James 3

James 3:1:
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, since you know that we will be judged more severely

Grace isn't legalistic but it doesn't ignore the laws so you can break them, and it puts laws in place as an act of grace to help keep you in right standing. You don't obey any law to be right or that would be self righteousness, but you obey the law because grace has made you right. The Bible says Noah found grace and Job was called perfect but it wasn't because they didn't sin, but because they faced their sin in truth and let YAH cover them with his righteousness instead of trying to cover themselves. What you won't deal with will deal with you and it could be a lot more damaging when it does. The Lord Yeshua gives us grace to deal with these things privately long before it is exposed publicly because we chose to ignore it and keep doing it.
----Pen of the Watchman

James 3:1-4:
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

"First, he tells us that because of the power of words not many of us should become teachers. Certainly, when you teach God’s Word, you can do much good. But at the same time, teaching God’s Word in a public venue or to groups of people inevitably exposes you to judgment. That judgment is twofold: both the judgment (or criticism) of those that you teach, and the judgment of God himself. It can seem, perhaps, romantic or idyllic to be a teacher with many people listening to your every word. But we should also be aware of the reality of judgment. God will hold us to account for whether we teach the truth of God or not, and, at a human level, people will be critical of teachers whether they like what they say or not. Becoming a teacher of God’s Word is not to be taken lightly, thoughtlessly, without forethought or careful consideration, and not without a clear call of God confirmed by God’s people. No one will be able to teach always perfectly, so some criticism is inevitable – especially as some will criticize when you teach what is right!
--Josh Moody; God Centered Life

James 3:2-6:
For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

The tongue is a powerful instrument that can be wielded for good or evil. Solomon said on one occasion, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). The book of James, which is the New Testament counterpart to the book of Proverbs, states “the tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (Jas. 3:5a).

Although it is admittedly difficult, our goal as God’s people is to “bridle” the tongue and use it constructively for the welfare of others. One way we can use our tongue in a positive way is by sharing the gospel with a friend, neighbor, co-worker, classmate, relative, etc. (Matt. 28:19-20). The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and said, “we also believe and therefore speak” (II Co. 4:13). Think of the profound gratitude the Corinthian believers must have had for the opportunity to hear, believe, and obey the gospel (Acts 18:8; I Co. 6:9-11).

A second way the tongue can be employed for good is by offering words of encouragement. Solomon said, “And a word spoken in due season, how good it is” (Prov. 15:23b). He also observed, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Prov. 25:11). Solomon was simply saying a word spoken at the right time is of great value. We can offer words of encouragement to those who are battling various ailments, disappointments, frustrations, etc. in life. Sometimes just saying the right thing can change the countenance of another person.

Suffice it to say, there are numerous ways the tongue can be used for good. Hopefully and prayerfully, we will choose to use our tongue for the benefit of our fellow man and the glory of God.
--Mike Hixson; The Power of The Tongue

October 12, 2022:
After the Alex Jones verdict today, Marjorie Taylor Greene had this to say about it: “No matter what you think of Alex Jones all he did was speak words.” She wrote on Twitter: "He was not the one who pulled the trigger.
Were his words wrong and did he apologize? Yes. That’s what freedom of speech is. Freedom to speak words. Political persecution must end."
The problem with illogical people like Greene is that Jones was espousing nonsense and claiming it was "the truth." Now had Jones stated before every show that he was making stuff up...then it would be different. And he could rattle off all the nonsense he wanted to.
Jones (and Trump..and Greene) follow the same school of logic in that they feed their nonsense to "the uneducated" and and purposely feed their nonsense to the lowest common denominator on the "Illogical" scale of reality.
Greene is a Christian Nationalist, and, hence has little knowledge of what is in the Bible, let alone know who God is. ...but James 3:3-6 says; When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
I fully accept the explanation of the power of the tongue by James.

Proverbs 18:21:Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Language is not neutral. Words have character and personality. Grammar is a highly sophisticated, scientific system of sounds, symbols, and tradition, that includes all the nuances of syntax, the circumspection of context, and the historical freight of etymology. Thoughts in words are like music notes, the constellating of comparable signals, words and notes, that make a message--another unique semaphore.
Words have special tasks and talents. They contain power and are to be respected. To misuse words is to abuse the mind and the fine instrumentation of a splendid language. Language is also the basic vehicle of human communication, the workhorse of daily exchange among people. It is plain, though, simple, half-hearted, and forgotten. It can be a little more than verbal impulses that shuttle people about.
Maybe this over-simplifies, but if we see the letters "E-X-I-T" we recognize it as the word "Exit." We do not, however, go through the word in order to exit. The word describes what is most likely a door. We also do not walk through anybody's verbal declaration of the word "exit." But we understand that there is a way through which we can exit because the word described, encouraged us to look, and revealed that there was a door way in which we could exit. The word "Exit" is a symbol. It is not THE thing, but it points to the thing. This is one of the powers of words. If after hearing the word exit, we are able to exit because we were looking for an exit, we are content. The word pointed to the thing that was there.
At the same time, however, someone can say "There is an exit" only for us to find that there is no door in which to go through. We understood correctly the expression as we understand the words involved in making the declaration. But, we find, there is no exit. Frustration? Betrayal? We heard the words but there was no exit. There is a lot of power in words. Be bold, yet, in this day and age we must also be alert. Using the symbols of communication (words) improperly is destructive. We begin to lose our trust. If you have any doubt of that, listen to the promises made through most political campaigns, and then track whether the promise is kept. Too often they are not and Americans faith in politicians is at an all time low. We heard President Obama promise (many times) that "If you want to keep your (insurance) plan, you can keep it" only to find out that it was never true. President Obama's popularity is now at an all-time low.

Words are a powerful force. Use them wisely. Use them responsibly. Using them to destroy someones faith in anything (by lying, etc) is cruel.

"According to James, we are the ones who light the fires with our knee-jerk reactions and our constant need to be right. But James isn’t addressing simply what we say. He’s addressing the deeper realities of our heart, because what we say, write, and profess reveal what’s happening within us. We wage war on the outside because we have passions waging war on the inside. “The source” of all the fighting, of all the fires, isn’t “out there” with some person or group we disagree with. It is “in here.” The spark is the sinful passions and desires within the human heart, both yours and mine. Our mouths simply give them a voice. As Jesus put it in Luke 6:45, “[the] mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.”
--Hannah Anderson"

"Fire is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. With fire we cook food, heat our homes, and destroy garbage that would otherwise overwhelm us. Likewise, the gift of speech is of great benefit. With our tongues we communicate information, express affection, and praise God. A tongue under control can speak life and truth into our world, bless and discipline our children, and transfer the wisdom God has given us (Proverbs 18:21). But, like fire out of bounds, our tongues can also do great damage.
Our tongues can be compared favorably to fire when we use our words to warm hearts, spread truth, and destroy lies. To keep our tongues under control, we can start every day with the prayer David prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

"Since the book of James is likely one of the earliest New Testament writings, James is heavily reliant upon the Hebrew Scriptures. And since James was a leader in the Jerusalem church and a half-brother to Jesus, he seems to base his letter upon the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
Therefore, what he writes about fire and hell is extremely important for understanding the overall imagery of these terms in the Bible.
In other words, the image of fire and hell in James can be used to help us understand how references to fire and hell are to be understood in the rest of Scripture.
According to Brad Jersak, who wrote the Foreword to my new book on hell, the imagery of fire and hell in James 3:6 is a definitive text for understanding both terms and how they were used by Jesus and the early church.
Jersak writes that the hell (Gk., gehenna) imagery in James 3:6 reveals that hell is not a destination to which people go after death, but rather the source of the flames that set the tongue and this world on fire.
And since the tongue itself does not actually burn with flames, nor do words literally set our lives, or the lives of others, on fire, this imagery too is symbolic of the devastation and destruction that the tongue can cause in a person’s life.
--J.D Meyers; Author "What Is Hell"

Just as a big horse is guided by a small bit, and a ship is governed by a small rudder, and a huge fire is started by a small flame -- the tongue has disproportionate power to do good or evil (vv.3-5). This small tongue that has such a big effect should be easy to control, right? Just like the horse's bit, the ship's rudder, and the small flame. But we can’t control our tongues! Why? Sinclair Ferguson observes,
“[The tongue] is so small. It has no bone. And yet it is so powerful to build up and destroy. Why does it do that? Because it carries the breath of our souls into the world in which you live.”
The wickedness of the words we speak is the breath coming out of our souls; it is an expression of what is in our hearts. And so too often our tongue is doing evil, in fact "a world of iniquity": "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 of hell" (v.6).
“So” -- as these small examples of big influences, just so is the tongue among our members. "Our" -- the apostle and brother of Jesus includes himself among those who have this affliction, this sin problem that is displayed in a tongue problem.
But notice the flow here: the "whole body" is defiled by the tongue; because it inflames what is already in our nature; and this tongue-flame itself comes from hell, from something deeper and darker within us.
In other words, the big problem is not that we use our tongues the wrong way. The problem is that our sinful nature leads us to say wrong and wicked things, and then the nature of others helps this small flame to catch on and blow all over the place like a forest fire.
Truly, in many things we all offend. The wicked way we use our words is just one of many examples, James says, of the depravity of our hearts.
Thus, the answer for our tongue problem -- as with the many other ways that we stumble and sin -- is not, "Clean up your act, and start using your words in better ways." James pointedly insists, "No one can tame the tongue" (v.8). Just as no one can overcome any other sin, or their own sinful nature, in their own strength or by mere force of will.
Let's go back to verse 2: "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." While many Bible students rush to say that "perfect" here means "mature", is it possible that James actually had in mind a perfect man?

-SOURCE: Justin Hoffman

Psalm 32:8-9 shows how our tongue will either be controlled by an understanding of God’s word or we will be controlled by misunderstanding. Truly, there are only two options here.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

James 3:7-10:
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,
8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

James 3:11-12:
11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

James 3:13-16:
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

James 3:13-17:
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere

Have you ever heard the saying, the proof is in the pudding? Biblically speaking we know that change has occurred when change occurs. I recently had an interesting discussion with an individual who couldn’t articulate the difference between confession and repentance. Acknowledging one’s sin is a wonderful first step but it is still a first step. When is a liar no longer a liar? When he says, “I know I lie” or when we witness him consistently telling the truth? Change is possible, but change is hard.
--Peace Works Blog

James 3: 18:
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

Wish to raise a great harvest or righteousness? Sow peace