Bible Study Notes On Letter of James Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bible Text

Notes and Thoughts

1 ¶ My brethren, let not many be masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things we all offend. 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 by fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the helmsman pleases.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a wood 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 from hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird and serpent and thing in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed, by mankind.
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith we bless God, even the Father, and therewith we curse men, who are made in 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 from the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries, or a vine figs? So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.
13 ¶ Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show his works out of good conduct and with the meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 Such wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envy and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of those who make peace.

3:1-18 Faith that controls.
James now turns to "controlling the tongue," one important evidence of true faith is the tongue being under control.
Today, a great many people would not steal, murder or commit adultery but would use their tongues to hurt people, even possibly drive them to hurt themselves physically, this even applies to church members. James takes the time to show the danger of not controlling the tongue.
Christ can control all things, even the tongue as long as we let Him, Gal 2:20.
3:1-8 Those who Teach.
v1 James starts with those who teach. (masters in the original meant teachers) He says that they will be judged by an high level and could receive the greater punishment if they misuse their power. It is very easy to teach things wrong but it is also just as easy to teach the truth in such a way that people are misled, a teacher is in a place of authority, people accept what they say, however, they can emphasis one area more than another and so change the meaning.
In Matt 23:1-12 Jesus condemned the teachers of the Mosaic Law, they said the right words but did not practice what they preached and love praise from men. See 2 Tim 4:3,4.
Those in authority are subject to an higher authority.
v2 We all have a problem in controlling our tongue, James also include himself in this verse by saying "We." The tongue can so easily be used to dishonour the Lord.
The word "perfect" means "mature." But Christ lives in all believers so we can hand Him the control. If we fail we can ask for forgiveness, 1 John 1:9; James 1:5.
v3,4 Controlling the tongue, James in the next verses uses examples of a small thing having great power, "the bit" (the small piece of metal in an horses mouth connected to the reins) controls the whole horse. On a ship, which can be blown everywhere by the wind but the small rudder on the back is used to steer the ship with easy.
v5,6 The tongue is also very small, it is like a fire which only needs a small match to start it. This ‘fire’ can make or break a person, this destructive fire can be the ‘fire of hell,’ Prov 18:21. Gal 6:7.
v7,8 man has been able to tame and control all animals, only mankind has not been trained or tamed, especially the tongue it can say something without meaning to, and this can destroy all it reaches.
3:5-9 The characteristics (what marks out) of the tongue.
a) v5,6 It has the power to destroy. A small fire when lit can destroy a city, a forest. One wrong word can hurt and can spread or mislead people, especially political views. Look back at some leaders in history. A tongue controlled can be a wonderful tool, to teach, save physical and spiritual lives. See Prov 10:18,19; Prov 16:27-28; Prov 13:3; Prov 21:23; Prov 18:21.
b) v7,8 The power to deceive, mislead people the tongue can either serve flesh and the Devil, or God, there is no half way.
c) v9-12 It can say things but does not mean what it says. The same tongue can bless and curse. Worship God and destroy men and women, Rom 3:13. Jesus spoke on this in Matt 12:33-37 note v36, Gal 6:7.
God can control the tongue if we ask Him, it will be part of our submission to Him and the indwelling of Christ. The tongue speaks what is in the heart, get the heart right will make the tongue controlled, Rom 6:6; Rom 6:11-14.
3:13-18 Wisdom.
We have access to two kinds of wisdom, earthly (fleshly) which is not interested in the things of God, and wisdom from God.
v13-16 The worlds wisdom is Satanic in origin, it will try to reject and disobey God, James used "earthly, sensual, devilish" v15 to describe it.
v17,18 Wisdom of God, it comes from the indwelling Christ, it is totally different from earthly wisdom. It comes with "first purity" purity has to come first, there is nothing unclean in God’s wisdom, Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 6:19; 1 John 3:3.
Peaceful, does not cause problems, pain, Heb 12:14; Matt 5:9; Rom 12:18.
Gentle, full of love.
Merciful and full of good fruit, Acts 6:8-10; Gal 5:22-26.
Impartial, not envious or wanting to argue.
Not hypocritical, does not pretend to be or say what is not true, 1 John 3:18. The tongue can be a terrible weapon or a wonderful tool for God.

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The Letter of James