Sermon Tone Analysis

“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 neighbour?”[1]

Canadian Christianity is in crisis.

The reaction to this statement among most professing Christians in Canada likely would be immediate and decidedly hostile.

Nevertheless, an honest appraisal of the state of the pulpit and the condition of the membership compels such a negative assessment.

The pulpit is, for the most part, uninspiring and lacking in courage.

Pastors are unwilling or incapable of adhering to biblical truth, fearing a board or committee more than they do God.

Those occupying the pews are uncomfortable when confronted by bold prophetic preaching or with authenticity from the pulpit.

Modern Christians, priding themselves on their tolerance, are often the most judgemental people within contemporary society.

Few events are more detrimental to the cause of Christ or more destructive to the work He has assigned His people than the slander and evil speech of Christians against their brothers.

We haven’t changed much in the past two millennia.

The Christians to whom James wrote were apparently resorting to destroying one another with their tongues.

James turned from excoriating those to whom he wrote to appealing to their reason in this portion of his letter.

Join me in a sobering study of James’ admonition in order to discover what pleases the Master and to equip ourselves for His good work.

*The Divine Command* — “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.”

James had excoriated the believers to whom he wrote.

Earlier, he had said they were adulterous [verse 4], implied they were proud [verse 6] and had called them “sinners” and “double-minded” [verse 8].

Now, his language is somewhat more conciliatory, addressing them as “brothers.”

He is shifting from calls for repentance to exhortations to perform specific actions that are pleasing to God.

The first action, avoiding slanderous speech, is the focus of the message this day.

Other exhortations will follow in James’ letter, and we will consider each admonition in its turn.

The *English Standard Version* translates the Greek term James uses by the English concept of speaking evil.

The *Christian Standard Version* translates the concept by our English term “criticise.”[2]

The translators for the *New International Version* rendered the Greek word as “slander.”[3]

Kenneth Wuest felt the word was best conveyed by the concept of defamation.[4]

No doubt, each of these thoughts is communicated by James’ choice of words.

Today, slander is a legal term that implies a falsehood that damages the reputation of another individual.

The term James uses is broader than that, including gossip that injures another as well as demeaning someone or talking down to them!

One can speak the truth about another and still put them down.

Scripture requires our words to reflect love as well as truth.

David spoke of the wicked, describing them as those

 

“who whet their tongues like swords,

who aim bitter words like arrows

shooting from ambush at the blameless,

shooting at him suddenly and without fear.”

[*Psalm 64:3, 4*]

 

In another place, David prays,

 

“My soul is in the midst of lions;

I lie down amid fiery beasts—

the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.”

[*Psalm 57:4*]

 

And Asaph, speaking of the wicked, describes them thusly:

 

“They scoff and speak with malice;

loftily they threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against the heavens,

and their tongue struts through the earth.”

[*Psalm 73:8, 9*]

 

God’s Word frequently characterises the wicked as marked by caustic and calumnious speech.

This should not be surprising since the Master has taught those who are His disciples, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

These are what defile a person” [*Matthew 15:18-20*].

Immediately following his proscription, James used the same Greek term that is now translated “speaks against.”

This gives us a clue as to James’ concern.

The Greek word used implies any speaking that is prejudicial to another.

Consider some biblical proscriptions against such speech.

The speech James had in mind is that which questioned legitimate authority, as when the people of Israel “spoke against God and against Moses” [*Numbers 21:5*].

Again, it describes slandering another secretly [e.g.

*Psalm 101:5*] or levelling false accusations against one who is innocent [e.g.

*1 Peter 2:12; 3:16*].

Such verbal destruction of others is among the grave sins Paul listed when describing those who are utterly debased and degenerate [*Romans 1:30*].

We do not know for certain why evil speech such as James rebukes in this place, was a problem among these early saints, but the divisions that were wracking the churches may provide the best explanation.

James has described these divisive arguments earlier [see *James 3:13-4:3]*.

Quarrels almost always degenerate into personal attacks and judgemental attitudes.

Unfortunately, Christians are not exempt from the tendency to descend into the slimy slough of denigration and defamation of fellow believers when they disagree.

However, James compels us to acknowledge that such attacks are inappropriate for Christians.

The one who pleases God and dwells in His presence, “speaks truth in his heart,” and “does not slander with his tongue.”

Neither does she “take up a reproach against his friend” [*Psalm** 15:2b, 3*].

Through Moses, God has expressly proscribed such wicked speech.

In the Law we read, “You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people” [*Leviticus 19:16*].

The evil speech in view, both in the Law and by James, may be categorised under two headings—whispering and backbiting.

Whispering is private defamation of someone; whereas backbiting is more public, in view of others.

Each of these actions may be performed in any of several ways, not only through falsehoods, but also through divulging the secrets of others, through exaggerating their faults or depriving them of the opportunity to respond to baseless and unfair charges, or through ascribing sinister motives to their good and reasonable efforts.

When we seek to injure by exposing what is culpable in our brothers or suppress meritorious words and actions, we are just as guilty as if we had assailed them frontally.

Evil speech is the sin of those who meet in small cliques after church to destroy the good name of those who are not there to defend themselves.

No Christians should ever engage in slanderous speech; nor should such evil be tolerated either within the congregation or by a Christian receiving an evil report.

According to the Master, such false speech that seeks to injure and hinder others has its origin in hell.

Confronting the Pharisees, Jesus exposed the origin of their wicked speech when He said, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.

When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” [*John 8:44*].

Wicked though such speech is in the normal course of life, how much more horrendous is such speech when it is perpetuated by Christians or tolerated among Christians!

You who share the service today must guard yourself against slanderous speech.

Tragically, it is natural for us to engage in slanderous speech, just as it was natural for the Christians to whom James wrote.

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because he had married a woman from Ethiopia.

When God rebuked them, he asked, “Why … were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses” [*Numbers 12:8*]?

Just so, we should be afraid to speak against fellow Christians and the more so when they occupy a place to which God has appointed them within the congregation or when God has honoured them among His people.

Slander is the devil’s own sin; he is “the accuser of our brothers” [*Revelation 12:10*].

However, is anything more common among the supposed people of God than slander of their own brothers?

John the Baptist’s head on a platter is a common dish in the home of God’s people!

When our bellies are full with God’s good things, like Samson brought out to amuse the Philistines, the name of a believer is brought out in Christian gatherings.

Do we not fear God who warned, “Judge not, that you be not judged” [*Matthew 7:1*]?

Surely, God will hold us accountable and judge us because of this wickedness.

Of the wicked, God says that he will turn their own tongues against them [see *Psalm 64:8*].

Should we not imagine that He will expose the perfidy of our own heart because of our speech if we do not repent of this evil?

Certainly, you know that you must not speak evil of your brothers, but common sense would dictate that neither may you receive an evil report without severe consequences.

Whispering campaigns and backbiting may not seem evil if you do not spread the report, but receiving the slander gives tacit approval to the slanderer.

Those who destroy the reputation of others will cease their efforts if you do not give them an audience.