NOTES for Jam 4:12
By the very form of his question the apostle James implies that a person not only must not, but simply cannot, judge another. On the one hand, to judge another means to appropriate for oneself a right that belongs only to the Creator. On the other hand, it means trying to do what is beyond our power.
Do we have the right to our own opinion about another person's actions? Probably yes. But we are clearly not given the right to judge another: this is the point not only in this verse from James's letter, but also in several Gospel passages, above all in the Sermon on the Mount. What is the difference?
Evidently, it is the status we assign to ourselves in doing this. Our opinion is just an opinion; it does not claim absolute rightness. But when we judge, we place ourselves in the position of the bearer of absolute knowledge about truth and righteousness. Naturally, from such a position we do not so much judge as condemn. But only God can occupy such a position, as the apostle James reminds us. Here it is also fitting to remember that God is not only Lawgiver and Judge, but also perfect love; therefore we can hope in His judgment (compare Ps. 118:43). Human judgments, however, are never filled with love; they can only be feared.