Introductory remarks:
In this chapter James deals with the danger of the tongue, used incorrectly. "Teachers incur a grave responsibility and the tongue is hard to control. Those who wish to become teachers out of ambition can do much damage, teaching out of the wisdom of men and leading people astray. Wisdom is peaceful, gentle, fair and merciful" (A Survey of James - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: The tongue vv. 1-12: the wisdom from above vv. 13-18.
The Tongue
Verse 1, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation."
LGT "Be not many teachers, my brethren, knowing that a greater judgment we shall receive."
Be not many teachers, my brethren: in the synagogues of the dispersion, they were not only used for religious services, but they were opened for anyone who wanted to stand up and give his point of view on a variety of subjects. With this in mind, James says that the new converts should not rush to be a teacher, but prepare first, for with the teaching comes a grave responsibility. I personally have had some friends who were recently converted to the Lord wanting to teach, because they wanted to tell others of what had happened to them, and also to give warnings of not living the life they were recently converted from. This is not always a bad thing, but as long as a person does not try and teach Bible doctrine without first studying the Word, they are doomed to failure. My Greek professor at Chafer Seminary said to our sophomore class, 'Now you have learned just enough to be dangerous', for a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Knowing that a greater judgment we shall receive: James uses the inclusive "we" here, including himself as a teacher, so he is speaking from experience, and also James is inspired by the Holy Spirit to teach Bible doctrine. For those who run off and begin teaching without first preparing, they will give an account at the judgment seat of Christ for their motives.
Verse 2, "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."
LGT "For we all stumble often. If anyone [does] not stumble in word, this one [is] a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body."
For we stumble often: James again uses the inclusive "we" including himself in stumbling. If anyone does not stumble in word: if anyone has complete control of his tongue. This one is a perfect man: this man is spiritually mature, that is, the Spirit has perfected him. No one is completely perfected, but there are stages of maturity. Able to bridle the whole body: if a man is able to control his tongue, the rest of the body should be a cinch. In the Apocrypha the Wisdom of Sirach he speaks of the dangers of the tongue which I think would be of interest, so I will quote it full:
Curse the whisperer and double-tongued:
For such have destroyed many that were at peace.
A backbiting tongue hath disquieted many,
And driven them from nation to nation:
Strong cities hath it pulled down,
And overthrown the house of great men.
A backbiting tongue hath cast out virtuous women,
And deprived them of their labors.
Whoso hearkeneth unto it shall never find rest,
And never dwell quietly.
The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh:
But the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones.
Many have fallen by the edge of the sword:
But not so many as have fallen by the tongue.
Well is he that is defended from it,
And hath not passed through the venom thereof,
Who hath not drawn the yoke thereof,
Nor hath been bound in her bands.
For the yoke thereof is a yoke of iron,
And the bands thereof are bands of brass.
The death thereof is an evil death,
The graves were better than it.
It shall not have rule over them that fear God,
Neither shall they be burned with the flame thereof.
Such as forsake the Lord shall fall into it;
And it shall burn them, and not be quenched;
It shall be sent upon them as a lion,
And devour them as a leopard.
Look that thou hedge thy possessions about with thorns,
And bind up thy silver and gold,
And weigh thy words in a balance,
And make a door and bar for thy mouth.
Beware thou slide not by it,
Lest thou fall before him that lieth on wait.
(Ecclesiasticus 28:13-26)
Verse 3, "Behold we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body."
LGT "Now if we put the bridle in the mouths of the horses, for them to obey us, and we turn about their whole body."
The body of the horse follows his mouth, guided by the bridle (Robertson). Calvin wrote: "Though the tongue be a small member, yet it avails much in regulating the life of man." If a man can control his tongue, he will also be able to control the rest of his body.
Verse 4, "Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, withersoever the governor lusteth."
LGT "Lo, also the ships, being so great, and by violent winds being driven, are turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the impulse of him who steers may will."
This is another illustration by James of the great body being controlled by a small thing. In this case the illustration is that man can control his life by his tongue.
Verse 5, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth."
LGT "Just as also the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Lo, how great a forest is kindled by how small a fire."
The tongue has kindled great fires among people bringing them to uncontrollable violence. Men have stirred up crowds to act like untamed animals, just as the Pharisees and Sadducees did with their false accusations against our Christ, causing them to cry out, "Crucify, crucify Him." James is not saying the tongue should be silenced, just that it be controlled as a horse with a bridle, and a ship with its rudder.
Verse 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 of hell."
LGT "And the tongue [is] fire: the world of unrighteousness: the tongue is set in our members, the defiler [of] the whole body, and setting on fire the course of nature, and being set on fire by gehenna."
And the tongue is fire: fire can be used for good, warming the body and cooking our food, or for bad, destroying entire countrysides. The tongue uncontrolled is likened to a fire, that is, it can be for good or evil. The world of unrighteousness: the uncontrolled tongue is likened to the world without God, which produces unrighteousness. The tongue is set in our members, the defiler of the whole body: none of our members have an effect over the entire body like the tongue. "A man of pure conversation is understood and felt to be pure in every respect; but who has any confidence in the virtue of the blasphemer, or the man of obscene lips? We always regard such a man as corrupt to the core" (Barnes). And setting on fire the course of nature: the tongue is able to destroy man's entire nature. And being set on fire by Gehenna: the tongue that is inspired from the pits of hell.
Verses 7, 8,"For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath tamed mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."
LGT "For every species both of beasts and of birds, both of creeping things and things of the sea, is subdued and has been subdued by the human species, but the tongue no one of men is able to subdue; [it is] an unrestrainable evil, death-bringing poison."
Man is able to tame the wild beasts, but completely incapable of taming his own tongue. Without the Holy Spirit man is unable of himself to keep his tongue in check. Our Lord said in Matt. 12:34, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
Verse 9, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God."
LGT "Therewith we bless the Lord and Father, and therewith we curse men who according to [the] likeness of God are made:"
It is the image of God that sets us apart from the wild beasts. Man can speak, and this also sets us apart from the animal world. James says that man is able to bless God, and with the same mouth curse man, who is created in God's spiritual image. When both blessing and cursing comes out from the same mouth, the Bible calls this man, a hypocrite. Out of the heart man speaks. When man curses man he is also cursing his prototype.
Verse 10, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be."
LGT "Out of the same mouth goes both blessing and cursing. My brethren, ought not these things to be."
As noted above, James is saying that it is completely unnatural for cursing and blessing to come from the same mouth; that is, it is not natural for a believer to do such; and when he does, James says that he should not continue doing it.
Verse 11, "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?"
LGT "Pours forth the fountain out of the same opening sweet and bitter?"
James uses a rhetorical question here expecting a negative answer.
Verse 12, "Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."
LGT "Is able, my brethren, a fig tree to produce olives, or a vine figs? Neither can salt water yield sweet."
James asks another rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, followed by a statement of fact.
The Wisdom from Above
Verse 13, "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."
LGT "Who [is] wise and understanding among you" Let him show out of good his works in meekness of wisdom."
Vincent calls this, "practical wisdom in pious living." Remember, knowledge is the appropriation of doctrinal truths, while wisdom is putting these truths into everyday living or experience. James is saying let your life be in complete agreement with the truth; in other words, don't just speak holy words. Live holy lives.
Verse 14, "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth."
LGT "But if you have bitter self-devotion and contention in your heart, do not boast against and lie against the truth."
But if you have bitter self-devotion and contention in your heart: Boasting arrogance disproves wisdom (Robertson). Do not boast against the truth: these teachers would rather get their own agenda across than getting the truth out. James is very emphatic here using the middle imperative that lying against the truth is vanity. "We may find in this passage four characteristics of the wrong kind of teaching.
It is fanatical. The truth it holds is held with unbalanced violence rather than with reasoned conviction.
It is bitter. It regards its opponents as enemies to be annihilated rather than as friends to be persuaded.
It is selfishly ambitious. It is, in the end, more eager to display itself than to display the truth, and it is interested more in victory of its own opinions than in the victory of the truth.
It is arrogant. Its attitude is pride in its knowledge rather than humility in its arrogance. Genuine scholars will be far more aware of what they do not know than of what they know" (William Barclay).
Verse 15, "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."
LGT "This is not the wisdom from above coming down, but earthly, natural, devilish."
This is not the wisdom from above coming down: all true wisdom comes from God. Any so-called wisdom that is not from God is counterfeit wisdom. But earthly, natural, devilish: "the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14 NEB). All earthly wisdom is a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, and wood hay and stubble to be burned at the Bema Seat. James is separating the humble teachers from the arrogant teachers.
Verse 16, "For envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
LGT "For where selfish ambition and contention [are], there [is] commotion and every evil thing."
James sums up the matter of earthly wisdom in this verse. To put it in laymen's terms, it is worthless. God is not the Author of confusion, so where you find this earthly selfish ambition called natural wisdom, you will find commotion and every evil thing.
Verse 17, "But the wisdom that is from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."
LGT "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits, without doubting and genuine."
But the wisdom from above is first pure: essentially first in that it has no admixture, it is free from all external influence, and is appealing to the spirit. Then peaceful: divine wisdom produces peace. Gentle: this is the attitude of the man whom the Holy Spirit has developed through Bible study, that is, he displays a gentle spirit. Yielding: it produces in the believer an accommodating spirit. Full of mercy and good fruits: produces one who is forgiving and ready to help other family members. Without doubting and genuine: because it is from God, and that it is original, it has not been polluted with man's philosophy.
Verse 18, "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
LGT "But [the] fruit of righteousness is sown in peace to the ones that make peace."
Without righteousness there is no peace. The politicians talk about peace in the world, and they go to great lengths to try and bring about peace among the nations, but all we have today "are wars and rumors of wars". If they truly want peace, they first must get saved, and we know that just isn't going to happen, until Christ comes back and judges the nations. James ends this chapter with the truth that faith produces peace in the family of God, and one way to tell if a person belongs to God's family is that they sow seeds of peace, ignited by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
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