In the pursuit of living a righteous life, believers are cautioned against speaking evil of one another, as this can lead to judging others. The book of James warns against this behavior, emphasizing that those who judge their brothers will be judged by the Lord, as stated in James 4:11-12. Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:1-5 that judgment belongs to God, and humans should focus on removing the plank from their own eye before trying to remove the speck from someone else's. The apostle Peter's words in Acts 3:19 encourage repentance, rather than condemnation, highlighting the importance of humility and self-reflection, while James 3:6 notes the destructive power of the tongue when used to judge or harm others.
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Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.