Have you ever slandered someone? Have you ever been slandered by another person? What does it mean to slander another person? Some translations of today's passage use the phrase "speak evil" instead of slander. The two basically mean the same thing. To speak evil or slander translates from the ancient Greek word Katalalia. Every time this word was used in the New Testament, it was always written in the negative form and never as something good or God-honoring. Katalalia described the sinful practice of those who meet in corners or gather in little groups to pass on confidential information and destroy the good name of someone not there to defend themselves. Is this idea still relevant today? Do people still meet together or pass on information and gossip about one another in hopes it will tarnish their reputation or destroy their life or business? It is very much alive and well! The practice of Katalalia may look different; people may hide behind keyboards, make fake usernames to remain anonymous, and hide in corners of the internet, but now more than ever, people have made it their job to slander and speak evil of others in hopes of bringing them or their ideologies down.

All sin is inherently wrong, but the sin of Katalalia is wrong for two reasons. First, it breaks the Royal Law mentioned earlier in James that we should love one another. Second, it takes the right of judgment that only God has and gives it to a flawed human. In essence, we unjustly step into the role of judge and cast judgment on someone we know very little about. Keep in mind that this statement by James came right after a passage talking about the destructive power of the tongue. We may think our pithy comments, whether by word or keyboard, are harmless, deserving, and all in good fun, but there is great power in gossip and slander. It has consequences, both for the person being spoken about and for the speaker.

We are all guilty of this to some extent. No one is free and innocent of speaking evil about another person. As a society we have become so good at excusing or finding valid reasons why we malign or speak ill of another. Perhaps they have a different political leaning and had it coming, or they personally hurt you in some way, so now you feel obligated to get back at them to even the score. No matter the reason, God's words are clear about how we should learn to control our tongues and how we should behave when we speak or write about others. Humbling ourselves and getting right with God must result in us getting right with other people whenever possible. When we are in right alignment with other people, it will show in the way we talk about them, whether we disagree with them or not. When we judge our brother, we put ourselves in the same place as the law, in effect, judging the law. This is something we have no authority to do and not enough wisdom to do right even if God allowed it. Instead, we must learn to humble ourselves and let God be God. Let God judge others and bring consequences for sin. This is not our role.