Drawing Near to God

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [you] sinners, and purify [your] hearts, [you] double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and [your] joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 Brothers, [do] not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against [his] brother and[fn] 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]. 12 There is only one Lawgiver,[fn] the [One who] is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge the other?[fn]