"A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth" (Proverbs 13:2). 1. A joyous word may light the day. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary James) (Bold added), Ron Blue ties James 3:13-18 with the section on the tongue James 3:1-12 -A key to right talk is right thought. By:Bill Crowder(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. 3:17). It is too late to mend the days that are past. This Talkative (if it be possible) will go beyond them, defraud, beguile, and overreach them. Their tongues are loaded with lies. This was a shameful sin, and James would not tolerate it!" Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom. "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way" (Proverbs 14:8). John Calvinwrote that "True wisdom consists principally of two parts: the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves! And why has your countenance fallen? And as Solomon says, "Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain" (Prov. 2. to strike dead, kill, Od. of maidens, to make subject to a husband, Il. And reputations steal; Daniel Akin Sermon - Steve Stephens drives home the importance of our words in our marriage. Have (echo) is in the present tenseindicating they were doing so as their habitual practice (even believerswrestle with these sins from time to time but not all the time). ASV James 3:10 out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. Matthew 15:18. 5:21). (Ibid), Wiersbe -The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God. Spurgeon, Charles Haddon Genesis 3:8 God's First Words to the First Sinner Spurgeon, Charles Haddon Genesis 3:9-12 Man's Readiness to Invent Excuse for Sin Spurgeon, Charles Haddon Genesis 3:9-12 Christ the Conqueror of Satan Spurgeon, Charles Haddon Genesis 3:15 Christ the Conqueror of Satan Charles Haddon Spurgeon Genesis 3:16 But there is something we cannot tame. lives and transform them into Your likeness. Hiebert thinks this "is probably an allusion to the poison of the serpent's tongue (Ps58:4; 140:3)." 2 Samuel This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. People can tame tigers, dolphins, and falcons, but God must tame our tongues by transforming our hearts. From above was a rabbinical way of referring to Yahweh (cf every good thing in James 1:17+). Let your light shine (aorist imperative) before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." let him shew out of the good behaviour his works in meekness of wisdom. "With the increase of his lips shall he be satisfied" (Proverbs 18:20). Hiebert saysfull of mercy and good fruits is "the only double characteristic in the list, stands in direct contrast to "every vile deed" in James 3:16." His house is as empty of religion as the white of an egg is of savor. Only when we allow God to control the content that proceeds out of our mouths can the violent tongue be truly tamed. (James 3:13-18 Wisdom for Harmonious Relationships). Many of us are skilled at sounding religious, but we dont put our words into action. My neighbor may be blessed. - R W De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. The answer is 'surprisingly few'. The Greek term and the English equivalent to lie involve more than simply telling what is not true, for this could occur without an intent to deceive or mislead. to be forced or seduced, Hom. All rights reserved). But how can believers carry out this command to show good behavior? With never a word left out, (James 3 Commentary). 2:14; Jas. Oswald Chambers -If a cup is filled only with good water, it cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how badly it is jarred. Proverbs 2:10-15 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; 15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; Proverbs 4:5-9 Acquire wisdom! James 3:7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. (BKC), Letshow (1166)(deiknuo) in this context means to show so as to prove something is true or to make clear by evidence or reasoning. And whereabout does he dwell? But unbelievers have no defense against his demonic input! Spurgeon - We liked Burkitt better when we were younger. NET James 3:9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God's image. 3:15+. "He that uttereth truth showeth forth righteousness" (Proverbs 12:17). Joshua Such a "wisdom" cannot be from God. Even sadder it may take much longer to reverse the adverse effects of disorder and wickedness that are reaped when seeds of worldly (earthly, natural, demonic) wisdom are sown! Even with the temptation of Christ the devil was slick and sly (cf Lk 4:1-13+). Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. *Herod the king killed him in about AD 42 (Acts 12:2). Such a person knows how to forgive when strict justice dictates that there is a perfect right to condemn. We ask You now to take our All rights reserved), Lord, set a watch upon my lips, YLT James 3:7 For every nature, both of beasts and of fowls, both of creeping things and things of the sea, is subdued, and hath been subdued, by the human nature. uh, yes, honey, I suppose He did., Then, Daddy, she said, which one did God believe? (Swindoll's Living Insights). Those "peaceful" animals were capable of doing great damage, and even killing. Adoniram Judson), Thing(affair, matter, case) (4229)(pragma) is "that which is done or happens, deed, thing, event, occurrence, matter." "The mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things" (Proverbs 15:28). M R De Haan II (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. 15 of the 108 verses are devoted (Life Application Bible Commentary James). James wants us to apply godly wisdom to our personal lives and relationships.Is there peace in your home? Even the greatest and most gifted and gracious of men have said things that they later regretted. New Linguistic and Exegetical Key on epieikes -The word signifies a humble patience, a steadfastness able to submit to injustice, disgrace, and maltreatment without hatred and malice, trusting in God in spite of all of it. James also said that the wisdom that is from above is "gentle" (James 3:17), so each believer should reflect this gentleness in his life. Were either growing sweeter and wiser as the days go by, or were growing into foolish or even sour-faced curmudgeons. Paul therefore prayed for the church at Ephesus, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. One day she went to the market. James reminded us that the wisdom that is from above is . His life will be characterized by modesty and unobtrusive-ness. Over the years weve been able to train Gentle Ben, Lassie, Flipper, Shamu, even Barney! I do not ask for mighty words TECHNICAL NOTE - The Textus Receptus has the word akataschetos(from a = without + katecho = hold back or control) which means that which cannot be restrained, uncontrollable, untameable, unruly. Paul writes to the believers at Corinth who were not acting as they ought to act in Christ, enabled by His Spirit you are still fleshly. 4:4; Iniquity(unrighteousness, wickedness)(93)(adikiafroma= not +dik= right) is an activity which is unjust, acondition of not being right, whether with God, according to the standard of His holiness and righteousness or with man, according to the standard of what man knows to be right by his conscience. Remind me that for everyone What does it mean that humanity is made in the image of God (imago dei)? The word pure here denotes purity of heart and intent. Itnever hurt anyone else. But somehow, this tamed cougar, leopard or wolf suddenly reverted back to an old instinctto lash out, to maim, to kill. James 3:18. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. 6:10), and steadfast (1 Cor. Few people recognize the sinister capabilities of the tongue. One great fundamental characteristic of the morality taught in the Bible is, that it occupies the whole nature. (Gal 5:17+), Likeness (only NT use)(3669)(homoiosisfromhomoioo= to make like) describesa state of similarity likeness, resemblance, a becoming like. 20:10), and, for so doing, God kept him out of the Promised Land. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. As discussed aboveprautes is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23+). It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:8). "A lying tongue is but for a moment" (Proverbs 12:19). But there are two kinds of wisdom. The main reason for Luther's objection was James' teaching of justification. 15:11; Eccl. A jealous person has full hands but feels his or her own belongings or accomplishments are threatened by anothers success. Here the is used ofthe gushing forth of water. The Amplified Version functions almost like a "mini-commentary" - "[The fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]. The heart of the problem is the heart. Society pays the price for this twisted thinking at all levels, for it always leads to confusion and every evil thing (v.16). Douglas Moo -"As the fig tree cannot produce olives or the grapevine figs, so the pure heart cannot produce false, bitter, harmful speech.". Psuchikos pertains to life in the natural world asgoverned by sensual (fleshly)appetites and lived apart from the Spirit of God. Our lives are filled with unlikely settings for introducing Gods peace. "An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips" (Proverbs 17:4). The Lord will set a guard over my mouth; He will keep watch over the door of my lips (Ps. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. James almost seems to paint himself into a corner (so to speak). 10:28; Matt. Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. ESV James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. (Hiebert), Unwavering (impartial - NIV)(87)(adiakritos from a = without + diakrino = to separate, distinguish, judge) means making no partial distinctions, impartial. Following all that, his little daughter tapped him on the shoulder and said, Daddy, did God hear you when you said the blessing?, Switching to theological authority, Dad answered, Yes, darling, He did., Well, asked his daughter, did God hear you when you fussed right after you prayed?, Well . (Ibid). ESV James 3:9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. (BDAG) The only other 2 uses of damazoare in James 3:7,8 to "tame the tongue." Satan is smart and shrewd (Ge 3:1+). When I begin to grade the papers from the students in my college freshman writing class, Im rather lenient about correcting their mistakes, hoping I wont see the same errors again. Yet it is also capable of great good. - Robertson calls this a "rhetorical interrogative" (like Lk 11:11+). James 3. Faithful: Well, my brother, I am bound to believe you; not only because you say you know him, but also because, like a Christian, you make your reports of men. 2. All rights reserved), Words spoken rashly do more harm than good. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia. GNT James 3:14 , . In the same way, a pool of salt water can't produce fresh water. Only a regenerate tongue in a redeemed body, a tongue that God has tamed, can be used for Him. That proud old self must die. that can only give you earthly, natural and demonic wisdom? The adjective suggests the picture of "some caged but unsubdued wild animal, ever pacing uneasily up and down its den." With Gods help, we must learn to control our tongue. If your words bless and encourage others, they give evidence of a compassionate heart. (THEY COULD NOT BRING FORTH "FRESH WATER"!) We have this promise: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to [you] (1:5). "The poor useth entreaties" (Proverbs 18:23). In First Corinthians Paul repeatedly denounces man's natural wisdom which is really not wisdom in spiritual and eternal matters. Habakkuk And so lie against the truth- This is an interesting statement because mostlies are "against the truth." Seeking God's wisdom delivers us from the need to compare ourselves to others and to want what they have. Such inconsistencies are not found in nature, but out of the human being can come both bitter and sweet words. NAB James 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? She had never heard about Jesus Christ, and when the teacher described the beautiful life of Jesus Christ, she thought she was describing the missionary. That the meek should inherit the earth (Mt 5:5+)they that bear wrongs, and exemplify the love which seeketh not her own, (1 Cor 13:5+)to a world that believes in high-handedness and self-assertion, and pushing the weakest to the wall, a statement like this of the Lord from heaven cannot but appear an utter paradox. Thus, we find the church being run, evangelism being done, counsel being offered by wisdom from the world. Words are important to God. Psalm 52:2Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. Then ask Him to discipline your mouth so that every word you speak is used by God to encourage and edify others. Some troubles come from wanting our own way; My victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. Reprinted by permission. 36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. II. Given our natural tendency to get into trouble with our tongues, what can we do to control them? No man can tame the tongue, he wrote. Yes, the smallest but largest troublemaker in all the world is the tongue. Christian: His name is Talkative; he dwells in our town. Proverbs 18:8 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. "A wise son maketh a glad father" (Proverbs 15:20). And is set on fire by hell- Not Hades (the temporary holding place), but Gehenna, the everlasting place of all evil demons and humans. Here the essential thought is that mercy gives attention to those in misery. There are many messages that would have been twice as effective with half the words! Thus ultimately to curse a fellow human being is to show contempt for God. Job recognized the capability of words to destroy when he exclaimed to his friends, "How forceful are right words!" Lamentations It has no place for spiritual truth or illumination. NRS James 3:8 but no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. The blame did not belong to defective radar or thick fog but to human stubbornness. Remember, if God takes our words seriously, so should we. . Feelings of insignificance are rampant these days, even among Christians, and some do hurtful things to make themselves feel important. Our old sinful nature opposes our new life in Christ. By:Julie Ackerman Link(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. It can castigate and corrupt. Most people have great difficulty admitting that they are bitter. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. GNT James 3:12 , , ; . It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Of the person who is in the habit of speaking with insults, ridicule or sarcasm, James demands, 'Change your speech habits.' Conversely, we must not undervalue the damage harsh words bring. May we surrender every word to Him! Friberg says sophos generally describes "acquired intelligence characterized by the ability to use knowledge for correct behavior (1Cor 6:5)." 1:11). Too often we think of wisdom as something we simply possess in our minds, but James teaches us that wisdom is practical and is shown in our daily conduct. All rights reserved). There is more hope of a fool than of him" (Proverbs 29:20). ", Lenski adds thatzelos"is not as narrow as our "jealousy" but as broad as overzealousness in any matter for which one contends; hence "bitter" is appended and is to be understood in the sense in whichpikros is used in James 3:11, offensive, unpalatable to all who come in contact with this fanatic zeal. That will mark the beginning of harmonynot havoc. The -az ending in the verb indicates action and causation, hence to make tame, to get control over, to subdue., Liddell-Scott -I. of animals, to tame, break in, to bring under the yoke: Med. 5:5; Jas. Worse, what if we were seeking God and their disgruntled opinions had driven us away? "The contentions of a wife are a continual dropping" (Proverbs 19:13). Beloved, this is mind blowing! But according to the apostle James, you cannot tame the human tongue. -- Author unknown. (Word Biblical Commentary). BBE James 3:15 This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One. But relying on our own intelligence, uninformed by God, can lead to selfish ambition and bitter envy (v. 14). It is a closed system, a circumscribed box, as it were, of man's own making and choosing under satanic prompting. This TV commercial uses humor to indicate that a dental problem could reveal a more serious physical ailment. Actually he misused Scripture." "Through wisdom is a house builded" (Proverbs 24:3). It has to be attractive, but it must represent the truth; it must show that which can be produced in the storehouse. C. H. Spurgeon, Tongues are more terrible instruments than can be made with hammers and anvils, and the evil which they inflict cuts deeper and spreads wider. Phillips It is an evil always liable to break out, and the poison it spreads is deadly. 3:17). (Ibid) Courson is basing this application on the proverb which says "For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down." One day after the young people had sung, a member of one of the churches struck up a conversation with the principal of the school, who was on the trip as a chaperone. - Eph 6:17+). (Hiebert - James Commentary) James 3:1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will . James was not addressing a hypothetical situation that might arise in the future, but rather a real situation that already existed. -David Roper(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Those who disturb personal relationships and are responsible for strife and bitterness have cut themselves off from the reward which God gives to those who live a godly life." If one word, innocently misspoken, can cost millions, think of how much damage malicious words can cause. Ruth Psalm 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile. This is nature's way of trying to get by contention what it desires to possess,-fighting, and warring, and killing, yet the result of all this is nil. 9:8; Jer. When the wisdom of the world gets into the church, there is a great deal of fleshly promotion and human glorification. When someone gets bitter, they pierce themselves and build up or fasten together hate for someone else. And clearly what and how we think will influence what and how we speak. All rights reserved), To be like Jesusthat's our goal, The other man lost both of his eyes. reliance on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. EVENING Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14). 2 Corinthians CSB James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire. It's probably not a bad prayer to frequently pray! It is pure, peaceable, and gentle. Sper, John Phillips -Try as we might, we cannot prevent the tongue from lashing out at times. When she mixed chemicals inside a plastic bottle, it exploded and she unintentionally unsettled some fellow students. The Lord Jesus said, "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Mt12:34) -- what is in the heart will come out. I do not know that at any point the opposition between the spirit of the world and the spirit of Christ is more marked, more obviously diametrical, than with regard to this feature of character. This first vice usually accompanies the second: selfish ambition. In classic Greekeupeithes was used of submission to military discipline and for observance of legal and moral standards in ordinary life; i.e., one who willingly submits to a fatherly will. Ios also meansrustas if emitted by metals (James 5:3 = "Your gold and your silver have rusted"), Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Derick Bingham, A sanctified heart is better than a silver tongue. It is both the knowledge and practice of it. John Phillips adds that "the negative accentuates the positive. This evil chafes at confinement, always seeking a way to escape and to spread its deadly poison. "The rod and reproof give wisdom" (Proverbs 29:15). Anon. Christian: Know him! If we joke about sinful practices, we are speaking in a way we shouldnt (Ephesians 5:12). Bitter water also can destroy our spiritual lives.

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