Read James, 3: 1-12:

1   My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

The word “masters” here is used in the sense of schoolmasters, or teachers.  James is drawing upon the understanding that whatsoever a teacher instructs people to do, he will be held accountable.  The bible says that we are all epistles, read of men.  James is pointing out that there needs to be consistency between a man’s words and his actions, that his life and conduct not give out confused messages or contradictory messages.  If we live and speak as Christians, let us not give way to worldliness, else the confusion that it causes in unbelievers will be held to our account.   

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.

It is in our nature to offend our fellow man.  Professor Higgins, of the musical My Fair Lady, states, “As soon as an Englishman opens up his mouth, he makes some other Englishman despise him.”  Some of this is incidental, to be sure.  But more often than not, it is the carelessness or looseness of the tongue that causes trouble for us, offends someone, hurts someone, causes dissension, discord, and eventually, hatred.

James here states that a man who can control his tongue must be able to control his entire body as well.  For the tongue, as it turns out, is the last thing that a man is able to control.  As deceitful as the heart is, so uncontrollable is the tongue.  Bridle the tongue, James says, and you can bridle the whole body.  He gives examples, then, to make his point.  

 3   Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

He uses here the illustration of the bit in the horse’s mouth.  In fact, the Greek word praus, which is translated as meek, is used to describe a colt that has been broken.  Meekness denote great power or strength under control.  In the case of a powerful horse, a tiny bit keeps them in check and controls their actions.   

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, whithersoever the governor listeth.

Another example of something enormous and powerful being turned about by a relatively tiny thing is a sailing ship, in which the whole craft is turned, even in the face of mighty winds, by a small rudder.

He makes these illustrations to show how the tongue can affect the whole body.

How many times have we said something that then obligated us to give our whole body toward making good on whatever came out of our mouth?  Or how many times have our labors and efforts been nullified or undone by something we said with our mouths? These are the things that James wants us to think about. 

 5   Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

He makes his final example between the spectacle of the tongue over the body.  A great fire begins with a single ember, a little spark.  So the tiny tongue can ignite a world of trouble.   

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.

Matthew Henry says this: “We are taught to dread an unruly tongue, as one of the greatest evils. The affairs of mankind are thrown into confusion by the tongues of men. Every age of the world, and every condition of life, private or public, affords examples of this. Hell has more to do in promoting the fire of the tongue than men generally think; and whenever men’s tongues are employed in sinful ways, they are set on fire of hell.” We must bear in mind, warring against our Christian nature is our flesh nature all of the time.  And all of the time, warring against our flesh is the Devil and all of hell’s forces, tempting it, beguiling it, egging it on.  Too often what comes out of our mouths is a product of worldly wisdom, not Godly wisdom; pride, not meekness; passion rather than patience.

When we give in to such vileness, we give hell a portal with which to wreak its havoc, even in the church, among the brethren.  We must take care to bridle our tongues.

  7   For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:  8   But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Interestingly, man has shown his ability to tame all beasts.  There is no beast over which man cannot assert his dominion.  But no man is able to tame the tongue without divine help.

Again, Matthew Henry: “No man can tame the tongue without Divine grace and assistance. The apostle does not represent it as impossible, but as extremely difficult. Other sins decay with age, this many times gets worse; we grow more froward and fretful, as natural strength decays, and the days come on in which we have no pleasure. When other sins are tamed and subdued by the infirmities of age, the spirit often grows more tart, nature being drawn down to the dregs, and the words used become more passionate.”

You will notice that a child has to be taught to curse.  A young adult is taught to be cynical about the world he lives in and the people he lives with.  Experience jades us and colors our perceptions, rarely to good effect.  What Matthew Henry is pointing out is that the problem of the tongue gets worse with age.  When the body is no longer our glory, no longer our strength, as we get older, the tongue tends to vaunt itself and speak more boldly, with more passion, with less restraint.

  9   Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10   Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

There is hypocrisy in singing praises and blessings to the Lord with the same mouth that curse other men and things.  In fact, James goes so far as to say that since we are made in the image of God, it is unbecoming a Christian to curse other men.  It is one thing to curse a beast; it is another thing to curse a man as if he were a beast and not someone made in the image of God.  This is especially true of other brethren, but it also applies to all people.

Besides that, nonbelievers can see this.  What good is it to tell them you go to church and sing in the choir if they hear you cussing and backbiting at work or out in public?  

 11   Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Certainly, someone can have a bad day.  A frustrating moment.  But James here is talking about a habitual use of the tongue to curse and criticize and demean.  And he knows that people, while they may afford you the benefit of the doubt once in a while, can perceive hypocrisy in a Christian just as surely as they can tell whether a fountain sends out sweet water or bitter water, hot water or cold water.  No Holy Ghost discernment is needed for a lost person to tell that a Christian is being a hypocrite, that his tongue and the things that issue out of his mouth do not speak of godly wisdom and godly ways.

Matthew Henry: “True religion will not admit of contradictions: how many sins would be prevented, if men would always be consistent! Pious and edifying language is the genuine produce of a sanctified heart; and none who understand Christianity, expect to hear curses, lies, boastings, and revilings from a true believer’s mouth, any more than they look for the fruit of one tree from another.”   

12   Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

He makes his point again.  A fountain is either salt water or freshwater.  And people see you that way, too.  Either they look at you and say, “There’s something different about this one.  He’s not one of us,” or they say, “Listen to that.   He’s just like one of us.”  It’s up to you to bridle your tongue and effect what your testimony says about your spiritual condition.

Read James 3:13-18:

  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.

So then, what should a man be doing with his tongue?  The scriptures say that a man should be slow to speak.  Rather than with his tongue,  James says to “shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”

First of all, conversation in this verse doesn’t refer to what a man says so much as to what a man does.  The key word is “shew.”  Don’t just talk about having a pious life; have a pious life.  Don’t just  talk about loving the brethren; love the brethren.  In other words, avoid the hypocrisy of actions not matching up with words, of works not matching up with profession.  Just as we studied how faith without works is dead, so a man who talks about a godly life but doesn’t live one is a hypocrite.

But it goes even beyond that.  Notice the phrase “meekness of wisdom.”  There is a lot of worldly wisdom floating around, like “You gotta look out for number one” or “You gotta make your own breaks in this life” or “You gotta stand up for your rights” or “You should fight for what’s yours.”  All of these sound good in the heat of passion, in the anger of the moment.  But if patience is to hold sway, we must be meek in our wisdom, letting worldly wisdom give way to Godly wisdom.

Ultimately what this verse means to us is that if there any among us who is gifted with godly wisdom, let him show it by his works, under the guidance of meekness.

Matthew Henry: “These verses show the difference between men’s pretending to be wise, and their being really so. He who thinks well, or he who talks well, is not wise in the sense of the Scripture, if he does not live and act well. True wisdom may be known by the meekness of the spirit and temper.”   

14   But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Again, Matthew Henry: “Those who live in malice, envy, and contention, live in confusion; and are liable to be provoked and hurried to any evil work. Such wisdom comes not down from above, but springs up from earthly principles, acts on earthly motives, and is intent on serving earthly purposes.”

To show malice toward you fellow man is confusion, says the Bible.  No Christian ought to harbor true malice toward his fellow man and especially toward his brethren.  If this is the condition of your heart, then James is warning, “Glory not, and lie not against the truth.”  In other words, if you are not going to bridle your tongue then don’t be telling people you are a Christian, or that God has gifted you with heavenly wisdom.   

15   This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16   For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

The sort of wisdom that spurs a man to act out of passion toward his fellow man is not wisdom from above, but rather it is a product of a man’s evil flesh; it is based on the natural senses rather than the divine patience; it is becoming not of a Christian, but of a child of hell.  It serves not the heavenly purposes, but is self-serving.  And for others to see this working among the brethren causes confusion.  God is not the author of confusion; Satan is.  So we must preserve our testimony and keep our tongues under control as well as our bodies.   

17   But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18   And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

There is that phrase again, “easy to be intreated.”  Those who are truly wise in the Lord are not belligerent dogmatic men, cursing those who disagree with them.  They are steady in the faith and will with honesty and meekness and love tell a man, “Come, let us reason together.”  That is the way of peace; that is the way that pleases God and wins men’s hearts.

Matthew Henry, speaking of Godly wisdom: “It has no disguise or deceit. It cannot fall in with those managements the world counts wise, which are crafty and guileful; but it is sincere, and open, and steady, and uniform, and consistent with itself. May the purity, peace, gentleness, teachableness, and mercy shown in all our actions, and the fruits of righteousness abounding in our lives, prove that God has bestowed upon us this excellent gift.”