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James 4:11
11 Speak [katalaleo] not [me] evil [katalaleo] one of another [allelon], brethren [adelphos]. He that speaketh evil [katalaleo] of his brother [adelphos], and [kai] judgeth [krino] his [autos] brother [adelphos], speaketh evil [katalaleo] of the law [nomos], and [kai] judgeth [krino] the law [nomos]: but [de] if [ei] thou judge [krino] the law [nomos], thou art [ei] not [ou] a doer [poietes] of the law [nomos], but [alla] a judge [krites]. KJV-Interlinear
11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. NASB
The word for law, refers to the rules, mandates, principles, and so forth by which truth and life are guided. This is not a reference to the Levitical Law.
A judge of the law, is one who sets himself up as a critic, or evaluator, or one who questions of those rules and so forth. One who offers his personal views regarding the pros and cons of the laws of God, and suggests or implies that there may be room for interpretation, modification, or even improvement within them.
And when you commit a sin, when you speak ill against another person, then you have placed yourself in the place of God, as a judge.
A judge is one who makes decisions based on the facts, and God is the only one who has a complete set of facts for every situation that has ever existed, or ever will exist.
Humanity has never had all of the facts on anything, so humanity is not a good candidate for judging anyone. And we are speaking of social judging, not criminal judging.
In crimes, humanity was given the rules of due process, in order to bring people to justice. This is a part of the divine establishment laws that bring stability to society.
Socially, however, there is no crime, no evidence, and certainly no right to judge someone in a public forum, so as to cause harm against them. This is sort of a vigilante approach in the social realm. And no one has ever been appointed to, or even elected to, the post of social judge.
By presuming this right as a judge of others, you set yourself against God, and the truths, which He teaches us in the scriptures.
All gossip, maligning, or judging of others, whether your facts are correct or not, are a violation of Gods laws.
So, if you are violating them (by judging), then you cannot be abiding by them (being a doer of the law).
