JAMES - index 

Introduction  Lesson 1  Lesson 2  Lesson 3  Lesson 4  Lesson 5 

Lesson 6  Lesson 7  Lesson 8  Lesson 9  Lesson 10  Lesson 11

LESSON 8:

James 4:11-17

11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."

14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

15 Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."

16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.

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Key Verse:

James 4:17

"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin."

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SUBMISSION TO THE SOVEREIGN GOD

INTRODUCTION

A. Historic background

James now changes the direction of his message from "sinners" (vs. 8) to "brethren" (vs. 11). Among the people to whom the epistle is addressed, there were some who professed belief but evidenced no faith in their conduct. Others showed the results of genuine faith, but they succumbed to another fault--judging one another. It was very easy for those who considered themselves more successful overcomers to look down on others whom they considered to be "still having problems." Also, this attitude of pride led them to feel that they could determine their own course of action. They were enterprising Jews, after all. Some of them had suffered the loss of property through persecution, and now perhaps they felt they were resourceful enough to take matters into their own hands and "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps" economically. In this they felt that they could make the decision as to where they went and what they did. This attitude is contrary to humble submission to the sovereign Lordship of Christ. It is almost like Peter saying, "I'm going fishing," after seeing Jesus crucified.

B. Current background.

Pride manifests itself in these two ways today. Resourceful, self-reliant people often judge others in these two areas: ethical inferiority and lack of ability. They, of course, consider themselves superior in both categories and thus justified in categorizing others and determining their own course. This attitude creeps into the Church, causing a breach of love and alienation among believers. Love does not judge; it helps. Love does not boast; it submits and trusts.

I. You doing the judging, who are you? (4:11,12)

A. If we truly recognize the sovereignty of God, we must acknowledge that the right of judgment is His alone. Love gives our fellow-believer the benefit of the doubt. It "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:7).

B. To speak against or judge a brother is not to love him. This is a practical assertion that the one doing the judging is above the law of love, that he is not subject to it. This sets the law of love aside (so far as he is concerned), as invalid and inapplicable to him. In this he is implying that the law is not good, and therefore not to be obeyed. He thus affirms his right to set the law aside on the grounds that he is superior to it. This is judging the law, not obeying it.

C. This attitude involves a refusal to acknowledge the sovereignty of God in two respects: His right to declare what is right and to judge accordingly, and His ability to save and to execute judgment.

D. Who would dare to arrogate to himself these prerogatives? Let us "not go on passing judgment before the time..." (1 Corinthians 4:5). In Romans 14 the Scriptures speak direct to this point. Verse four speaks of God's keeping power: "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand." Again, verse ten asks, "But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." James and Paul agree.

II. When is self-reliance a sin? (4:13-17)

A. The moral base of our "Protestant work ethic" is laid in Scripture. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 commands "if anyone will not work, neither let him eat." From such principles and declarations as this we have developed a theology of personal responsibility. But from where did the "captain of my soul" arrogance come? Certainly not from Scripture.

B. True faith recognizes and accepts what God says about man--his transitoriness, his inability to foresee the future, his dependence on God. Unbelief regards none of these. The familiar story is told of the farmer who was on his way to town with a horse-drawn wagon filled with produce. On his way he met a Christian neighbor. "Hello, Zeke! Where ya' goin'?" "On my way to cash in some corn for a little sewin' material," came the reply. "You mean, the Lord willin', don't you," the Christian rejoined. "Lord willin' nuthin'," snorted the farmer, "I'll make it on my own." About an hour later the farmer came hobbling back by, ankle sprained from stepping into a hole, and his produce still unsold. "Zeke, what happened?" his surprised Christian friend asked, "Where ya' goin'?" "Home," the farmer retorted, "...the Lord willin'."

C. Life is filled with uncertainties. In fact, life itself is uncertain apart from God. As believers we recognize this and acknowledge our dependence on God. The spirit of independence from God is evil. It is selfishness.

D. This boasting misses the true definition of life. Jesus said, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (Luke 12:15).

E. James summarizes by stating the basic principle he has been demonstrating all along. Faith acts according to the law of love. If a person knows what the law of love demands and refuses to do it, he has violated that law. He has sinned. The parallel is found in Romans 14:23.

F. We notice the continued emphasis on the tongue (speech) as a primary expression of our conformity or non-conformity to the law of faith. The fourth chapter thus deals with strife, selfish praying, mourning in contrition, speaking evil of one another, and boastfulness. All involve the tongue. Certainly, "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matthew 12:34).

CONCLUSION

God is the Moral Governor of the universe. Disregard for Him includes disregard for the moral law, as it is a practical affirmation that moral law has no valid moral government to administer it and therefore it is not in effect. Likewise, disregard for the moral law includes disregard for God, as it is a practical assertion that moral government is tyranny with no sanction, a sort of "divine imperialism" or "heavenly colonialism." Ed Allen, a Seattle realtor, was a self-made man. He vowed to become a millionaire by the time he was thirty years of age. He achieved wealth and power. He felt that he controlled life, because he was the one who issued the life-sustaining paychecks to his employees. But one day his ten-year-old son drowned. Suddenly, Ed Allen realized that there was a power beyond himself that controlled life in a way that he could not, and he determined to find that power. His search (or rather, the drawing of the Holy Spirit) led him to a meeting of Christian business and professional men. After attending the third time he was asked by someone present if he had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He did so then, and Ed Allen became a fine Christian businessman. He discovered that God is sovereign, and he humbled himself before Him and found peace.

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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1. Discuss what it means to "judge" the law. What law?

2. Why is it impossible to judge the law and obey it at the same time?

3. How should we plan for the future?

4. What kind of life "vanishes away?"

5. Do believers have an absolute guarantee of long life on earth?

6. What is the meaning of the word "boast" as used in this passage?

7. How does verse seventeen relate to the context?

8. Is there such a thing as a "sin of omission" in the sense that no actual sin is committed but only a duty neglected? Why?