Of Slander, Judgment, and Discernment

On Sunday, I led the Bible study at my church. My text was James 4:11-12:

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against 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 only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

The passage dealt with the sticky problem of slander and judging one another. The Bible has much to say about the use of human judgment with regard to others and their actions, and so our discussion was interesting. Where is the line between right judgment and slander?

1) First, I began by pointing out what slander is NOT:

Church Discipline - "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matthew 18:15-17

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him. Titus 3:10

Testing Teaching By Scripture - Now these Jews [in Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:11

From these passages and many more, we as Christians have a mandate to watch over one another and to correct them when their teaching or behavior crosses the line into sin. James is not forbidding such discernment.

2) We then discussed what slander and evil talk IS:

Lying about one another – “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Leviticus 20:16

Gossip – “For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish--that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” 2 Corinthians 12:20

Talk Designed To Hurt Others, Not Build Them Up - Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Romans 15:2

3). We studied another clue to answering the question - the beginning of verse 12: There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. So - why is God the only rightful judge?

1) He is our Creator. He owns us and may do as He pleases with us.
2) He is the only God. There is no other.
3) God is the only one who can see and know the thoughts and character of a man's heart. Thus, He is the only one who can judge accurately.
4) As God, He is the only one who has the power of eternal life or punishment. No one else, even if they did know a man's heart, could enforce their judgment.

So it comes to this. How may we, as Christians, exercise right judgment and discernment, especially in the areas of church discipline and discernment of new teaching, without crossing the line into slander?

I boiled it down to three basic differences between right discernment and sinful judgment. These can be framed as three questions every Christian should ask himself as he exercises judgment on something:

I. What is my motive?

A wrong motive would be selfish:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. (James 4:1-2)

And / or a wrong motive seeks to hurt another person:

See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

On the contrary, a pure and rightful motive seeks to build one another up:

... let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:20)

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 18:15)

II. By what standard am I judging?

Or, put another way, am I submitting to the same standard I would have the other submit to? Failure to do so is hypocrisy, the sin Jesus condemned:

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:2-5)

This hypocrisy results when we arrogantly presume that we are above the law, and that it does not apply to us:

The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (James 4:11b-12a)

Rather, we should humbly submit to an objective and higher authority: God --

Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. (James 4:6-7)

-- as He has revealed in His Word:

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

III. Am I judging actions or the heart?

Man has no capacity to peer into one's heart:

For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

And we are prohibited from basing judgment on mere appearance or outward impressions:

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4)

Rather, Jesus tells us that one's actions and behaviour - deeds, NOT appearances or assumptions about motive - are proper evidence for judgment:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20)

Christians are not prohibited from making any judgments at all. The famous phrase, "Judge not, lest ye be judged," is found in the same chapter - Matthew 7 - as His command to beware of false prophets and to know them by their fruits

Rather, we are commanded,

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)