James 3

The Tongue and True Wisdom

6 passages

Overview

James cautions those who would teach that they face a heavier divine judgment, traces the tongue's catastrophic and hell-kindled power to corrupt the whole person and contradict the worship owed to God, and then contrasts the false wisdom of jealousy and selfish ambition with the heavenly wisdom whose character is gentle, morally consistent, and peace-bearing.

Passages

1–2The Weight of the Word: On Teachers and the Tongue 3–5Small Controls, Great Consequences: The Tongue's Disproportionate Power 6–8The Tongue as an Untameable Fire 9–12The Contradiction of Blessing and Cursing 13–16Bitter Roots, Corrupt Fruit: The Anatomy of False Wisdom 17–18The Wisdom from Above and the Fruit of Righteousness

Study Resources

James 3

¹Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. ²For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. ³Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. ⁴Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. ⁵So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! ⁶And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna. ⁷For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and sea creature is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind; ⁸but nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the image of God. ¹⁰Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? ¹²Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. ¹⁵This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. ¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 2 James 4