James 4:12
There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
James brings us back to a truth that can straighten out a whole life in just a moment: there is one lawgiver. One. Not me. Not you. Not the loudest voice in the room. Not the person with the strongest opinions. God alone has the right to stand in the place of final judgment, because God alone is able to save and to destroy.
That means I am badly out of position when I make myself the judge of somebody else’s soul.
Here’s the thing.
A lot of us slip into that role without even noticing it. We evaluate people, size them up, file them away, and act as though we know exactly what God ought to do with them. We assume motives. We pronounce verdicts. We get irritated with their weakness, their immaturity, their inconsistency, their mess. And somewhere along the way, we forget that we are not sitting on the bench. We are standing at the foot of the cross just like they are.
One of the most freeing truths a believer can learn is this: your job is to love people; God’s job is to judge them.
I love that.
Because it lifts a weight we were never meant to carry. I do not have to figure out everybody’s final category. I do not have to act like the court of heaven runs through my mouth. I do not have to fix my soul by criticizing theirs. I am called to love, to pray, to speak truth when needed, and to leave ultimate judgment where it belongs—with the Lord.
That does not mean sin is ignored. It means I deal with people from the right posture. Not superiority, but humility. Not contempt, but mercy. Not as though I am above them, but as one who needs grace too.
It is like trying to wear a badge that was never issued to you. It may feel powerful for a minute, but it will not fit right because it was never yours to wear. Judgment belongs to God. Love is what He handed to us.
So when you feel that urge to sit in God’s chair, step back out of it. Let the Lord be the Lawgiver. Let the Lord be the Judge. And you just love people well.