James 3 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: James 3:1-2

1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

A. Find Out:

1. What does James say about us becoming teachers? v.1a
2. Why? v.1b
3. What generalization does he make? v.2a
4. Who does he say would be a perfect man? v.2b5. Read also Psalm 141:3, Proverbs 10:19, 11:12 What counsel is confirmed    there about what we say?
5. Read also Proverbs 12:18, 15:2, 15:4
6. What is the potential for good by the use of our tongues?

B. Think:

1. Looking at your Bible, how do today’s two verses fit in with what goes before and what follows after?
2. What are the primary lessons from today’s verses?

C. Comment:

      James has just been explaining that faith without action is a useless thing, and for those (i.e. teachers) who seek to guide others, this is especially important. It is crucial that teachers don’t merely talk about spiritual things but fully enter into them. Now the moment he mentions teachers he realises that they convey their teaching through words and so he starts along a fairly long path discussing the importance of what comes out of our mouths.

          OK teachers, he says, you will make mistakes, we all do, so that shouldn’t debar you from teaching, but nevertheless watch out for what you say. The counsel that comes from the Old Testament verses you looked up is that it is better to say little than say a lot of foolish things that help no one. The tongue has a potential to really bless people, but it is a disciplined person who can ensure that this is all their tongue does. So, what should we be considering here?

     Are our lives expressing faith so that we are “doing people” not just “saying people”? Are the words that come from our lips bringing blessing, peace and healing, or hurt and upset?

D. Application:

1. We should be doers and not merely hearers.
2. If we are speakers, then we need to watch what we say.

Passage: James 3:3-6

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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.

A. Find Out:

1. What point does James make about horses? v.3
2. What point does he make about ships? v.4
3. What point does he make about the tongue? v.5a
4. What does he say about a forest? v.5b
5. How does he illustrate the tongue? v.6a
6. What does he say it can do? v.6b

B. Think:

1. What is the main point being made by each illustration?
2. How does he apply that to the tongue?
3. How can words be damaging?

C. Comment:

      In continuing to speak about the use of our mouth, James uses three clear illustrations to show how something very small can have a big impact. The bit in the mouth of a horse controls it, the rudder on a big ship controls it, and a small flame in a forest can set the whole forest on fire.

      We may think the tongue is a small and insignificant part of the body but its effect can be very powerful. The tongue (and James focuses on its bad use here) can be used for lying, slander, stirring up hatred or discord and inciting a whole host of wrong behaviour.

     James says that the tongue can set your whole life on fire. That which merely remains a thought can remain dormant, but that which is spoken out releases a whole powerful wave of wrong feelings and attitudes. Spoken words for good and evil can have a very powerful effect.

     When he says the tongue itself is set on fire by hell, he means that once wrong words are released it seems to open a whole floodgate of further wrong words that seem to have no end. Hell is a translation of Gehenna, a valley outside Jerusalem where rubbish was continually being burnt; it is a picture of an ongoing fire that just keeps on going. Once the tongue starts there is no stopping it!

D. Application:

1. Would Jesus approve of all the words that come from our lips?
2. Do we need to repent for wrong words spoken?

Passage: James 3:7-12

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. 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.

A. Find Out:    

1. What can we do with living creatures? v.7
2. Yet what do we fail to do with the tongue? v.8
3. What two things do we do with the tongue? v.9,10
4. But what does he ask about water? v.11
5. What does he say about fruit off trees? v.12a
6. What does he say about a salt spring? v.12b

B. Think:

1. What is the main point of this passage?
2. How is that different from the previous passage?
3. What does this say to your life?

C. Comment:

       Above James spoke about the possible damaging effect of the tongue and now he goes on to consider the source of our words. He starts out by saying that we can tame animals, but we can’t tame our tongue. When we focus on our words and try to control them, we find that we soon fail again. That is not the answer.

     James’ answer is to look at the source of our words. Look, he says, consider a freshwater spring, can saltwater come from it, or alternatively can freshwater come from a saltwater spring? Or perhaps look at different trees. Will olives grow on a fig tree or figs on a grapevine? No, the sort of fruit that comes is determined by the tree itself. Picture after picture says the same thing1

     The implication here is that our words simply reflect what is going on inside us, our words reveal the sort of heart that we have. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus said, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”. Wrong words indicate a wrong heart and therefore our focus should not be on trying to ensure that good words come out of our mouths, but that we have put our heart right with God, and when this happens then the good words will follow.

D. Application:

1. Are we aware of wrong words continually coming from our mouths? It is an indication of needing to put our hearts right before God.
2. Remember, words reveal the state of the heart!

Passage: James 3:13-18

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 harbour 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.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

A. Find Out:

1. How are we to show we have wisdom? v.13
2. But what may we harbour in our hearts? v.14
3. Where does such come from? v.15
4. What will follow those things? v.16
5. What are the characteristics of wisdom from heaven? v.17
6. What will peacemakers harvest? v.18

B. Think:

1. How are “earthly-wise” people described?
2. How are “heavenly-wise” contrasted?
3. How do you think this follows on from the previous passage?

C. Comment:

      James had been previously speaking about the words that come out of people’s mouths. Now he picks up on those who would say they are wise and would seek to appear wise but whose inner wrong attitudes deny it.

      The point that he is making is that whatever fine words we speak and however wise our sayings appear to be, if we harbour wrong feelings that is not wisdom from heaven, but simply an earthly counterfeit. If we harbour wrong feelings towards others, we cannot call ourselves wise!

      Real wisdom, by contrast, originates in heaven and is shown by a good life characterised by humility that comes from knowing who we are, frail in human weakness but great as children of God. This awareness will always keep us humble. But that which comes from heaven will also show the characteristics of Jesus: it will be pure and holy, loving peace and seeking to bring peace, caring and considerate of others, submitting to God and to authority, merciful and accepting of others, not taking sides and fully truthful and sincere.

      Where these things are seen in life then here is real wisdom, here is a person who has truly learnt to be wise, and this is true righteousness.

D. Application:

1. Human wisdom allows wrong feelings to prevail inside.
2. Godly wisdom not only says good things but shows that the inside is right with God, as well as the outside!