Title: James, like all of the general epistles except Hebrews, is named after its author (verse 1). Writes the wise man of Proverbs 15:4: A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. What a great way to think about an ordinary Christian life! 3: 10-12). Why does James speak this way? This tiny appliance controls the enormous power and energy of the horse and is used to give it direction. We need to see that we live by every word that comes out of Godâs mouth. But James does not write as one who has âarrived.â He is conscious of his own shortcomings: âFor we all stumble in many waysâ (verse 2). Alas, we do not realize how powerful for evil the tongue is because we are so accustomed to its polluting influence. James Greeting. âWhere does he come from?â âDo you know where she belongs?â. I have seen the King. (Isaiah 50:4â6). So it is with the tongue. In James 3:3–5, James uses two commonplace but very vivid illustrations. 1 a James, a servant 1 of God and b of the Lord Jesus Christ,. In comparison with these, the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because it contains nothing evangelical. Youâre not from around here . James 3:10 New King James Version 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. And when you come to him conscious of that sin, you discover what a glorious Savior he is. . My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." His words are intended to be a sharp two-edged sword âpiercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heartâ (Hebrews 4:12). People need to have their mouths shut, âstopped.â . The control of the tongue has both negative and positive aspects. I have the privileged status of being a resident alien in the United States. In a few brief words Paul outlines the four most important things in life. . (From Lutherâs 1522 preface [to the New Testament], cited from Martin Luther, Selections from his Writings, [Doubleday, 1962], 19. James 3:1-12 Maturity in the Christian Life A believer’s speech is a reliable measure of spiritual maturity. âIs anyone cheerful? . “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. In order to help us to grasp how James does this, it will be helpful, further, to consider how this teaching fits in with the rest of the book. He was willing to be âoppressed and afflicted.â As he experienced this in his trial and condemnation, âhe opened not his mouthâ (Isaiah 53:7). James may well have been familiar with this picture from common experience in daily life. As is well known, in his early days as a reformer, Martin Luther thought that James was âan epistle full of strawâ: In sum the gospel and the first epistle of St. John, St. Paulâs epistles, especially those to the Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians; and St. Peterâs first epistle, are the books that show Christ to you. So James 3:1â12 has general as well as specific application. He had already noted that for a professing Christian to fail to bridle the tongue is to be guilty of self-deception (1:22â25) and the hallmark of a person whose religion is worthless (1:26). The tongue is like the bit in the mouth of a horse. âCome now, you who say, âToday or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profitâ â yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. Of course, all this is naturally true of the unregenerate man. That is what leaves the lasting impression of the power of Christ and the transformation of grace in your life. Even though this comes on the heels of explaining God's longsuffering, nevertheless, the end will still come, and it will catch the world by surprise. in order that he might bear the penalty of all my misuse of my tongue. It served as the city dump â hence the reference to fire â which presumably constantly burned there to destroy garbage (Dr. McCartney reports that it continued to be thus used through 1996 and beyond). Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? A seminary colleague once told me how, because of flight delays, he arrived late and very weary at a hotel where he had booked a room. This message appears as a chapter in The Power of Words and the Wonder of God. are you?â That is surely a parable of what it is possible for the people of God to become in the way we use our tongues, as by Godâs grace we learn to speak with a Jesus-like accent. Matthew sees our Lord Jesus as fulfilling the prophecy of the first of the Servant Songs in the second half of the prophecy of Isaiah: He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench. I have felt the pollution on my tongue. Out of the same mouth proceedeth, &c.— So that "out of one and the same mouth come forth blessings and praises in one mood, and curses in another. But that was my guilt. In whimsical moments I think I can see Isaiah as he staggers into the house of his friend Benjamin later that day, ashen faced, shaken to the roots by his experience. A New song of praise to your God little fire kindles be to. And our Lord Jesus Christ, the bridle, and able also to bridle the whole body the of! To sin no experience of lasting joy in Jesus Christ is Lord around theme. 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