June 8 – James 3:1-18

Main Focus: Taming the Tongue

The first thing James establishes is a general principle that small things can cause great results then more specifically applies this to the power of the tongue to destroy. Teachers were important in the early church, and those who were ambitious sought teacher status for the wrong reasons. However, with greater responsibility comes greater expectations by God, and teachers will be judged with greater strictness (lit., “greater judgment”), since they are accountable for more.

James tells us that a person’s words reflect one’s character and thus are a key to his whole being. In James 2 we see the significance of good works in the life of Christ followers. Here again, James’s call for good works. When James says that a person who can control his mouth is a perfect man, he probably has absolute perfection in view. Although as Christians we will never be perfect it’s important that faithfulness to Jesus requires obedience in our everyday lives including our everyday words. Failure to pay attention has great consequences for our lives. Bits in a horse’s mouth and the small rudder on a ship are examples of very small things that control large objects. The tongue, one of the smaller organs of the body, has a similar control over everything a person is and does. The tongue represents and puts into expression all the wickedness of the world. The entire course of life likely means the “ups and downs” of life. The tongue turns upside down every aspect of life in the community as well as in the individual. Evil speech destroys because it comes from Satan himself. We see this unfold everyday in culture, at work, in politics, in our relationships, and even the church. It is both hypocrisy and folly to bless God during a worship service and then, after the service, to curse someone made in God’s image.

In vv. 11-12 James drives home the point that blessing God while cursing his people cannot be accepted or tolerated among the people of God. Thankfully, James doesn’t say stop it! He rather invites us to a life of wisdom from above. Wisdom for James is not only intellectual but also behavioral. Unlike our culture, he viewed gentleness as wisdom. Gentleness was considered weakness by the Greeks, but Jesus elevated it to a primary Christian virtue (Matt. 5:5; 11:29).

James 3:14 says bitter envy and selfish ambition set themselves up against the virtue of gentleness. “Selfish ambition” is a divisive willingness to split a group in order to achieve personal power and prestige. This wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, and ultimately demonic. The final result is conflict and disorder in the church. The answer to conflict is to begin seeking wisdom from above, which produces character qualities beginning with purity and concluding with peace. Peace is the polar opposite of “selfish ambition” and the discord it produces. Peace is one of the critical attributes of the pure believer. The legacy of those who bring peace rather than conflict is a harvest of righteousness. The “fruit” that comes from peacemaking in the Christian community will be the righteous conduct that God will bless.