James: More GraceSample

How conscious are you of your sin?

It seems that James’ complacent readers are in danger of deceiving themselves about theirs. James has told this dysfunctional congregation that not many of them should be teachers of God’s word. Teachers need to model the gospel they explain. James’ readers claim to have faith, but their lives tell a different story – that is why so few of them fit the bill.

Of course, no teacher is a perfect illustration of godliness though.

• What does James say is true of everyone, even teachers (v. 2)?

Unlike his readers, James is humble. He himself is a teacher, but he is not claiming to be perfect. He knows that all of us stumble in a whole variety of ways. We just can’t stop doing wrong, and you can see that, perhaps most clearly of all, by looking at what we say.

• What does James say about the person who is never at fault in what he says (v. 2)?

Self-control is a very big deal in the Christian life. With God’s help, we are called to take ourselves in hand and to stop doing wrong and start doing right. James says that the day we master the words that come out of our mouths is the day we will reach perfection.

James’ stress on the significance of our words echoes the teaching of Jesus himself. Jesus taught that our words show what is going on in our hearts: ‘For out of the overflow of [a person’s] heart his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45).1

That is why controlling our words is such a problem. We can’t stop saying what we shouldn’t because we can’t stop wanting what we shouldn’t. Our words are just a mirror of our hearts.

In the coming verses James talks about the tongue as if it is a kind of independent being, a sort of wild animal living in our mouths. Actually, of course, the words my tongue speaks are just the thoughts of my heart uncovered and with the volume turned up.

As we read on we will find ourselves agreeing with James as he reflects on the tongue. James’ aim though is not primarily to call on us to try harder to master our speech. His aim is rather to show his readers, and us, our hearts.

And as we are humbled in this way, we will see once again our desperate need for God’s grace. James’ aim is to bring his readers back to God once again in the safety of repentance.

Pray

Ask God to help you remember your own faults and stumblings, and to walk very humbly with him and with others.