James 3:1

James 3:1-2 . Be not many masters — Διδασκαλοι , teachers. Let none of you rashly, and without proper qualifications, undertake the office of teachers of others; an office into which many are ready to intrude themselves, without being called of God to it. “The great desire which the Jewish Christians, to whom this letter was written, had to become teachers in the church after their conversion, and to inculcate the obligation of the law of Moses, is noticed by St. Paul, 1 Timothy 1:7 . Desiring to be teachers of the law, &c. — These teachers of the law in the Christian Church were the great corrupters of the gospel.” Knowing that — If we err, we shall receive the greater condemnation — On account of our taking upon us an office for which we are not qualified, and in the exercise of which more is required of us, in many respects, than of others in a more private station of life. St. James here, as in several of the following verses, by a common figure of speech, joins himself with the persons to whom he wrote, to mitigate the harshness of his reproof: we shall receive — we offend — we put bits — we curse, none of which particulars, as common sense shows, are to be interpreted either of him or of the other apostles. For in many things we offend all — Through natural infirmity and strong temptation, we are all liable to fall.

The original expression, πταιομεν απαντες , is literally, we all stumble. “It is a metaphor taken from persons who, walking on slippery or rough ground, slide or stumble without falling; as appears from Romans 11:11 , μη επταισαν ινα πεσωσι , have they stumbled so as to fall? Therefore, as in Scripture, walking denotes the course of a man’s conduct, stumbling, in this passage, signifies those lesser failings in duty, to which common Christians are liable.” If any man offend — Stumble; not in word — Keep his tongue under constant government, so that no corrupt discourse proceeds out of his mouth, at any time or on any occasion, but only that which is either about necessary business as far as is necessary, or good to the use of edifying, (see note on Ephesians 4:29 ,) the same is a perfect man — Eminently good; one who has attained to a high degree of wisdom and grace, and able also to bridle the whole body — To keep all his senses, appetites, and passions under due regulation. The tongue is an index of the heart, and he who does not transgress the law of truth, or love, or purity, or humility, or meekness, or patience, or seriousness, with his tongue, will, with the same grace, so rule all his dispositions and actions, as to manifest that he has in him the mind that was in Christ, and walks as Christ walked.

Masters (διδάσκαλοι) Literally, and better, teachers, with a reference to the exhortation to be slow to speak (James 1:19). Compare 1 Corinthians 14:26-34. James is warning against the too eager and general assumption of the privilege of teaching, which was not restricted to a particular class, but was exercised by believers generally.

My {1} brethren, be not many masters, {2} knowing that we {a} shall receive the greater condemnation. {1} The sixth part or place: Let no man usurp (as most men ambitiously do) authority to judge and censure others harshly. (2) A reason: Because they provoke God's anger against themselves, who do so eagerly and harshly condemn others, being themselves guilty and faulty. (a) Unless we cease from this imperious and proud finding of fault with others.

James A WATCH ON THE DOOR OF THE LIPS Jam 3:1-15 ‘THERE is a recurrence to earlier teaching in Jam 1:19 ; Jam 1:26 , which latter verse suggests the figure of the bridle. James has drunk deep into Old Testament teaching as to the solemn worth of speech, and into Christ’s declaration that by their words men will be justified or condemned. No doubt, Eastern peoples are looser tongued than we Westerns are; but modern life, with its great development of cities and its swarm of newspapers and the like, has heightened the power of spoken and printed words, and made James’s exhortations even more necessary. His teaching here gathers round several images- the bridle, the fire, the untamed creature, the double fountain. We deal with these in order. I. No doubt, in the infant Church, with its flexible organisation, there were often scenes very strange to our eyes, such as Paul hints at in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, where many voices of would-be teachers contended for a hearing. James would check that unwholesome eagerness by the thought that teachers who do not practice what they preach will receive a heavier judgment than those who did not set up to be instructors. He humbly classes himself with the teachers. The ‘for’ of verse 2 introduces a reason for the advice in verse 1 - since it is hard to avoid falls, and harder in respect to speech than action, it is a dangerous ambition to be a teacher. That thought leads on to the series of considerations as to the government of the tongue.

He who can completely keep it under command is a ‘perfect’ man, because the difficulty of doing so is so great that the attainment of it is a test of perfection. James is like the Hebrew prophets, in that he does not so much argue as illustrate. His natural speech is imagery, and here he pours out a stream of it. The horse’s bridle and the ship’s rudder may be taken together as both illustrating the two points that the tongue guides the body, and that it is intended that the man should guide the tongue. These two ideas are fused together here. The bridle is put into the mouth, and what acts on the mouth influences the direction of the horse’s course. The rudder is but a little bit of wood, hut its motion turns the great ship, even when driven by wild winds. ‘So the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things,’ which boasting is not false, for the whole point of the passage is that that little member has large power. Is it true, as James says, that it governs our actions as the bridle does the horse, Or the rudder the ship?

Jam 3:1 . Μὴ πολλοὶ , not many ) A rightly governed tongue is rarely found. Jam 3:2 , all . There ought therefore to be few teachers. Comp. Romans 15:18 . In accordance with this principle also, he who acts as teacher ought not to be too much given to speaking.— γίνεσθε , be ) of your own accord.— μεῖζον κρίμα , greater condemnation ) on account of more numerous offences. Comp. Wis 6:5 . [For we shall have to render an account of all our words.—V. g.]