James 3:1
1 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Why the greater judgment for teachers? Here’s some insight:
Biyn - Heb. - To have discernment, insight, and understanding. To have discretion.
Example:
1Kings 3:9-10
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Why did I park here? Because James is speaking to Hebrews. To get a feel for what a teacher looks like according to the Hebrew mindset requires the Hebrew definition of ‘Teacher’. The Old Testament characteristics of a teacher mirror the personal characteristics of some of the greatest figures in Biblical history. Joseph, David, Solomon, Daniel; all giants in Scripture. What James knows is that the office of teacher in the Church is to be held in the highest regard. So you want to be a teacher, eh? Be careful what you wish for. That office comes with great responsibility towards God.
James 3:2
2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
Psalms 39: 1
1
I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
This is the goal, isn’t it? Absolutely. We Christians, especially those of us who have been at this for a while. Once you have adopted the Christian lifestyle, you don’t normally maintain sinful habits. As the song says, “ Things I used to do, I don’t do no more.” But there is a problem. I was born Wayne, and though I was born into the body of Christ some thirty years ago, I was born Wayne some sixty years ago. Sometimes the old ‘Wayne shows up. Not so much in what I do, but in what I say.
Psalms 39: 2-3 (see v.1 above)
2
But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3
The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
It seems that James had Psalms 39 in mind when he was penning the letter to the Jewish diaspora. He wanted them to understand the weightiness of the office the aspired to; teachers. He wanted them to examine themselves, understand their own inadequacies, and approach the desire for office with and in the reverent fear of God. Instead, what he observed were his fellow countrymen was partiality, greed, selfishness and a real desire to be thought of as more than what they were.
James 3:6
6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself
Beloved, let me offer a little food for thought. The words ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ always imply ‘Eternity’, as the eternal consequence of our lives. So, when you see the word Hell associated with your tongue, be reminded that the words you speak can have eternal consequences. Allow me to add to that thought that a practical temporal imagining of eternity is ‘from generation to generation’. In essence, your words can affect future generations.
Proverbs 18:21
21
The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
And finally….
James 3:8-10
8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
Beloved, we can do better, every one of us. We can allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. We can submit our members to the Holy Spirit. And while we may not be perfect we can always strive for perfection. In this time of political and social unrest, let us be the holy people of God who bring refreshing to a withering creation. We can do that by keeping our conversation… holy.
Selah
wb
Deuteronomy 30:19
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”
Colossians 4:6
6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive[a] so that you will have the right response for everyone.
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