When Church People Speak Against One Another: Introduction and Context
The Book of James is a very short but interesting book, and last week we ended by looking at what happens when church people fight. And people in church do fight, and that's a sad thing, but that's what happens, and I hope that you have learnt much about strife and about sanctification last Sunday. Today, we are going to shift gears to look at verses 11 to 12, which says, “What happens when church people speak against one another?”

To warm you guys up, I have three simple questions or quotes or statements. They are not so easy, but let's see how you do. “Why don't people gossip during breakfast?” Not so easy, and I guess none of you would know. The answer is “They don't want to spill the beans.” It's a pun. All right, it's a pun. Let's go to the second one: “I hate it when chefs gossip about stuff. Why? Because all they do is stand around and stir the pot.” The last one: “A sign says, ‘Take steps to avoid this. Gossiping in an elevator is wrong on so many levels.’” (Audience laughs)

All right, they are corny, but it introduces us to the subject of what happens when church people speak against one another. Now I trust that those who have been with us the past few months would know that this is not the first time James is talking about the problem of speech or the issue of the tongue. You will recall that in Chapter 3, there were 12 verses, much longer than what we are studying today, that dealt with the problem of tongues. The reason is because I think the Book of James is written in a very interesting fashion. We call this a chiastic structure, meaning he starts from here, he goes to the peak, and he comes back down, maybe something like this. And right down the middle, you have this central focus that splits this book into two parts, and similar subjects are spoken on two ends.

So for example, we saw that the Book of James in Chapter 1 deals with the issue of suffering. Chapter 2, it deals with the issue of self-centeredness, because the people of God apparently are neglecting the needs of the poor, and they are showing partiality to the rich. And then in Chapter 3, we looked at the problem of speech. Chapter 3, verses 1 to 12 and verses 13 to 16, we looked at the problem of strife. They were fighting, quarreling with one another. There was bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. And so that's where we were marching towards, until Chapter 3, verses 17 to 18, where James wrote about real wisdom from above: spiritual wisdom. So that's where the pinnacle, I think, is in the structure of the Epistle of James. Then last week, we come back down in that we looked at strife. Once again, verses 1 to 10 of Chapter 4, you would see that they were quarreling and fighting. And today, we look at verses 11 to 12, speaking against one another. And of course, if you join us in the subsequent weeks, you will see the other themes reflected there too.

The Sin of Speaking Evil Against One Another
So we're looking at speech today, and in particular, when church people speak against one another. Now I'm careful not to say when Christians speak against one another, because I think throughout this book, James is really highlighting the possibility that those who call themselves Christians may not really be Christians, and that's something we got to always keep at the back of our mind. So let's keep this clear and precise––not necessarily true followers, but people who are identified as church-goers. What happens? What do we learn when we speak against one another?

So three things I’d like us to see. Number one: let's look at the sin itself. What's the problem? What's the root issue here? James says, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.” And again, “the one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother.” The word, or the words “speak evil against” or “speaks against”, really is one word in the Greek. It's “katalaleo”, which means to speak down, or to speak against, or to speak evil against. So the translations are absolutely correct and appropriate. But what we also need to see is that this word is repeated elsewhere in the Bible, and that would help us understand this word better. For example, it's repeated in 1 Peter 2, which says, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honourable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers…” Now you can clearly see that Peter is writing to his audience, telling them, “Please live a life of integrity, righteousness, of good works, so that even though the unsaved would slander you or accuse you, they cannot deny your good works.” So that word “speak against” / “katalaleo” is used here, and clearly the context is that of accusing. This word is again repeated in 1 Peter 3: “...having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” So again, “katalaleo”, but translated in our ESV “to be slandered”. So we now know how this word should be understood. These are the only times you see “katalaleo” in the Bible, James and 1 Peter. So swinging back, the sin of “katalaleo” / “speaking evil against” may include things like slander, accusations, defamations and gossips.

But there's more. We see that in this verse, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers” is supplemented with that phrase, “or judges his brother”. You see that James is enriching this concept. He's layering for us so that we may have a depth of understanding of what is “katalaleo”, or “speaking against your brother”. He says, “or judges”. The word “judges”, we think of it as a neutral word, not a bad thing, and rightly so, because the word “judges” in the Greek is the word “krino”, which can be translated in many parts of the Bible to simply mean, “discern or assess”. A judge is supposed to assess or discern a case, a legal case, whether this is truly guilty or not. But at the same time, the Bible does use the same word “krino” elsewhere to convey maybe a negative connotation of condemnation. For example, you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7: “Judge not that ye be not judged.” Now Jesus is not saying that you should never judge, because the reality is we all need to judge. We need to judge if this person is trustworthy. We need to judge if this person is someone you can do business with. We need to judge if I can hand my kids over to the care of this teacher. I need to judge if this is a true teacher of the Bible or a false teacher. We make judgments all the time. I need to look at my brethren's life, your lives, my life, so that if there be any problem, any sin, we need to help one another. So judgment is not the issue here.

Judgmentalism is the issue here. So nothing wrong to discern, but everything wrong to condemn. And certainly in this context, it is a negative context in speaking evil against and condemning someone. So there is an evil intent, maybe out of vengeance, maybe out of a grudge, maybe out of jealousy or envy, you want to put someone down, and that, I think, is the heart of the issue. So “katalaleo” here should refer to someone speaking evil against another, because there is malice, there is an evil intent to put down or to condemn. Therefore, with his lips, he goes around slandering, accusing, defaming or gossiping about someone. And this is, I think, a parallel to what we learn in Chapter 3, where James says, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” So this sin is not therefore just something you commit with your lips, but if you trace it, it is a problem of the heart. A heart that maybe is bearing grudges and bitterness. We say in Singapore “buay song” (Hokkien for not happy). You're just not happy with the other person, and you want to put that person down.

The Role of the Heart in Speech
And this is what Jesus said, isn't it? The problem is never just about here––the lips or the tongue. The problem, the source is the heart: “For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” So this is not just a problem of the lips. It's a problem of the heart. What kind of a heart? A heart that seeks to harm, to injure, to kill and to condemn. We like to kill with our words.

One of nature's great predators… What do you think it is? You can say the shark. You can say the lion. But I'll point you to something really small. It is a spider. The spider is a natural predator. Genius. It's able to spin that web. And you know, the web is an intricate thing, but the web is a trap for unknowing insects. After it has spun its web, the spider hides at the edge of the web, or sometimes in the center of the web, waiting for a prey to get entangled, and once the vibrations are sensed, the spider quickly moves over to capture the prey. What it does next is that it uses its fangs, sinking into it to inject a kind of venom, a kind of neurotoxin, to paralyse or to immobilise the insect. After that, it begins to feast on the insect. How does it feast on the insect? Similarly, it injects digestive juices into the insect, and those juices will melt all the organs and structures within into a kind of warm soup, and then it sucks it all up. That's how it feasts on the insects. That's why, when you see the insects stuck on the web, it's left with the exoskeleton. It's left with the shell, because everything is just sucked dry.

You know, you and I are like spiders, because we also like to suck the life out of people with our words. We kill with our words. We inject those words, knowingly or unknowingly, into the insects that have been entangled on our web. They look like they are still alive, but really, you have sucked the life out of them. It can be your kids; it can be your colleagues; it can be your wife; it can be your husband; it can be brothers and sisters in Christ in church. See, we can say things like, “Oh, he's just lazy and irresponsible. He'll never amount to anything.” How many kids have been killed by this? How many people have been killed by this? How many people have been killed by hearing, “She deserves what's happening to her. God is punishing her for her sins.” It's a crushing statement for someone who is going through trials and hardships. You assume the worst in someone, and you speak, I think, slanderously against someone. You judge that person. And it's discouraging, frankly, to hear these things: “Did you hear what she did last weekend? I'm not surprised she's always been like that.” No, it's not just, let me say this, not just the words you say, but the intent behind it. That's what we need to watch out for.

“He says he’s changed, but people like him don't really change.”
“Did you see what Sarah wore to church? She clearly wants attention.”

These are things you can say behind someone's back, but what about the things that you say right in his face or her face, things like, “Maybe you should look in the mirror before blaming me for everything.” Husband, wife, you get that a lot.

“You should be ashamed. God must be disappointed in you.”
“No wonder you're going through all this. It's probably God correcting you, or worse still, God punishing you.”
“Maybe if you prayed more, you wouldn't be struggling.” And lastly, “It's sad you're still stuck in that sin. I guess some people just don't grow.”

Killed many people. I have a quote here. I took it from the web, but I think the English or, there may be a typo, it is… oh, someone corrected it for me. Thank you very much!

“Words kill more than weapons.” That's correct. How many people are killed by missiles today? None here in Singapore for the past many decades, but many people have been killed by words, isn't it? We are not familiar maybe with English sayings, but some of you may be familiar with a Chinese saying: “ren2 yan2 ke3 wei4”. Simply translated: Man's words are to be feared.

It's scary when people speak. People can really break bones with their words, or maybe what Solomon said rings true, though it's written thousands of years ago: “The tongue has the power of life and also the power of death.” Now, I'd like us not to be limited to the lips, because maybe a lot of you are socially awkward. You don't talk a lot, but you type a lot, you text a lot, you message… a keyboard warrior. Well, you got to be mindful that what you type is also a reflection of the heart. That is the issue, and that is the sin we must be cognisant about. So James is talking about this sin of speaking against but let's move on.

The Severity of the Sin
Because number two, he, in these two verses, is also conveying the severity of the sin, and he conveys it in a very interesting way. Number one, he gives a hint of it in that when you speak against someone in the gathered community, you may be speaking against a brother. “A brother” is repeated three times here, I guess, to communicate how, when we speak against one another in a gathered church, we speak against a family member in Christ. So it is serious, you are speaking against God's family. Number two, we see that this is speaking against the law and judges the law. So when you speak against someone, you are somehow despising or setting aside God's law.

Now the question is, what is this law? Clearly not Singapore's legal code. Is this the whole law of the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments and the whole Bible, or is this something a little bit more specific? I think the clue is given in verse 12, where James talks about, “...who are you to judge your neighbour?” So he brings in the idea of law and neighbour. And perhaps that should ring a bell, because those who were with us earlier will remember James saying in 2:8, “...if you really fulfill the royal law.” And what is the royal law? The royal law here is “you shall love your neighbour as yourself”. Why is it royal? Because it's spoken by Jesus the King. And Jesus the King said, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” He said, there are two great laws, right? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, and the second is, love your neighbour as yourself. So Jesus elevated a very obscure sentence in Leviticus. I mean, not many of you read Leviticus on your own, but Jesus mentioned Leviticus 19, quotes “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” and says, “this is really important”. So I'm saying to you that when James wrote Chapter 4 and say that when you speak against your brother, you despise your brother, you despise the law, he might be referring to this royal law, which is a quote from Leviticus 19.

So let's look at Leviticus 19. And there's another interesting thing to see: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.” So Jesus took this and mentioned this later on in his life. But if you look at the preceding verses, it also says, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your people.” So loving someone means you do not bear a grudge. You do not seek to exact vengeance. But also when you love your neighbour as yourself, you will not withhold appropriate warnings and rebuke because he says, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbour.” Don't let him go on in sin. Help him, tell him, and if you don't, you don't really love him. If you don't help him, if you don't tell him, you really are hating him. So we are seeing: loving your neighbour means “I don't bear a grudge, and I help him”. Correct? And if you go a little bit further, in verse 15 or 16, it says, “You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbour.” In other words, stand up as a false witness against your neighbour. So if you look at this, Leviticus ties in slander with loving your neighbour. If I may say, that's what James probably is thinking about when he said, “When you speak evil against a brother, you speak evil against the law of loving your neighbour as yourself.”

Now finally, James says there's a third reason why this sin is bad. It's severe. He says, “There is only one law-giver and judge.” I think this is a quote from Isaiah 33:22. And he goes on to say, “.. this law-giver and judge (who is God) is the only one who is able to save and to destroy.” The destruction here may refer to what Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “Fear God who alone is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” So there is one God, one law-giver, one judge, and if you dispense with the law that the law-giver gives, who do you think you are? Who are you to judge your neighbour? So James here is saying tongue sins are very serious. We don't think it is. We are almost very casual or loose with our lips. We are careful not to fall into adultery, maybe. We are careful not to murder maybe because we'll get into jail. We are careful not to dabble with drugs, but we are not very careful when it comes to the mouth, because somehow we don't think that speaking evil of someone is that serious. So we are quite ready to gossip, we are quite ready to slander, we are quite ready to condemn. But James says it is a very serious problem. Why? Because you are sinning against God's family. You are despising God's royal law, and you are committing treason against God. You are usurping His proper place when you despise His law. This is serious.

The Significance of Speech in True Religion
Lastly, today we are going to go off earlier. Are you happy? (Audience laughs) Lastly, the significance. Why? Why does James… so we know what James is saying, but the more important question always, when you read the Bible, and let me share this, when you read the Bible, it's important to know what the verse is saying, what the text is saying. It's important to know what. But I also think it's very important to ask why. Why is it there? So what's the significance? Why does James talk about speech now? Or again? Well, I want to remind you that if you look at the whole Book of James, there may be a central verse in the Book of James, a very important structural landmark or marker. It is given in James 1:26-27 when James talks about true religion. What is real Christianity? Is real Christianity just by you showing up in church service? Is real Christianity just by you praying before your meals? Is real Christianity seen in the necklace you wear, a cross? James says, “Let me tell you what is true religion. Three things. One, the way you bridle or hold back your tongue. Two, when you visit orphans and widows in their affliction. Three, when you keep yourself unstained from the world.” We kind of summarise that to say true Christianity will be seen in speech, service and sanctification, keeping yourself unstained. Now, remember the 3 S’s at the side, because it will be easier when you follow the next slide.

So James wrote about people going through hardships. When you go through hardships, you come to a fork in the road. You have two paths, two decisions to make, two lives to live, and two destinations to enter into. So when someone goes through trial, he can choose to turn left and doubt God, be blaming God, or be angry with God, or he can fight that temptation and say, “I would hear God's word, repent of my sins and obey.” He can choose these two paths. Now, if you choose to doubt God, blame God, be angry with God, give up on God, then you will inevitably live a self-centered life. No more God. You don't care about Him. You don't care about sin anymore. You just want to live for yourself, and it will be seen more and more in your life. On the other hand, if you really want to obey God, it will be seen in a life of service. You will love the poor. You will care for the widows and the orphans.

The second distinction is seen in speech, as we have said. Service, speech and lastly, sanctification. Or strife: you will keep yourself unstained from the world, or you love the world so much that you keep fighting and quarreling with one another. So James says, two decisions, two kinds of life, and two destinations where one is marked by empty religion, all the superficialities of the faith but no substance, and it will be leading you to death, or receiving the crown of life or saving your soul. These are all the concepts we have learned in the first three chapters. We're just bringing it all together.

So those who are truly wise… remember the climax, the pinnacle, is spiritual wisdom. Those who are truly wise, or those who have true religion, will obey God. Their lives are marked by obedience, by godliness. They will lay for themselves a good foundation for the judgment to come. Yes, salvation is received in a moment. I'm not saying that anybody is saved by their continuous works. No, you are saved by believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the day you truly repent and believe, you are saved. But that true salvation is not inert, it's not inactive, it is powerful. That true salvation will be progressively revealed over a whole lifetime. In what ways? In service, in speech, in sanctification. So let me put this in another way. Perhaps it might help you.

So we are saying the wise, they obey God in steadfastness (Chapter 1), in service (Chapter 2), in speech and sanctification (Chapter 3), thereby laying for themselves a good foundation, because one day God is going to judge, and God is going to judge according to the works that you have done. The true believer will manifest his life with many works.

Now we must be careful. This is not saying that you earn salvation with your works, but you evidence salvation with your works. This is not saying that any man is saved by faith plus works, but we are saved by faith that works. Or we are truly saved by grace alone, but grace that is not alone. It is a powerful thing that will bring along with it good works. And today we are looking at speech. Your speech will reveal if you really have salvation. Your speech will reveal if you really have a genuine faith that works or your speech will reveal if you truly have grace in your life. Your speech will reveal if you are truly wise and if you obey God. That's what James is talking about.

The Hope of a New Heart
So we swing back to what Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.” James is not directing just at the lips. He's talking about the heart. And Jesus also said, “The evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil”. We say in Chinese “gou3 zui3 zhang3 bu4 chu1 xiang4 ya2”. Literally, “no elephant's ivory or elephant tusk ivory will be seen in a dog's mouth”. Actually, I do not know why it's like that. Why would… Why would anyone expect an ivory tusk to come out from a dog's mouth? But I guess it makes the point clear, good things will never come out from an evil heart. And by the way, this evil is not Saddam Hussein or Hitler. This evil is you and I, all of us. Nobody is born into this world pure, clean, sinless, except for maybe three persons––Adam, Jesus, John the Baptist, who was filled with the spirit from the mother's womb, I suppose. But all of us, we are evil. Again, the Chinese say, “ren2 zhi1 chu1 xing4 ben3 shan4” (Chinese saying that means a man at birth is fundamentally good in nature). Actually, that's not very biblically right or sound, because the Bible says we are all born in sin. We are conceived in sin. We are all sinners. We are all gone astray. That's why you don't have to teach a kid how to scold another kid. You never have to teach your son, “Hey, this is how you scold, ah. Scold harder!” He learns it. It's very easy for him. He scolds his brother. He scolds his friends, because “gou3 zui3 zhang3 bu4 chu1 xiang4 ya2”. Out of the evil heart, you only bring forth evil things. But there is hope, because Jesus also said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good.”

Now, what is good? Can you be good on your own? No, no one can be good on his own, but one can be good if he repents and believes in Jesus Christ and God gifts to Him a new heart. That's what the whole Bible is about. “You must be born again”, Jesus said. You must be given a new life. You must be given a new heart. I will give you a heart transplant, because that's what I promised a long, long time ago, via my prophets: “If you are to turn from sin and believe in My Son, I will give you a new heart.” A new heart that is now nourished by God's love, so that you truly have victory over grudges and bitterness and vengeance and jealousy and envy, and now you love others, and you want to use your tongue, your lips, to be a source of blessing and not a source of cursing.

How can I have this new heart? Well, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” It's that same setting that Jesus also said to the man, Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” How can I be born again? How can I have this new heart? Whosoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This is the amazing thing. We are all dirty, unclean people. Our lips are unclean. Isaiah, when he saw God, what did he say? “My lips are unclean!” But there is a cleansing available for you, Jesus Christ, who died for us. What a wonderful Saviour. He is not looking for people with perfect speech, perfect hearts. He is looking for people with dirty speech and dirty hearts. But He will live that sinless, pure life and die for you and give you His righteousness, give you His perfect record, give you a new heart, and He will suffer on your behalf. This is why God is great. This is why God is good. May you come to Him for that new heart today.

Prayer and Conclusion
Let's bow for a word of prayer together. Father, we are thankful today for Your Word and we are thankful today that Jesus, when He went to the cross, uttered not a word, but was silent before the slaughter, because He was there to take on our sin. He was there to save us. He was there so that we who are enemies, might be brought back to You. So this morning, I want to pray for all friends and guests who are gathered here that they will see Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. I pray You will grant to them the humbling of heart so that they may see their need to turn from sin and believe in Jesus. I pray too today for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Maybe today, some are bearing grudges and hatred. Some are jealous and envious, and therefore there is that tendency to speak against, to speak evil, to speak down or to text down someone else. We know it's not a problem of the lips, it's a problem of the heart. So grant grace that they may humble themselves likewise before you. They will submit to you. They will draw near to you, resist the devil. They will cleanse their hands, cleanse their lips, purify their hearts. They will mourn and they will weep, and they will turn their laughter to sorrow, as they repent. And we pray, dear God, that Your love will so nourish all our hearts that instead of hatred, we will love with Your love. May You build this community of believers that we will be a people who love one another and bless and nourish one another with our lips. May this church be distinct and beautiful before a very ugly world. It's only by Your grace and so thank You again for this time. May we be encouraged as we sing the last song that Jesus pleads for us, even though we fail so often. Thank You. We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.