James 5:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

NIV: Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

NASB: Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

CSB: Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

NLT: Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look — the Judge is standing at the door!

KJV: Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

NKJV: Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

In the previous verses, James urged his oppressed Christian readers to remain patient while waiting for the coming of the Lord. James understands the difficulty in this request. There are times when it appears the oppressors are winning, and injustice will be left unpunished. It seems sometimes as if the suffering would never end. And yet, believers have the promise that the day of the Lord is coming soon! On that day, everything will be judged and made right.

So, James writes, these suffering believers must strengthen their hearts. Don't waver now, James says. Remain patient.

In the meantime, conflict between them was evidence that they were not being strong in their waiting. James warns his Christian readers not to grumble against each other, which shows a lack of trust in God. The fact that the day of the Lord will come soon means that the Judge is standing at the door. Don't risk His judgment by giving in to the pressure of your suffering and turning on each other.

This echoes what James wrote to these same believers about their fighting and quarreling in chapter 4. The temptation to go back and live according to the world's wisdom grows stronger with our suffering, and the result is always greater conflict between us.

James 5:7–12 shifts focus from the condemnation of the rich oppressors, back to encouragement of the Christians these abusers were hurting. James urges believers to remain patient and strong in their faith. The day of the Lord is coming. They must not turn on each other, but they should be challenged and encouraged by the examples of the Old Testament prophets and Job who remained faithful to God through great suffering.

What was causing fights and quarrels among the Christians to whom James was writing? They were living by the world's wisdom. This false perspective says human beings should do whatever it takes to get what they want in this life, even if it hurts other people. James says that to live that way is adultery, but God gives grace. Christians should repent and move close to God again. We should trust Him to provide, to be the Judge, and to lift us up in His time. In humility, we must acknowledge that all of our plans are dependent on Him, and He can change them at any moment.

Prior chapters in this letter focused on the relationship between beliefs and actions, and how to practically apply the concepts of Christianity. In chapter 4, James called his Christian readers to repent of their worldliness and turn back to closeness with God. Now in the last chapter of his letter, James addresses three things: He pronounces to the rich oppressors of the Christians that their judgment is coming on the day of the Lord. He urges those suffering under that oppression to remain patient, strong in their faith, as they wait for the day of the Lord. And he encourages all Christians to show their faith in God by praying in response to every circumstance.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.