James

Taming the Tongue. James establishes the general principle that small things can cause great results (vv. 1–5a) then more specifically applies this to the power of the tongue to destroy (vv. 5b–12).

Teachers were important in the early church (Acts 2:42; Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11), and those who were ambitious sought teacher status for the wrong reasons. However, with greater responsibility comes greater expectations by God (Luke 12:48; Heb. 13:17), and teachers will be judged with greater strictness (lit., “greater judgment”), since they are accountable for more.

in what he says. A person’s words reflect his character and thus are a key to his whole being. James emphasizes the importance of good works but also acknowledges that all Christians stumble (a metaphor for sinning; Gk. ptaiō, translated “fails” in 2:10) in many ways. James’s call for good works, therefore, must not be seen as expecting perfection. When James says that a person who can control his mouth is a perfect man, he probably has absolute perfection in view. It is a perfection, however, that will be attainable only in heaven. Still, believers should always seek to grow in holiness.

Bits in a horse’s mouth and the small rudder on a ship are examples of very small things that control large objects. The tongue, one of the smaller organs of the body, has a similar control over everything a person is and does.

boasts of great things. Pride (cf. “bitter jealousy,” “boast,” v. 14) is a major cause of the misuse of the tongue. In a progressive series framed by the imagery of fire, the tongue is presented in all its terrible potential. The small fire is the proud “boast” or other careless use of the tongue, and the great forest fire is the resulting conflagration. a world of unrighteousness. The tongue represents and puts into expression all the wickedness of the world. The entire course of life (lit., “the cycle of existence”) likely means the “ups and downs” of life. The tongue turns upside down every aspect of life in the community as well as in the individual. set on fire by hell. Evil speech destroys because it comes from Satan himself.

It is both hypocrisy and folly to bless God during a worship service and then, after the service, to curse someone made in God’s image (see Gen. 1:26–27). If the “curse” implies the common practice of invoking the name of God against the person, then this is doubly heinous.

In three illustrations of ridiculous natural contrasts, James drives home the point that blessing God while cursing his people cannot be countenanced. spring. Springs were the key to survival in dry Palestine, and the placement of villages and towns tended to depend on their presence. olives … figs. Just as no tree would produce two kinds of fruit, so also a true believer would not produce both blessings of God and curses toward others.

The Solution: Wisdom from Above. These verses could be called “the tale of two cities”—the realm of wisdom (framing the passage in vv. 13, 17) contrasted with that of selfish ambition. The one “from above” leads to “peace,” while the “earthly” one leads to “disorder.”

wise and understanding … conduct. Wisdom for James is not merely intellectual but also behavioral. meekness of wisdom. Meekness (Gk. prautēs, translated “gentleness” in Gal. 5:23) was considered weakness by the Greeks, but Jesus elevated it to a primary Christian virtue (Matt. 5:5; 11:29). Meekness comes not from cowardice or passivity but rather from trusting God and therefore being set free from anxious self-promotion.

Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are the antithesis of true wisdom as characterized by “meekness” (v. 13). They are also far different from the righteous character of a “jealous God” (Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; see James 4:5), who appropriately yearns for his own honor and the loyal devotion of his people, while the envious yearn for what does not belong to them. “Selfish ambition” is a divisive willingness to split the group in order to achieve personal power and prestige (it is translated “rivalry” in Gal. 5:20; Phil. 1:17; 2:3).

earthly, unspiritual, demonic. James describes worldly behavior in terms that “progress” from bad to worse, recalling the list in vv. 5b–6. Such behavior is ultimately earthbound, absolutely sensual as opposed to spiritual, and its origin is in the cosmic powers of darkness.

The final result of such Satan-driven conflict can only be disorder and every vile practice. “Disorder” (Gk. akatastasia) connotes a chaotic frenzy of fighting (cf. 4:1) in the church. The related adjective (Gk. akatastatos) means “unstable” (1:8) and “restless” (3:8).

The answer to the “disorder” of v. 16 is to seek wisdom from above, which produces character qualities beginning with purity and concluding with peace (cf. Gal. 5:22–23, where godly qualities are the fruit of the Spirit). first pure, then. Purity (blamelessness) is the primary virtue, with the rest providing aspects of this moral purity. Peaceable is the polar opposite of “selfish ambition” and the discord it produces. Peace, further emphasized in James 3:18, is one of the critical attributes of the pure believer (Matt. 5:9; Gal. 5:22; Heb. 12:11).

The legacy of those who bring peace rather than conflict is a harvest of righteousness. The “fruit” that comes from peacemaking in the Christian community will be the righteous conduct that God will bless (but this is not produced by “the anger of man”; see note on 1:20).