“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” James 3:1-2.

While this segment begins by telling the teacher that they will be judged more severely for their words; all Christians are included when it is said, “For we all stumble in many things.” So it is important that we do not shut down, thinking this is for teachers only.

It is a good thing that teachers will be under stricter judgment because they can, and have caused a lot of damage in Christ’s church; not that they were all Christians.

For instance, the sick twisted thinking of the leadership of the Westboro Baptist Church that was demonstrating at military funerals a few years back.

That cruel practice seems to have slowed since their pastor died.

While it is true that God hates sins such as homosexuality; He also hates the sin of pedophilia, adultery, fornication, murder, abortion, theft, lying, and twisting His word to conform to our own doctrine.

God does not hate homosexuals; He hates the sin, not the sinner. Did Christ die only for the non-homosexual?

Are there some sins that are acceptable to God, and therefore those who only sin the acceptable sins get a free pass?

Let these words go deep into your heart, let them be branded onto your soul; our father and mother, Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden and the world plunged into chaos because they ate a piece of fruit!

Nowhere does Christ teach a doctrine of violence or disruptive behavior. In fact when a certain village would not receive Him Jesus responded in this manner.

“And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’ And they went to another village.” Luke 9:54-56.

Westboro’s fear and intimidation tactics are no different from those sweeping through our cities today and no different from those used by Islam; all are drawn from the same demonic source.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…” I Timothy 4:1-2.

Continuing to speak of false teachers God tells us this.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” II Peter 2:1-3.

Many liberal seminaries teach that Jesus was not virgin born, nor was He God; in fact God is a god principle not a real person, miracles do not exist, and the life of Christ was nothing more than an example of how we should live.

Notice, these false teachers will bring in “destructive heresies”; this is what they did to the Medieval Church and all but destroyed the gospel of Christ.

These same ungodly teachers also created the Inquisition, killing millions in the most horrific ways sadistic men with demonic inspiration could think of, all in the name of Christ.

Because of these destructive heresies, “the way of truth will be blasphemed”, as it is today when ungodly men point to the Inquisition as an example of Christianity. Yet they do not point out that the vast majority of victims who died during this period were Christians and Jews, and that the church policies were instituted by godless men like themselves.

“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.” James 3:2-4.

It is comforting to see that “we all stumble”, notice James is including himself in this, so we can know that we are not alone when we too stumble.

Too often Satan can make us feel like we are the only imperfect persons walking around by pointing to something we have done, but you are not alone by any means.

If you do not stumble in word, you are a perfect man; the word perfect here means the same as it does in James 1:4.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:4.

Again, perfect means mature, a mature Christian. Someone who can control his words is a person who can control himself in all points, much as putting a bit in a horses’ mouth to control him to do what is necessary.

Likewise the mind should control the tongue.

Such a small member as the tongue is like the rudder of a ship, small yet capable of directing its course. Still, if the rudder breaks, then, such an appalling disaster.

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19.

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” Proverbs 15:1-2.

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4.

“Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” Proverbs 29:20.

Hasty words will often embarrass you, if not get you into trouble. Remember this next time you get into an argument with your spouse.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…” James 1:19.

“Peter said to Him, ‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’ and so said all the disciples.” Matthew 26:35.

“He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.” Proverbs 17:27-28.

We cannot move on without this famous quote: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Abraham Lincoln, 16th president (1809-1865).

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:5-6.

What a vivid word picture, “…how great a forest a little fire kindles”, hundreds of thousands of acres of forest have been destroyed by arsonists, cigarettes, or smoldering campfires. Such huge ecological and monetary loss caused by just a few pennies worth of flammable material!

Think of the consequences of the words of Muhammad, Jean Rousseau, Voltaire, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Adolph Hitler, and Mao Tse-tung. The words of these men, “…sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell”.

The marginal for the word nature here is existence; so the words of men like these have set on fire the course of existence and have come straight out of the pit of hell. And men call them intellectuals.

“A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.” Proverbs 18:2.

Folks cannot discuss politics, religion, or ecology today for the reason given in Proverbs 18:2 above.

“A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” Proverbs 18:6-7.

“The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble.” Proverbs 12:13.

“He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3.

“Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.” Proverbs 4:24.

“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh.” James 3:7-12.

This, my friends is something that continually sneaks under our radar; we decide that we are not going to lie, use profanity, tell coarse stories, attempt to listen instead of talk, use kind words, and avoid provoking anyone to anger; well and good we are on our way.

We bless God in church, teach Sunday school and fellowship with friends; but on the freeway on the way home, some dipstick, clam-hanging, boneheaded, Neanderthal, jerk purposely cuts you off.

Hello, we are back to square one. This is the anomaly, how can we produce both bitter water and fresh from the same fountain? Is it possible that the things we meditate on are the things that we are responding to when we go from blessing to cursing?

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man…” Matthew 15:18-20a.

I find that for myself, I sometimes start to dwell on some angry thought from my childhood, or a recent offense, and that thought creates a loop in my mind.

The next thing that happens is that I will get angry at the slightest provocation, or drive aggressively. As the Lord says above, “things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart…”

These things often do not just come from one’s mouth, they become actions. As for me, I have found that if I break that loop as soon as I recognize it, by thinking on more pleasant things, I begin to respond in a right manner.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

Very often though, things are not just knee-jerk reactions, they come from dislike or from a deep seated hatred of a person. Nobody needs to point out to you that this is wrong; it goes without saying; but what to do?

The answer to this question and to the problem of the loop discussed above is simple, but very hard to do; forgive.

When the Lord gave out the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6: 9-15, He only elaborated on one point.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15.

He drives this point home more forcefully in the illustration on forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-35, when He says.

“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matthew 18:35.

It is hard to curse men if they have been forgiven by you, from the heart. You can only do this if you are willing to let the Holy Spirit love them through you.

If you blame God for the circumstances that caused your hatred to begin with, you would do well to forgive Him too.

The tongue, “is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” James 3:8b.

“There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:10-18.

We need to realize for a moment that God is speaking to us, about us, and we must let these words, “there is none who seeks after God” in Romans 3 just sink in, and know that this is what we are being rescued from.

“An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire. A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends. A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good. He winks his eye to devise perverse things; he purses his lips and brings about evil.” Proverbs 16:27-30.

“Do not be envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their heart devises violence, and their lips talk of troublemaking.” Proverbs 24:1-2.

“He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.” Proverbs 20:19.

The talebearer flatters you so you will reveal your secrets for them to gossip about.

“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” Proverbs 18:8. KJV.

“Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.” Proverbs 26:20.

The meaning of talebearer is gossip, or slanderer, literally, a whisperer.

“Set a guard O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3.

The Tongue is a Fire, James 3:1-12 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 9-4-11, updated on 10-24-20.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.