Michael's Abbey Bible Study - James Chapter 3

The break between chapter 2 and 3 of James is a logical one. However, we should always keep in mind that these breaks into chapters, paragraphs and verses were added on centuries later and can be misleading. Each chapter must be considered in the context of the whole book and all of scripture.
1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. There are different ways to take this verse. The first thing to consider is whether this verse is a side note and does not reflect on the verses that follow or if the verses that follow are under this verse. One commentary puts all of chapter 3 and 4 under this verse and considers both chapters to be instructions for people holding the church office of teacher. This is a minority view. Most commentaries and translations view this verse as a side note, and it is placed here as the following verses show how teachers fail and what they are judged more harshly for. Thus the following verses apply to all Christians and not just teachers.
The second consideration is whether this refers to the church office of teacher, or if it applies to anyone who teaches. The majority take it to refer to the church office, with some extending this to anyone in a teaching role in the church. A minority hold that this applies to any time a Christian speaks to teach someone something. This would include people talking casually such as before or after church, and imparting some information.
Many falsehoods are relayed and repeated this way, which is a nice way of saying people are sharing lies. Many things that are anti-biblical or even heretical are passed on to others as idle chit-chat at the church before or after service. And few check these against scripture or make any attempt to make sure they are true. They sound right, and that is all the checking that is done. This means some make an anti-biblical claim without any care or awareness. An example is some will state the falsehood that there can't be a trinity because that word isn't in the Bible. Then the person it was told to teaches this deception to others without bothering to check it against scripture. If they had they would see the fact that the concept of the trinity is found throughout both testaments even if the term is a modern one. (See the article Is The Trinity Biblical? for a detailed look at this issue.)
In this view of this verse the judgment would also be applied to making false statements about other people in the church, politicians, history, and so on. In other words, this verse directly ties to the following verses as it is warning of judgement for what we say regardless of our intentions. This view is right in line with the following verses and means all of chapter 3 is about all Christians. This view is most likely correct as it fits the context here and scope of the whole letter the best.
Holding nonsense in one's own head is an error. Advocating it to others brings a much harsher judgement. Like so much else scripture corrects, the root problem is the arrogance of humans. We think way too highly of ourselves and our opinions. Worse, many believe and teach what they believe with nothing real to back it up, even when it is contrary to clear teaching in scripture. When this nonsense is anti-biblical it is literally calling God the Holy Spirit a liar.
1 Timothy 1:3-7 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. 3 Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. In other words, all have sinned and in a lot of different ways. Anyone who claims they haven't sinned is calling scripture and the Holy Spirit a liar.
In the next part of the verse James was being hyperbolic. The point he was making is that since there is no perfect man other than Jesus, everyone fails to control their tongue. Anyone who could control their tongue perfectly would be able to control their whole body, which is also not possible for we fallen humans. James compared the human tongue to a horse's bridle, and the human body to a horse's body. Both are small compared to the body they steer.
4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. Changing metaphors, James compared the tongue to the rudder of a boat. A tiny rudder steers the boat as the pilot wishes. However, an inexperienced or undisciplined pilot can easily lose his ship to a wreck. The sea is deadly. Even today winds, rocks, and bad navigation or equipment failure have caused catastrophic events. A cruise ship that lost power off the coast of Scandinavia was driven by the wind into underwater rocks and tipped 90 degrees onto it's side. Thus we should strive to be disciplined pilots of our tongues so we may prevent our lives from becoming shipwrecks. And like the pilot of a ship, successfully controlling the tongue takes practice and experience. The big takeaway is that what we say has more to do with outcomes in our lives than we think.
5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! We underestimate the power of the tongue. To be clear, this is not a supernatural power coming from a human tongue. Only God can make things happen by speaking. The closest we can come is by praying and asking God to intervene. But scripture is clear that God does not say yes to requests for our own comfort, only those that are in His will. This is addressed in chapter 4.
However, our tongue can have an enormous effect in the natural, like a forest fire started by a tiny match. A child told they will never amount to anything by their parent will be haunted by that their entire life, holding them down. While a child told they can do anything if they will do what it takes will be encouraged by that their entire life. Our tongue can cut down or build up. Atrocities against humanity start with one man's tongue. Although that wouldn't be a problem if people would use logic, reasoning and require evidence rather than just accept what they like to hear. Thus we should not have a casual attitude towards what we say. We should think twice before opening our mouths, and not just when we are angry. Words we think are idle can have long lasting consequences.
6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. Continuing the flame metaphor from verse 5, James got even more intense and in our face with it. There are five points here. First, the tongue is a fire means that it is always burning, ready to destroy. It is not just when we are angry, but all the time. Thus we ought to handle it with caution like it is literally on fire.
Matt. 12:36 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment."
Second, iniquity is adikia in Greek, which in this context means having a state of unrighteousness. This could be expressed as the tongue creates a world of unrighteousness like someone saying there will be a world of hurt. That is fitting as the tongue can bring a world of hurt to the person speaking and those around them.
Third, James made reference to Jesus' words in Matthew 15. The tongue is one part, or member, of the body. And it is the part that defiles the whole body. It is set among the rest of the body like a flame is set in a field of dry grass. The tiny flame of the tongue sets fire to the whole thing.
Fourth, that the tongue sets fire to the course of our lives means it can drastically change our future. The tongue can get us fired. As so many unwise and immature people are finding out, putting the video evidence of the fire from their tongue online for all to see has consequences. As bad as that is, the tongue does greater damage in relationships. An idle word wounds a family member, makes walls go up, and sets the relationship on a path to separation.
Matt. 15:11 "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
Matt. 15:18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man."
Fifth, the source of the fire with which the tongue burns is hell. We should take care not to infer theological conclusions about the nature of hell from this. James was making a point by invoking hell. The implication is that the source of our tongue's sin is Satan, or it is our natural hell-bound fallen nature, or both. In Matthew 5:22 Jesus makes it clear that the tongue can make us guilty enough to end up in hell. As to the nature of Hell, scripture is clear that neither Satan nor the humans that reject God will be sent to Hell until after Judgement Day. There are some demons already in Hell. But only the worst of the worst were sent there by God at the fall of Lucifer and the other rebel angels. After that everyone headed there won't be sent until Judgement Day, including Satan.
7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. James used a bit of hyperbole here. It is not literally every single species of land, air and sea that has been tamed. Even if you only count those known at the time it's not literal. What was meant is that a tremendous number of species have been tamed by man. James was making the point that the taming of so many different types of animals was an amazing feat.
8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. This is also a bit of hyperbole. That we should try to tame our tongue is what James was arguing for. The point here is that taming all types of animals is easy compared to taming the tongue. Taming animals is possible. Taming our own tongue is nearly impossible by comparison. James then compared the tongue to a deadly viper. He was foot-stomping how serious this is.
9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; It is good that we use our tongue to bless God. But it is not good that we turn and curse other people since all of humanity is made in the image of God. By reminding us of this James was saying we need to watch what we say to everyone, saved or not.
10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. We should be consistent. If we bless God at church and curse our family in the car going to and coming from church we are hypocrites faking good fruit and actually bearing bad fruit. Inconsistency like this is a red flag for both the person doing it and others around them.
11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? The spout of a fountain is consistent. Either it always puts out fresh water and people seek it, or it always puts out bitter water and people avoid it. There is no going back and forth. A human may try to fake it. But what is truly inside us will come out no matter how much we try to hide it. If we ignore the bitter coming out of us and think we are fresh, we are fooling ourselves. But we are not fooling God. And those around us ought to be able to see the truth as well.
12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. This is alluding to the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:16-20 where He taught we can know people by their fruit. James and Jesus were not just warning individuals about how to judge themselves. They were warning the church to watch out for fake Christians. When Jesus really is inside them it is reflected in their actions and words. Just like James said in 1:26, a person who claims to be a Christian but does not control their tongue is deceiving themselves and showing their faith is worthless.
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. Wolves in sheep's clothing and other fake Christians claim to have special wisdom from God. They usually specify that it is special knowledge from the Spirit. But their behavior will tell what is inside them. When their words contradict scripture we know those words came from a different spirit that is far from holy.
Unfortunately, most people do not use discernment, check against scripture, or properly judge who is behaving right and who isn't. Instead they violate 2:1-7 and show ungodly favoritism. They side with their pastor or their friend. They follow secular values of familiarity over the biblical values of truth. Thus they choose the one they like despite the fact that the one they like is in open and obvious rebellion against God. Those who pick "their friend" over truth are turning their backs on God and real Christianity.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This is both a rebuke of those who are in bitter jealousy and selfish ambition as well as a warning to Christians who see it. In my experience most people at a church don't notice this behavior, or they ignore it. And those that do see it often misidentify who it is coming from. It is stunning that they can see it, but point to the victim of it rather than the perpetrator. Again, this is because people choose their friend or pastor over biblical truth. They prefer to be comfortable with what they are familiar with rather than see the sin in their pastor or friend.
James connects these destructive and sinful behaviors to being arrogant and lying against the truth. And that is what we should look for in ourselves and others. A leader who won't accept questions or criticism is operating out of arrogance. Those that lie about what scripture says or lie about words from God are telling us we should turn away from them and run. This is the definition of false prophecy. When someone says they have a word from the Spirit that is provably wrong, they are a false prophet. Our standard is scripture. The Holy Spirit does not put one thing in scripture and the opposite in someone's mouth. The other way we can see they are a false prophet is when what they said turns out to be false, such as a vision of the future that turns out different than they said. God does not reveal maybes, only the truth.
15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. In other words, wisdom from these fakers is not wisdom from above. Instead of being from the Holy Spirit, it is from a demonic spirit. All three sources listed are demonic in origin. In reality, they are one source, which is why James listed them as one stream. The earthly secular wisdom is the opposite of real wisdom, and has a demonic origin as evidenced by its attempt to contradict God and scripture. It is the same with the source being from inside the false prophet. They are in rebellion against God and scripture. And thus they show the origin of their false wisdom is demonic. If it doesn't have a heavenly source it is coming from the other side. Lies against scripture originate from the enemy of God, the father of lies.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Sadly, there is great disorder and evil behavior in American churches, which is no surprise as there is jealousy and selfish ambition. No one follows the directions in scripture on how to operate in the church. Instead they follow the traditions of man. Not even the offices of the Bible are followed. Most lump them all into the title "Pastor". And no one has the wise and proven Christians judging if what is said is true. Instead of allowing the Spirit to work as He wills letting two or three speak, only the "pastor" speaks. It's a mess. But people follow what they like and don't follow God.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. The characteristics of Godly wisdom are spelled out. Godly wisdom is first and foremost pure, agnos in Greek. This could also be translated as holy in this context. In other words, it is true before anything else. That which lies about or contradicts scripture is not pure. Thus it doesn't matter at all if it meets any of the other characteristics of Godly wisdom.
Wolves in sheep's clothing seize on "peaceable" while ignoring the rest. They will flip the tables and make the pure and true person out to be a villain because they are "disturbing the peace" of the church. The truth is in they don't understand the word peace because it is not in them. They are the origin of the chaos they blame on others. Peaceable people are conducive to a harmonious relationship. But harmony does not come from allowing bad actors to do what they please. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Bad actors don't understand that either. A peacemaker makes peace. This means they are willing and able to use force to keep the bad actors from acting badly. Think of when the military is sent in to enforce peace on a chaotic scene. The bad actors scream about it. But they are stopped from breaking the peace.
"Without hypocrisy" is anupokritos in Greek which means to be genuine, sincere, and without play-acting. Play acting is exactly what James taught about in verses 9-12. This is the action of wolves in sheep's clothing, false prophets, and fake Christians who lie about what God says.
18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. This verse has been perverted by bad actors, and even by real Christians who read into scripture what they want to see. Put another way, when the seed of righteousness is planted by peace makers, the result is righteousness and peace. But making peace is the opposite of being a doormat. Those who avoid conflict at all costs sow the seeds of chaos. Some will even choose avoiding conflict over their faith in Jesus. As crazy as that sounds, it is not hyperbole. They wish they had peace, but only create conflict and discord. Scripture is quite clear that the way to deal with bad actors is to confront them.
If you don't discipline a child when they misbehave they learn they can get away with it. And they only get worse the more they go without discipline. The parent who refuses to discipline their child because they want to be their "friend" or to avoid conflict finds they get neither. Besides, a true friend tells their friend when they are getting in a bad way. It's like on American Idol when a person tries out for the judges and they can't sing at all. Then they are shocked when the judges tell them the truth. That person has no real friends that are willing to tell them the truth.
Like a water leak, if we deal with bad behavior when it is small the damage is small and the repair is easier. It is not easy, just much easier. But if it is ignored the damage is great and the repair is very hard. And avoiding the repair will add many other things that are damaged and have to be repaired with great difficulty. Refusing to deal with bad actors will chip away at a church. And like the unrepaired leak, they will eventually cause so much damage that the church is not repairable. It must be demolished and replaced entirely. It's so much better to fix the problem when it is small.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.

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