11 speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?

In reading these words we are at once reminded of the Sermon on the Mount: "Judge not, that ye be not judged. . . . And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"; or we recall the Epistle to the Romans: "But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? . . .for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God." But not only do they reflect the teachings of Jesus and of Paul; they are also vitally related to what has been said by James. He has rebuked the abuse of the tongue which is employed in criticizing our brethren; he has exposed the pride of false "wisdom" which leads us to form unjust judgments; he has rebuked the selfish desires which result in "wars" and contention and which make us untrue to God; he now warns us against censoriousness as usurping the place of God as lawgiver and judge.

"Speak not one against another," We cannot avoid forming opinions of our fellow men, but these should not be unjust or unkind; and, whether good or bad, opinions need not always be expressed. It is the love of finding fault which James here rebukes. It is the same sin which is censured by Jesus and by Paul, but the condemnation is on different grounds. Jesus intimates the folly of finding fault with those who are probably much better than ourselves; Paul censures the presumption of correcting one who is not your servant and who must answer to the divine Master to whom he belongs; James argues that evil-speaking and censoriousness involvee a breach of the law, an actual repudiation of the law: "He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law." Of course the law to which James refers is the law of love, "the royal law," "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." One who is unkind in his criticisms not only breaks this law, but he condemns it as too high in its requirements or as unwise or unnecessary; he says in effect that he is superior to the law of love; he seems to argue that while it may be a good law for some people at some times, a superior person like himself cannot be bound by it, particularly in this imperfect world where some people need to be disciplined by his severe rebukes and punished by his stinging tongue. James intimates that, to say the least, it is better to keep the law of love than to try to find exceptions to its universal obligation. Most serious of all, such an attitude toward the law and toward other persons as is involved in censoriousness is invading the rights and prerogatives of God; he alone is the source of law, he alone is qualified to condemn men: "One only is the lawgiver and judge"; he allows no one to cancel his laws or to debate his decisions. The right is based upon his unique power; he "is able to save and to destroy"; he who can determine the fate of immortal souls is qualified to pronounce sentence upon them.

By way of contrast, James asks, "But who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?" What superior virtue, power, holiness, wisdom do you possess? A humble searching of our own hearts removes all eagerness to criticize and condemn others. "Love covereth a multitude of sins"; love "beareth all things"; "love suffereth long, and is kind."