CHAPTER 3. THE UNCONTROLLED TONGUE IN CONTRAST WITH TRUE WISDOM. Having demonstrated that showing partiality and ignoring the requirements of the poor and needy are both evidences that a man lacks true faith in Christ, James now goes on to demonstrate that the same is true of anyone who has an uncon... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Do not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. For in many things we all stumble. ' James' initial warning is against the natural desire that many have to teach others. They feel that they have a truth worth passing on and want to convince others. That... [ Continue Reading ]
‘If any stumbles not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.' Taking up the thought of stumbling he now points out that if any Teacher never stumbles in what he says, or how he says it, then he is indeed a perfect man, and able to bridle the whole body, exercising to... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ Now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also.' The thought of bridling the body now brings to his mind an illustration, and that is that the purpose of a bridle is in order to control the horse. The whole reason for putting a bridl... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the will of the steersman directs.' The thought of ‘turning about' now brings to mind a second illustration and that is of a steersman steering a ship. He has but a... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So the tongue also is a little member, and boasts great things. See, how great a an area of brushwood is kindled by how small a fire!' He now brings their thoughts back to the tongue. The ‘small' rudder of that ship is like that other ‘little' member, our tongue. Both are very similar. For like the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity (or the article may suggest that we translates as ‘the world of the unrighteous') among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the wheel of nature (or ‘the course of nature or existence, or of the genealogical sequen... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind.' This verse would favour interpreting ‘the round of existence' in terms of the living creatures mentioned, for ‘every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But the tongue can no man tame. It is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.' For the one thing that is untameable is the tongue. It is a restless evil, ever at work doing harm and causin... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.' So the same mouth produces blessing and cursing. How treacherous the tongue is. One moment it is full of joy and praise, singing in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and the next it is spread... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Does the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter?' The writer now illustrates the matter in different ways. The ‘coming forth' from the mouth and the ‘blessing and cursing' now leads on to the ‘sending forth' from a fountain or spring, and the idea of ‘sweet, thirst-quench... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Neither can salt water yield sweet.' And he closes off the series with an illustration. Each thing in nature produces according to it nature. The fig tree produces figs, the olive tree olives. (Compare here Matthew 7:16). And salt water ca... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.' These words take us back to James 3:1 and to what is required of the ‘perfect' Teacher, and also to James 1:17 in considering God's good giving and perfect gifts from above. Note the contrast in... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT IS REQUIRED THEREFORE IS NOT EARTHLY WISDOM BUT WISDOM FROM ABOVE (JAMES 3:13) Having warned against the unruly tongue, James now explains how men can ensure that their tongues are under control by receiving wisdom from above. We were informed in James 1:17 of the giving and the gifts from abo... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not glory and do not lie against the truth.' In contrast to this wisdom from above is man's wisdom, which results in jealousy, discord, divisiveness, rivalry and selfish ambition (eritheia). Such people are not of the truth, and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘This wisdom is not a wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.' And the source of such wisdom is not the Father of lights (James 1:17) but earthly wisdom and even the Devil. Such people lack the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge (Job 28:28;... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every worthless deed.' For jealousy and selfish ambition and self-assertiveness simply produce confusion and worthless, useless and vain practises and a church at war with itself (contrast 1 Corinthians 14:33). Jealous people and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy, and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.' In total contrast to all this is the wisdom that has come fro... [ Continue Reading ]