SABBATH THOUGHTS FOR YOUR WEEK

Book of James 3:1-17

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    James warns the Brethren that teachers will be judged more strictly, therefore not many should be teachers of doctrine.  There were already many teachers in the NT churches as we see from Acts 13:1; 1Cor. 12 and Ephesians 4:11.

     The main reason to be careful about wanting to teach doctrine is that everyone makes mistakes in speaking (v.2).  In fact, if a person never makes mistakes that person would be perfect.  Following that statement James launches into a diatribe about controlling the tongue.  He uses several analogies – from bits in horses’ mouths to rudders on ships (vs.3-4).  These little parts can control the direct of a horse or ship.

     The tongue has great power.  It is a world of sin and trouble.  Like a little match it can cause a huge fire of trouble (v. 5).  The tongue sets on fire the “wheel of life” (v. 6 BBE).  All though our lives words have affected us – angered us, deceived us, discouraged us, and demeaned us.

     Man has tamed every kind of beast but no man has ever tamed the tongue (v. 7).  It remains a restless evil and full of death dealing poison (v. 8). 

     Words become powerful in the human mind.  Most of our beliefs come from the words we’ve heard or read.  Words can evoke emotions of all kinds – from deep passion and outright murderous hate.  Recall when the New Testament’s first martyr, Stephen, spoke words to the Jewish authorities that provoked them to stone him to death. But before they stoned him they stopped their ears as his words smote them more than they could stand.

     Hitler drugged a nation with hypnotic words and drove it to ruin.  Politicians use words to persuade and create good feelings in their audiences.  They use words that strike the minds with good feelings but have no practical meaning.

     Warren G. Harding ran for the presidential office using a word called, “Americanism.”  When a reporter asked him what it meant he replied, “I have no idea but it is a d__n good word with which to win an election.” 

     Because words can create moods and make us believe things that may not be true, we need to ask questions – what does it actually mean?  How will this candidate do what s/he promised?  When will the candidate what was promised?  And does the candidate have the authority to get it done or is it a promise without any power to fulfill?

    After condemning the vicious evils of the tongue, James makes a comparison with nature.  While the tongue can spew forth both blessing and cursing – blessing God and cursing people made in God’s image – a fountain or spring gives either fresh good water or polluted water but not both.  A fig tree does not produce olives and grapevines don’t produce figs.  But the tongue of man dishes out evil and godly praises.

     Continuing to talk to teachers, James asks who among them wise and understanding — certainly needed qualities are for those who teach.  If they have wisdom they must show it by strong but gentle conduct (v.13).  James wrote of “the gentleness of wisdom.”  Wisdom should make a person gentle and understanding not hotheaded and stubborn. 

     But if the teacher has bitter jealousy and “selfish ambition” in his heart, he need not try to lie against the real truth that his wisdom is not a godly wisdom.  The phrase “selfish ambition” denotes a self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means and is in the lists of vices in 2 Cor 12:20 and Gal 5:20 as strife.  Where selfish ambition and jealousy are present there is every evil work (v. 15).  Furthermore, this wisdom is natural not godly.  It is demonic not heavenly.

     “But the wisdom from above is first pure (not defiled, holy), then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”  Note the contrast.  The word “gentle” means not insisting on every right of letter, of law or custom -- yielding, gentle, kind, courteous, and tolerant. 

     “Reasonable” means compliant, obedient or submissive.  The word “unwavering” means without partiality or prejudice.

     Note that the major qualities emphasized for godly wisdom are its purity, its peace, its gentleness.  These qualities contrast starkly with the jealousy and selfish ambition above.  Furthermore they will contrast even more vividly with the statements in James chapter 4. 

     James ends chapter 3 with this final verse, “And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (NAS).

n       David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries

                                                                                      --   David L. Antion