Study 5 from “The Work of Faith” Study on James: James 3:1-18
“May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
live in me from day to day,
by His love and pow’r controlling
all I do and say.”
Kate Barclay Wilkinson (1925), from the hymn “May the Mind of Christ My Savior”
Questions for initial thought: How do our words impact the lives of others? Which do you think are more important: words, or actions? Why? What does our culture or church culture tell us about the importance of words vs. actions?
What does it look like to live out the Christian faith, practically speaking, in the middle of the normal trials, temptations, and sorrows of the Christian life? This is the question that James has been answering throughout his letter. Though the human tendency is to make excuses, to see ourselves as more worthy than we actually are, James points out that each of us needs the mirror of God’s Word to show us where we fail –and to point us to His grace.
Yes, James assures us that as believers, we have the “implanted word” of God, at work within us. And a life of faith looks like not simply sitting back and expecting the word to work like a magic trick, but acting in faith that God will be at work in our lives and through our actions. Indeed, “faith without works is dead,” James warns, because faith that does not begin to shape the way we think and act, is no faith at all. And one of the greatest expressions of faith at work, as we will see today, is through the words of our mouths.
Perhaps sometimes we consider that words are mere words, and not the same as action. But James is going to show that the tongue itself is an indicator of the work of faith in our lives. While sometimes we think words are of little consequence, James will demonstrate that the tongue is a doer, reflecting the work of active or inactive faith; that the tongue acts as a mirror, showing us where our hearts truly lie. It is only wisdom from above that is able to train a wise and understanding tongue as we learn to live lives that reflect the work of the implanted word.
The Tongue as a Doer (vv.1-5)
Ask yourself: Why do you think James immediately follows his discussion of “faith and work” with a warning about the tongue? How can the tongue (our words) be a measure of active faith? What is the fruit of an unbridled tongue?
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers,” James begins this new chapter (Js 3:1). At first thought, it seems like an abrupt change from his discussion of faith and work. But we ought to consider James’ train of thought: James has just asked his listeners to consider the role of works in faith, to consider what it looks like to learn to act in faith that the LORD is working. As we saw with the examples of Abraham and then Rahab, learning to live out faith in action encompasses all of life. Abraham’s act of offering Isaac came after decades of learning to trust the LORD; Rahab’s act of hiding the spies, though at the beginning of her faith-journey, was only the beginning of the action of leaving her own people behind, and following the LORD.
James is showing that leading in a life of faith is far more than simply learning to “talk the talk;” it is demonstrating through action that the implanted word is indeed living and active. It means recognizing our proclivity towards partiality, and learning to see and treat others with the same mercy we have received from above. It means learning to not simply give religious-sounding well-wishes, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled” (Js 2:16); but trusting the LORD’s strength in our weakness to shine through as we humbly care for those who are lacking (cf. 2:15). Yes, it is easy to be “hearers” and even “speakers” of the word; but James is warning that speaking or “teaching” without learning to be a “doer” lacks credibility (cf. 1:19; 3:1).
So James’ warning is not limited to teachers and preachers in the formal sense (although that certainly applies); rather, even as James has called believers to be “slow to speak” (cf. Js 1:19), he is now focusing on the necessity of wisdom in speaking and teaching, “for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (3:1b). Words are not enough: what demonstrates the reality of God’s Word at work is a life of action that is in accordance with what we speak.
If this sounds like a difficult calling, that is James’ point: “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body” (Js 3:2). Though speaking may seem easy enough, James shows that the tongue is “the hardest of all of the members of the human body to control.”1 Learning to “bridle the tongue” is an indication that the whole body is in submission to a life of faith (cf. 3:2-3). James is warning against the arrogance of simply learning head knowledge, and trying to “speak” without demonstrating a life that has also come into submission to God’s Word, in knowledge and in action.
Yes, the tongue may seem “a small member, yet it boasts of great things” (3:5a). So Teaching and speaking must follow from learning to listen and be doers of the faith! The consequences of not learning to keep our tongues in check and be “slow to speak” and “slow to anger” is dastardly, as James will show us. And it ruins the witness of our faith.
The Tongue as a Mirror (vv.5-12)
Ask yourself: How are our words a reflection of the heart? How do you think our words might reflect the work of faith in our lives?
The reality is, in the context of the first-century Grecco-Roman world as well as within the Judaic and Rabbinic context (not unlike our modern context or even modern church context), there was a high emphasis on rhetoric, or the art of speaking. Being able to articulate and win an argument (even at the expense of others) was of utmost importance. But the tongue is indeed a powerful tool, able to steer an entire ship along the right course (cf. Js 3:4), or able to wreak great havoc and ruin the witness of the Gospel.
James is calling the followers of Christ to look different from the world: we must examine the words coming out of our mouths, and see what is their result! Are they words that stem from a heart and life transformed by the implanted word, or are the unchecked spark of a raging fire, able to set an entire forest ablaze? (Js 3:5b). Words may seem simple enough, but James warns that, unchecked, the tongue is capable of “staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life” (3:6).
This is why Jesus calls out the Pharisees, saying that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). Though trained in Scripture and rhetoric, the words of the Pharisees, uttered for selfish motives and without the love of the LORD, were an indication of evil hearts and dead faith. Their words no longer spoke the truth of Scripture, but twisted it for their own means, making them “full of deadly poison” (Js 3:8), and ruining their witness. Yes, the Pharisees “worshiped” God in the synagogue, but their tongues were full of unbridled words, reflecting hearts and lives unchanged by the Word of God.
So James urges his readers to examine their tongues, and see what they reveal about the work of faith in one’s life. “With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not be so,” James warns (3:9-10). If we want to know whether our faith is taking root in our lives, James is showing us we need look no further than the words that are coming from our mouths – for good and evil. Perhaps we find it easy to sing words of worship in church, but if we are also quick to gossip, or quick to tear someone down, or quick to try to win an argument or “teach” someone when our own lives do not reflect a changed heart, James warns that we are allowing poison to brew in our own lives, and in our witness.
In fact, James is so certain of the power of the tongue to do evil, that he says that “every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue” (Js 3:8). So what hope remains? Is there a way to grow in wisdom in using the tongue? Is there a point at which the LORD may use us to teach others, even when there is still work to be done in our own lives? James wants us to see the seriousness of our words, but he does bring us back to the hope of the Gospel, to the implanted word at work within our lives.
A Wise and Understanding Tongue (vv.13-18)
Ask Yourself: If our tongues are such powerful (and destructive) tools, what is the solution for learning to tame the tongue? What is the fruit of a wise tongue?
So James asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct, let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (Js 3:13). Wisdom is learning to hear and do the Word of God, and let these actions speak as a witness to the work of Christ within us. Remember, it is not enough to simply say “Go in peace, be warmed and filled” without also addressing “the things needed for the body” (2:16). But wisdom seeks to show faith through humble action, rather than boast of the knowledge of faith through mere words. One who understands the joy of the “law of liberty” does not need to express words of judgment without mercy; rather, he begins to demonstrate grace as he has received it, in faith that God will use this to teach and further His truth.
Yes, learning to bridle the tongue means learning to have a wise and understanding tongue. And often, the wise and understanding tongue is one that is “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,” and that manifests truth as a “doer” of the Word (Js 1:19, & cf. 1:22). But lest we grow discouraged, we might remember that this is not the first time James has talked about wisdom. Right at the beginning of his letter, James tells his reader that “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him as God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (1:5). Learning to have a wise and understanding tongue comes graciously and without reproach through the generosity of God’s grace, as we seek His help in our failing!
On our own, it is indeed impossible to tame the tongue. But as we seek wisdom from above, God’s promise is to give generously, to teach us what it means to live under His law of liberty, and to help our lives and our words reflect hearts transformed by His grace. Rather than the poison of an unchecked tongue, His wisdom “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (Js 3:17). In short, as we learn to hear His voice and seek His wisdom, God trains our hearts and tongues in everything that is opposite to our human inclinations! The tongue stirs up strife; God’s wisdom brings peace. Our words are harsh; His wisdom comes gently. The tongue speaks in judgment; tongues trained in His grace become full of “mercy and good fruits.” If we have the implanted word, we can take heart! There is hope for our tongue and the witness of our lives, because we have access to His wisdom at work within us!
And the fruit of seeking His wisdom as we examine the work of our tongues is learning to listen, to act, and to speak in faith. And James tells us that “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Js 3:18). Our words do not save us. Seeking His Wisdom in the “work of the tongue” is a necessary part of growing in active faith, and the promised fruit is everything that our tongues cannot attain on their own! So let us come before His throne and examine the words of our tongues, in light of His grace. And let us learn to pray with the Psalmist,
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
– Psalm 19:14
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” – Psalm 19:14
Questions for Reflection & Prayer:
How does today’s study challenge or encourage you? In what areas or situations do you feel the most tempted to unbridle your tongue? How have you ever felt the damage of words in your own life? Or where have you seen your own words bring damage and destruction to others? What does it look like to begin to examine our words as a reflection of our hearts? What do you think it looks like to learn to bridle the tongue, practically speaking? What “wisdom from above” do you need to hear as you begin to examine the words of your tongue? How can you pray for God to help you hear His wisdom above your own words?
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