A Pertinent Question

My reading this morning was James 4:11-12:

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver,who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

When reading the epistle of James, we should keep in mind that James grew up with the Lord and saw perfect, divine behaviour first-hand. The word Christian means ‘little Christ’, therefore we are to imitate Christ’s walk as revealed in the New Testament and we are grateful to James for these practical guidelines.

The Lord never spoke evil of anyone, yet He knew the intents of people’s hearts. He only spoke righteous words of judgement against the hypocritical religious leaders of the day with divine authority. The whole area of church discipline is another matter, but we as believers are not to judge. We often jump to wrong conclusions without knowing the full details. There is always a reason why people act the way they do.

When we judge, we elevate ourselves to the rank of Judge and Lawgiver i.e. God Himself. Therefore James’ question should topple us off that pedestal.

WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ANOTHER?

Comments

The Mystery that is Macedonia

When I first came to Macedonia on a visit in 2001, I found this little country so intriguing and breathtakingly beautiful that I happily accepted the invitation to return for a longer period. That ‘longer period’ has now extended itself to several years during which I have had many enriching, memorable experiences. I thought it might be interesting to jot down a few observations about the difference in culture. I appeal to my Macedonian readers not to misunderstand my intentions. What I have observed are customs and habits which are as normal to you as breathing and sleeping, but to someone from an entirely different culture, they are both interesting and noteworthy. It is always thrilling for me to explore how various nations function and it is nothing short of a privilege to experience a foreign culture first-hand. Hospitality Macedonians are a friendly, hospitable people. I do not know how many times they have almost literally killed me with kindness. Indeed, I have often...

Is Belief In God Blind Faith?

Stephen Hawking famously said: There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark. Comparing the human brain to a computer, he firmly declared his atheistic stance. Dr John Lennox’s reply to this statement turned it on its head: Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light! Who has the correct perception? Are we just living in a sphere of darkness without God or can we find evidence for God’s light and creatorial power? Evidence for God’s existence The order and design of creation. This is the most compelling sign in my opinion. I cannot look at the beauty and detail of creation without marvelling at the Creator. In the 1980s theoretical biologist, Dr Hans Meinhardt, began to wonder how the beautiful patterns of shells formed. As he researched, he discovered that the rules which govern the formation of the patterns in nature such as leaf arrangements, sand dunes and snowflakes, were the s...

Showers of Blessing

Cyprus has not had as much rain this winter as others in the past, yet spring showers can still fall somewhat unexpectedly. How refreshing, particularly after days of high dust levels from African winds! The Bible uses the imagery of spring rain to teach us notable principles. 1. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. Deuteronomy 32:2 God desires us to be energized by His teaching and words in the same way the grass is revived by showers of rain. His Word imparts life to those who open their hearts as fertile soil for spiritual seeds. How receptive are we to God's living Word? On several occasions, the Lord added to the end of His parables the phrase, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear!' In other words, 'Pay special attention to My teaching!' We hear much around us, but do we filter out the background noise and really listen? Let his Word rain down on our souls and revive us!...

Musings

Search This Blog