Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.  As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  Behold, we count those blessed who endured.  You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment.

The main theme James is trying to relay to us is not avoidance of judgment.  It is to place our judgment in the hands of the merciful Lord.  James insists that our complaints against one another will result in complains about us.  If I judge my brother, he will judge me, then I will judge him more harshly...  It is a never ending cycle too difficult to escape.

The same cycle begins when I swear to the truth or falseness of a fact.  I swear by the moon, but then I am wrong - does that mean I am wrong about the moon too?  Soon, I will run out of things to swear on.  My credibility is shot.  I am judged a liar by everyone around.  Instead, I should let my words simply point to truth, leaving judgment in God's hands.

James tells us:  the Judge is at the door.  Let Jesus do the judging so mercy can abound.

When the good Judge is at the door, judgment leads to freedom.