hear about so-and-so?”
- “I can’t even believe that person is saved if they believe this doctrine or that doctrine.”
- “If I was God, I wouldn’t allow this or that to go on.”
- “I can’t believe a Christian did this or that. I wonder if they’re even saved.”
- “How can God save someone like that?”
But each one of us has to ask ourselves: Are we a doer of the law of liberty? Do we need the grace of God in our life? If so, we are not the judge. We can’t judge God’s forgiveness, God’s rewards, or God’s love.
The Parable That Exposes Our Hearts
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 20 that perfectly illustrates this problem. It’s about workers in a vineyard who were hired at different times throughout the day:
- Early morning (6:00 AM) – worked 12 hours
- Third hour (9:00 AM) – worked 9 hours
- Sixth hour (12:00 noon) – worked 6 hours
- Ninth hour (3:00 PM) – worked 3 hours
- Eleventh hour (5:00 PM) – worked only 1 hour
Here’s what shocked everyone: They all received the same pay—one penny, which was a full day’s wage.
This is a picture of salvation. Some people come to Christ early in life. Some come in middle age. Some come on their deathbed. But they all receive the same salvation. They all get eternal life. They all go to the same heaven.
The thief on the cross who got saved in his last moments received the same salvation as the apostle Paul who served God for decades. That’s grace.
The workers who started at 6 AM thought they deserved more because they worked longer. But the householder had agreed to pay them a penny, and that’s exactly what he paid them. He didn’t cheat them. He gave them exactly what he promised.
But here’s where we get into trouble as Christians. We start thinking:
- “I’m a pastor and they’re not—where’s my extra reward?”
- “Why do I have to do right when those around me are doing wrong?”
- “I don’t think God should bless that person with everything they’re doing wrong.”
Be really careful what you’re saying here. You cannot come to God and demand He doesn’t forgive someone who doesn’t serve Him as much as you do.
The Danger of Lordship Salvation
There’s a false doctrine in Christianity called Lordship Salvation. It says that if you don’t bear fruit as they think you should bear fruit as a Christian, you must not be saved. It claims God doesn’t just have to be your Savior; He has to be your Lord. It says it’s not just faith—there has to be works.
I fight against this doctrine because as a young man, while I was still at home, I did some things that were not right after salvation, and my mom said, “I can’t believe you are saved. A saved person doesn’t do that.”
Listen, that’s right—a saved person shouldn’t do that. But it happens.
- Drinking—a saved person shouldn’t do that
- Smoking—a saved person shouldn’t do that
- Pornography—a saved person shouldn’t do that
- Gambling—a saved person shouldn’t do that
- Addictions of all types—shouldn’t have any place in a Christian’s life
- Obesity, adultery, divorce, abuse—none of these should be there
God wants to deliver His people from these things. But what we must remember is that salvation came to us in spite of these things.
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” – Romans 5:20
Jesus told this parable to teach an important lesson: Don’t serve God because of what you think you deserve. Serve God because of His grace. The fact of the matter is everyone deserves hellfire, and we have found the way God has provided to escape that.
Let me show you three truths from this parable that every Christian needs to understand.
I. God’s Grace Is Not Based on Our Merit
God didn’t save the thief on the cross because of what the thief was going to do for Him—it was simply and purely love.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9
The Danger of Entitlement
The workers who started early in the day had an entitlement mentality. They thought they deserved more because they had worked longer. They were comparing themselves to themselves—and the Bible calls that unwise. We must compare ourselves to Christ.
This is a dangerous attitude for Christians to have. When we start thinking that God owes us something because of our service, we’ve lost sight of grace. When we start comparing ourselves to other Christians and feeling like we deserve more, we’ve become prideful.
“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” – Luke 17:10
Jesus said that even when we’ve done everything God commanded us to do, we’re still unprofitable servants. We’ve only done our duty.
God doesn’t owe us anything for doing our duty. He doesn’t owe us recognition. He doesn’t owe us rewards. He doesn’t owe us blessing. Everything He gives us is grace—even the rewards for our labors are still based on the grace of God.
II. God’s Grace Always Gives More Than We Deserve
The second truth we see in this parable is that God’s grace is generous beyond what we could ever expect or deserve.
“And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.” – Matthew 20:4
God’s obligation is to give what is right. But His grace is more bountiful. Even after salvation, if God only gave you what is right, we would be in sorry shape. But God does exceeding and abundant things because He’s a graceful God.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” – Ephesians 3:20
We cannot be selfish or jealous of God’s grace in others’ lives. Listen, God keeps me on a tight leash because of James 4:17: “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” God does not let me get too far from Him before He yanks my chain. But that is my relationship with God, and that’s what I need to worry about—me and God.
“Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” – Matthew 20:15
But sometimes as Christians we look at something and think, “I can’t believe God doesn’t step in and punish that person.” Do we despise the longsuffering of God? “Well, it doesn’t seem fair.”
It’s not fair with God—if it was fair, every one of us would be in hell.
What we want is for it to be not fair enough that we don’t go to hell, but fair enough that everyone we look at gets what’s coming to them. But what you’re truly saying is, “God, I am better at deciding what’s right and wrong than You are.”
That’s the same sin from the Garden of Eden—wanting to be like God, knowing good and evil.
III. God’s Grace Exposes Our Heart
Here’s the last thing about the grace of God: it goes right to the heart. It peels back any good Christian facade and shines directly upon a wicked heart.
“And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” – Matthew 20:11-12
The workers who started early murmured. They complained. They were upset. And their complaint reveals what was really in their hearts: pride, envy, and a spirit of comparison.
Pride
As Christians, we are all on equal footing at the foot of the cross.
Envy
We get bitter when someone gets a blessing instead of rejoicing. We get older brother syndrome—”Well, I have been here working hard, and where is mine?”
Some might even think, “Well, if I can get away with sinning, maybe I just should.” But maybe God won’t let you get away with it.
Comparison Between Believers
This is so dangerous:
- “Oh, this person had something in his life before he got saved.”
- “Oh, as a Christian, that person got divorced.”
- “Oh, this person believes this or that wrong doctrine.”
Now, I know there is a time and place for separation because of wrong doctrine. I don’t think I want someone preaching another gospel in the pulpit. But if the purpose of judging doctrine is to puff yourself up, you have to be careful. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
What’s the purpose behind us speaking evil of one another? Are you not happy with what God has given you? Then go to the Master. Don’t talk evil of one another. Don’t murmur and complain.
The Bottom Line
I want to end the message the same place James ended it:
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” – James 4:17
If someone is doing wrong, it’s a sin. Plain and simple—we don’t sugar coat it, gloss over it, or sweep it under the rug. But what is our attitude as Christians?
We don’t see God sending a lightning bolt from heaven to strike them dead. And so we believe we have to be the vengeance of God. We have to be a harbinger of righteousness.
God doesn’t need us to bring justice to the world or to our brother and sister in Christ. Vengeance belongs to God, and He will repay. And as a Christian, I can sin by speaking evil of a brother or sister.
You say, “But I am in the right and they are in the wrong.” Maybe so. But if we let pride, envy, and comparison get in, if we go against this verse in James, we have just put ourselves in the wrong—and two wrongs don’t make it right. That’s the devil’s math.
If a person is doing wrong and I do wrong because that person is doing wrong, all there is now is two people in the wrong.
God says to us: Don’t let your eye be evil because God is good.
We all need the grace of God. If you need it, you can’t be the judge of it. That’s what James is saying. Let’s be doers of the law of liberty—the law of grace—and stop speaking evil of one another.
Have you found yourself judging other believers instead of extending grace? The same grace that saved you is the same grace working in their lives. Before you speak evil of a brother or sister in Christ, remember: you’re not the judge—God is. And His grace is sufficient for all of us.