Jeff, listener of the podcast, writes in to ask this. Dear Pastor John, what is James talking about in James 4.11 about not speaking evil against a brother? How do we do this, or rather, how do we avoid doing this? I love that question because it just goes right to a verse which is troubling, troubling to me, and says, "Okay, let's deal with it.

What does it mean? How do we apply this in life?" Which is what I want most of my life to be. I want to hear God speak. I want to understand what He says. I want to apply it to my life. I want to honor Him. So I'm glad Jeff asked the question.

Here's the text. Let me read it. Not everybody will know the context. So just a couple of verses. James 4.10 and 11. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another." So that's what he's asking about. What does that mean? Should never criticize anybody?

Should never call anybody to account? I mean, I think that's what's behind the question. How do you... What does that mean, "Do not speak evil against one another"? "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're not a doer of the law but a judge." So that's the context.

And I see in that context two clues that help me define how James means for us to apply "do not speak evil against one another." The first clue is the connection with humility in verse 10. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. Do not speak evil." So it seems to me that there's a connection there between speaking evil being a fruit or an overflow of a proud spirit.

And a humble spirit would not do what he's telling us not to do. So that's first clue, connection with humility. Second clue is the connection with judging. He puts them side by side and he explains what he means by speaking evil in connection with judging. "The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother." So there's that link.

And the reason that feels important to me is because I know what Jesus said, and James is regularly quoting Jesus in the book of James, or at least alluding to him. I know what Jesus did with that in Matthew 7. So let me read that, and that's going to shed light back on James 4.

"Judge not that you not be judged. 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?" See, here this issue of humility again. Somebody's so proud they can't even see the log in their own eye, and they're going about doing eye surgery on somebody with a speck.

So pride and humility are an issue here. And then he says, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you'll see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." There's this connection with humility, and the key to not judging what Jesus means by it is humility.

First take the log out of your own eye, then you see clearly to take the speck. So it's not wrong to notice that there is a speck in your brother's eye. It's not wrong to want to point it out, some flaw in him, which would be negative speaking. Is that what James is excluding?

Jesus doesn't say so. It's not wrong to want to take the speck if your heart is right, and you're humbling yourself before him and becoming his servant, not his judge, not his condemning accuser. So that's exactly the way Paul deals with it in Galatians 6. One, he says, "If anyone is caught in any transgression," so we do catch people.

We catch ourselves. We're caught. We catch others. And so there are negative things we have to say in situations. "When you're caught in any transgression or when you catch someone, you who are spiritual, restore him in a spirit of gentleness." Now there's humility again. There's getting the log out of your own eye.

"Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted." So in other words, it's right to make judgments about someone if they're caught in a transgression. It's not wrong to say to someone, "You're wrong. You're transgressing. Do you see what you're doing?" And to call them to account. But the issue is, are we speaking the truth and are we humbling ourselves first, realizing we could so easily be tempted, and then are we speaking for healing and for redemption, or are we just enjoying the put-down?

Are we enjoying the gossip? And so speaking evil is the opposite of that. So my answer to what James 4:11 is getting at in not speaking evil when it's lined up alongside not judging is not that it's the absence of all negative assessment of others. That just won't work.

You can't obey lots of commands in the Bible if you exclude negative assessments of others. It's not the absence of all criticism or admonition or warning. It's the absence of all judgment and all criticism and warning. And so it's a failure to realize that we, too, are sinners and that the grace that's been shown to us in Christ should govern our speaking about others and our speaking to others.

And that's what I think James is getting at when he says, "Don't speak evil of others." Yeah, excellent. Good. Thank you, Pastor John. And tomorrow we'll be talking about disciplining children and who should take the lead on that discipline in a two-parent home, should it be mom or dad, and how do various situations play into that decision.

Until then, check out DesiringGod.org to find thousands of books, sermons, articles, and blog posts from John Piper, all free of charge to you. I'm your host, Tony Ranke. See you tomorrow. DesiringGod.org DesiringGod.org