James, chapter 3, comments, watching the tongue

 

James 3:1 ¶  My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. 2  For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3  Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 4  Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5  Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7  For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9  Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10  Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12  Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

 

Masters in this context are teachers.

 

Malachi 2:12  The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts.

 

Matthew 23:8  But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. (A Rabbi is a teacher.)

 

Teachers must be careful of what they say and how they handle God’s word. In fact, this whole passage warns us of how powerful our speech is to uplift or to condemn. Our speech shows others what we are just as the fruit we display tells others what kind of a metaphorical tree we are. See Galatians 5 and the fruit of the Spirit. Does your speech reflect this?

 

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

Pastors and teachers are set to a higher standard in that they have the ear of many rather than just musing on their own but we all are teachers to our children and to the new Christian and the unsaved. What proceeds out of our mouths must count for something which is why I have much trouble when people ask me off the cuff questions about the Bible and I haven’t had time to think and pray about them and study. “What do you think about this, Fred?” seems like an invitation for me to step into a minefield that has already blown off the legs of many others so if I look at you strangely when you ask me a question don’t be offended. It is terror welling up inside me.

 

Ephesians 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

 

Colossians 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

 

James 3:13 ¶  Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

 

True wisdom, James says, is evidenced by good behavior as communications here is linked with works and meekness, not putting on airs that you know more than you do. Bitterness, envying, and strife contradict such wisdom. The sensual, devilish, as James puts it, wisdom from below fulfills itself in envying and strife in the assembly, which is confusion and just plain malicious and wicked and leads to other very bad things.

 

God’s wisdom, on the other hand, is peaceable and gentle and the person who possesses it is reachable and can be talked to about disagreements, is filled with mercy and beneficial actions, no preference of one opinion or person over another and without hypocrisy. The peacemaker in the assembly plants peace and God’s righteousness is on that person who makes peace.

 

These are powerful statements from James about what we say and our behavior within the church. What is your church like? What are you like within the church?