James 3:1-12

1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

² 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.

⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.

⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?

¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

First is the warning not to assume leadership in teaching for self-display; even teaching as given to the members of the body of Christ must be carefully exercised, for it carries with it great responsibility, for one may preach to others and be himself disapproved (1 Corinthians 9:27). If one is a teacher he must also practice what he teaches, otherwise he shall receive a greater judgment, not as to salvation, but as to disapproval before the award seat of Christ. — Gaebelein, page 1131. [Gaebelein’s final sentence (above) is true for members of the Body of Christ, but is not part of James’ teaching in this passage.]

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The teacher will be held to a much higher level of scrutiny because what he teaches affects so many lives throughout eternity. God will not only examine his motives and the intent of his heart, but also what he taught and how he taught it. … The teacher is responsible to teach the truth, which must also be reflected in his own life, otherwise his words are like empty wells of water. Peter says regarding those who minister the Word, “let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11). In other words, the instructor must always align his teaching with the Word of God. The Scriptures are the standard; therefore, the teacher is the standard bearer. — Sadler, pages 81-82.

perfect (v.2) = spiritually mature

Perfect (v.2) describes the man who has reached his goal, the man who is self-controlled. That being the case in speech, he is able also to bridle the whole body, because the tongue resists control more than any other area of behavior. — KJV Commentary, page 1720.

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Just as the tiny bit, and small rudder (vs.3-4), can move these great bodies in one direction or another, so man’s entire body can be moved by the tongue; and not only that, but it, though so small, can move masses of men, and so inflame them that it will set their entire nature on fire and excite them to terrible deeds. — Williams, page 995.

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While the tongue may be small (v.5), it boasts great things. The sense is that it enjoys glorying in achievements and how they were accomplished. It is grandiose and arrogant in its description of things. — Sadler, page 84.

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Behold how much wood is kindled by how small a fire (v.5) — this is the correct rendering of the text. The tongue of the natural man, unrestrained by anything is a fire. It defiles the whole body. Our Lord speaks of this: “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23). The tongue is the medium to reveal all these evils of the heart, and by its use for evil becomes the seducer of others. — Gaebelein, page 1131.

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The tongue (v.5) can spark a rumor or gossip and cause a firestorm of trouble (Proverbs 12:18; 15:1) — Grace, page 2199.

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world (v.6) = an ordered system. The tongue systematically corrupts the entire body. — Grace, page 2199.

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set on fire by hell (v.6) — i.e., by Satan himself (Matthew 16:18). This is the only place where the word Gehenna is mentioned outside the Gospels. — Grace, page 2199.

hell (v.6) — Literally “Gehenna,” a valley southeast of Jerusalem, called such from the cries of children who were thrown on a fire before Moloch, an idol in the form of a bull. The Jews hated the place because of these sacrifices and used it as a dumping ground for all sorts of refuse, including dead animals and executed criminals. Fires burned constantly to consume the bodies. The name of the place — where fires continually burn — was used to describe hell.

No man can tame the tongue (v.8) — This does not necessarily mean that everyone unceasingly makes unintended comments, but it does mean that even the most respected, gracious people have their own seasons of regretful words. “Full of deadly poisons” speaks of the death blows words may deliver to good relationships. — KJV Commentary, page 1721.

unruly (v.8) = unrestrainable

tree (v.12) — A plant’s roots determines its fruit, as our heart determines ours. — Grace, page 2199.