PART VI
Hello. I am Patrick Cooley, pastor of Northport Methodist Church, and I want to thank you for spending some of your time today with me at the First Day podcast. Make sure you visit FirstDay.us and subscribe so you will be notified when a new episode drops.

Whereas chapter two expands of James declaration in chapter one that “true religion is this…” here in chapter three, James is going back to expound upon more of the commands that he has given there to the Church—in particular parts of verse 19 and verse 26: “Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;” and “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless,” respectively.

Read verses 1-5
Do not become teachers in large numbers, my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to rein in the whole body as well.

Why will teachers incur a stricter judgment? We are all familiar with that saying about sticks and stones, I am sure. “But words will never hurt me.” The older I get the more ridiculous that rhyme becomes.

Physical wounds heal but psychological, emotional, and spiritual ones…some people struggle with them for their entire lives.

I would even be willing to bet that if you are listening right now, there are some words said to you days, weeks, months, maybe even years and decades ago that still hurt. This is true for words intentionally spoken to harm as well as for those that are simply misguided.

This latter variety is the kind, I think, James is referring to in these opening verses. Perhaps some of those people in chapter one, the ones that cannot hold their tongues are trying to lead the Church.

In this early Jewish Christian Church, the teacher would likely have been called Rabbi. So James is suggesting that no everyone should try to seek the position of rabbi because of the weakness of the human condition: It is VERY easy to go astray; to utter a killing word—to steal from Dune, 1984.

Since teachers have greater, deeper knowledge, they also have greater responsibility; therefore, the standard of judgement will be and is higher.

In the second verse, James provides the rationale for his preceding advice: because we all “stumble in many ways,” meaning we have moral failings, and these may lead us to say things that do serious damage; and these words are sin.

Sirach 19:16 asks, “A person may make a slip without intending it. Who has never sinned with his tongue?”

The Sacra Pagina commentary quotes the philosophers Seneca and Philo—both of whom understand something that many of us Christians seem to forget often:

Seneca states, “We have all sinned—some in serious, others in trivial things; some from deliberate intention, some by chance impulse...” and Philo: “…there has never been a single man who, by his own unassisted power, has run the whole course of his life, from the beginning to the end, without stumbling…”

Rabbis must understand that there is more at stake in their choice of words than just wasting their breath. Their words can build up or pull down. All have sinned, yes, and all will make mistakes again, so then we must all be slow to anger and slow to speak.

As for the second part of verse two, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to rein in the whole body as well,” James’ use of the word “perfect” (teleios) does not concern what is flawless or faultless, as we have come to consider it meaning.

The meaning of the Greek word, teleios, used here, is more akin to wholeness and having integrity: Perfection in this case is completion. So let’s reread this verse.

“If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is complete, able to rein the whole body as well.”

This is the same idea that underlies James’ declaration that works make faith perfect. Simple belief is made whole—made complete—has integrity or is effective—with the presence of good deeds becoming a faith that is reckoned as righteousness.

As individuals, if we can bridle our tongues, we can direct our bodies to doing true, real religion. As rabbis, a controlled tongue can guide the Church to what it must become in Christ. This is the power of words, and why it is so important to James that the Church be slow to speak. For as long as they delay controlling their tongues, the longer they delay people coming to know the righteousness of God and the more they risk failing the trial.

3 Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well.

Let’s look at Psalm 32:8,9
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.

It seems that the ideal is not have the priest or spiritual leader to bridle the people’s tongues. Indeed, God will “advise [us] with His eye upon [us].” We are to seek understanding, to know why, and to walk out our faith; we are charged with listening to God. God doesn’t want to bridle us like an animal that has no understanding, because we would otherwise run wild.

What is better, we learn here in the Psalms, is to seek God and “humbly accept the implanted word that has the power to save [our] souls.” (James 1:21)

4 Look at the ships too: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.

So the tongue—the smallest of words—can draw us closer to God’s righteousness or pull us farther away. But let me clear about something here; I don’t want anyone to misunderstand. I am not talking about the Word of Faith Movement here, and James isn’t either.

James is not saying that the words our tongues speak will bring us complete healing and prosperity. We cannot speak blessings for ourselves into existence—only God can do that. In fact, the words that we speak are to bring about righteousness so that we might practice true religion: visiting the orphan and the widow and the stranger in their distress. Hear what the Psalmist has to say about this is in Psalm 12:

Psalm 12
Help, LORD, for the godly person has come to an end,
For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.
2 They speak lies to one another;
They speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that speaks great things;
4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the devastation of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will put him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the LORD are pure words;
Like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times.
7 You, LORD, will keep them;
You will protect him from this generation forever.
8 The wicked strut about on every side
When vileness is exalted among the sons of mankind.

We tame to tongue not to escape trial but to escape temptation amid trial. We tame to tongue to hear the implanted word.

But actually taming our tongues, that is another story.

I want to thank you for tuning into First Day as we look at James’ letter to the Church. Reach out to me by email if you have in questions, or call or text me if you have my number, and I look forward to our next meeting.

I’m Patick and you have been listening to the FirstDay podcast. Please visit the podcast’s website at www.firstday.us and follow the link to my Facebook page. Blessing to you all.