then, is a great responsibility with lasting consequences, for on the day of judgment God will pronounce the verdict (Rom. 14:10–12). James speaks sympathetically as a thoughtful pastor. He does not elevate himself because of his teaching position. He identifies with his readers when he writes, “We all stumble in many ways.” That is, we all make mistakes, err, and come to grief. In a sense, we are like a one-year-old child who stumbles repeatedly, gets up, and continues to walk. But our stumbling,