To keep from looking down on others, look up to the cross. In short godly wisdom is sincere, so that what you see is what you get! It did then and it does now. For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. Thus, we find the church being run, evangelism being done, counsel being offered by wisdom from the world. 1 Thessalonians My brethren, these things ought not to be so. And prove Thy good and perfect will. - R W De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. 6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak Gods wisdom in a mystery (THIS SPEAKS OF THE GOSPEL - THE FIRST DIVINE "WISDOM" THAT ONE MUST RECEIVE BEFORE HE CAN RECEIVE FURTHER DIVINE WISDOM! MacArthur on selfish ambition -It was used of personal gratification and self-fulfillment at any cost, which are the ultimate goals of all fleshly endeavors. He has just portrayed how destructive a fire can be, spreading rapidly, destroying everything in its path. Godly wisdom produces a continuing cycle of righteousness, which is planted and harvested in a peaceful, harmonious relationship between God and His faithful people and between those people themselves. (Ps 90:12), Ultimately spiritual wisdom comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ and was modelled perfectly by our Lord about Whom Isaiah prophesied "The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him (Mt 3:16), The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He was one of the first to believe in the *Lord Jesus and he was one of the *apostles. Christ's attitude is for us to deal with our anger and frustration honestly and maturely but to use restraint in how we reveal these feelings to others. Since everyone has an opinion on how something should be done, friction results. That harmony is threatened by worldly wisdom. But if I refuse to listen and pray instead, the water of the Spirit douses the fire of hell, and the conversation dies. Anastropheis used of public activity, life in relation to others. Beyond this text, James affirmed forgiveness of sins (cf. Believers should not only refrain from cursing but also bless those who curse and persecute them (Luke 6:28; Romans 12:14). CSB James 3:8 but no man can tame the tongue. Fresh (1099)(glukus) literally means sweet (opposite of pikros), literally in James 3:11, 12. NIV James 3:7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man. The most ferocious monster in the world has his den just behind the teeth. (Ibid), Hiebert -The importance of a spring of water would be assumed by all the readers familiar with conditions in dry Palestine. We must draw on the wisdom that is from abovewisdom that is pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits (James 3:17). APPLY THE WORD -It is easy to turn to smart friends to solve problems or to rely on our own know-how. But James used the word in a specific context. 2 For we all astumble in many ways. Be not many teachers Let no more of you take this upon you than God thrusts out; seeing it is so hard not to offend in speaking much. The person with godly wisdom is not "playing the part." It is a divine endowment and not a human acquisition. 1:13; Deut. It is merciful and without hypocrisy (Jas. Richard Fuller, No man is really wise unless he lives in the will and for the glory of God. They were good examples to a young person saved out of a non-Christian environment, and I owe them a debt of gratitude. Forgive us for speaking destructively to fellow Christians, and teach us to use wise words that can encourage and build their walk with You. NIV James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. Newspapers reported that the boy genius did not want to think. Some say Sidiss retreat from public attention was intentionalhe wanted to live a normal life. Yet that same man cant tame the tongue perfectly. If we hear that the preacher across town has a bigger church, as long as hes preaching the truth, we should think, Praise God that His truth is going forth! But worldly wisdom doesnt seek Gods glory. It took us two days to discover the rotting potatoes hidden in a bin out of view! 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 . It is said that after the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee, a devout Christian, visited a church in Washington, D.C. During the Communion service, he was seen kneeling beside a black man. (Jn 3:3, cf Jn 3:7). Along with its lion friends, the striped beauty went through its routine in meek subjection. Similarly, if a person's speech mixes foul with sweet, it will not build up the community. Psalm 12:3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things (cf James 3:5+);Who have said, With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?, Donald Burdick on world of iniquity- It is as though all the wickedness in the whole world were wrapped up in that little piece of flesh. NLT James 3:6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. A host of positive qualities follow true heavenly wisdom. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (v.17). Instead of failing in business, as he had at one time feared, he became the richest merchant of his country. KJV James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. Those words apply to all relationships. It is through communication that we connect and our spirits touch. 10:16. James, a servant of God and of the Lord . 10:5). The show window is important, but the storehouse is even more so. One is from God, and the other is from the devil. This is the very word Jesus uses when he explains to Nicodemus "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (anothen - from above)he cannot see the kingdom of God." Will be reflective of Your grace; It comes from heaven (1:5). And of course legalism will short circuit the flow of grace in our lives. All of us have trouble getting a little thing called the tongue under control. Again, the tongue isnt the real problem; it is the heart. Obadiah John Calvin -This slender portion of flesh contains the whole world of iniquity. It is easy to have "bitter envying and strife" in our hearts (James 3:14). One writer has "claiming to be wise when in truth one is foolish" and another"your profession therefore is a lie." . But the first part of the sentence is thrown into the form of a question, the construction of the whole being similar to what we find, for example, in the thirty-fourth Psalm: Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? 1:14. Though little, the tongue can do extensive damage. And as we have learned, none of the over 1600 NT commands can be successfully carried out in reliance on our own natural strength, but only in reliance on the supernatural strength provided by the Holy Spirit. 4 When Christ, [who is] our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. NRS James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Selah. BDAG - "pertainingto being conducive to a harmonious relationship." Anon. YLT James 3:18 and the fruit of the righteousness in peace is sown to those making peace. This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: The purest minds need stirring up at times. Without making any excuses for your words, ask the Holy Spirit to forgive you for any words that have brought harm. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. It is significant that the characteristics James first listed for godly wisdom are purity and peaceableness. - The rhetorical question expects a strong negative reply. No one can tame the tongue- Tongue is placed emphatically forward as if to emphasize the "animal," is one of kind creature and is untameable. In other words if you compromise the purity of wisdom in order to maintain the peace, this is not godly wisdom. 2:19 = it is evil and bitter For you to forsake the LORD your God; Jer. 4:5; 1 Tim. I wonder that you should be a stranger to him, only I consider that our town is large. De Haan Sometimes we can cross a relational Rubicon with the words we say to others. Lord, please put an end to our foolishness and We expect his wisdom, but the apostle expresses himself differently. 7:14; Jer. Then we can be sure that what we say will be consistent and will bless others. Our lives are filled with unlikely settings for introducing Gods peace. (James Scudder - Living Water). He offended the Pharisees when He said, Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man (vv.11-12). It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). You may say, Oh, but that's just the way I am! 12:3; Song5:4; Obad. Our role as Christians is vastly different from the ancient Greek actors. But James issued a warning: a fountain cannot give forth two kinds of water, and a tree cannot bear two different kinds of fruit. Where can wisdom be found? The classic example is the supernatural fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23+). In this book he talks like James when it comes to the matter of the tongue: REALIZE THAT ONLY GOD CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU SPEAK. John Bunyan says such a person is "a saint abroad, but a devil at home." Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. It is considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere (v. 17). So, however little the cup of cold water be that you are able to give in Christs name, it will refresh many hearts in a lifetime if it be kept ever full, ever ready. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.". This truth is true throughout the epistle. In a television interview, the mother said they would have seen any remuneration as blood money. She and her husband knew that the leaders of the companies involved never intended their products to harm anyone. John Trapp, A ready tongue without an informed mind, a devout character and a holy life will hinder rather than advance the cause of Christ. Swindoll adds that "Its as though we have a capsule of cyanide behind our teeth, ready to break open and spread words of death wherever we go." If someone challenges our teaching or another preacher across town has a bigger congregation, we can become jealous. All rights reserved). When I saw this truth, I was forced to admit the truth of the next line: "But the tongue can no man tame " I asked the Lord to keep mine cleansed so that it might praise the Lord in holiness. We should not try to control our tongue with our own strength; we should rely on the Holy Spirit (ED: SEE TONGUE CONTROL). Titus 3:2 sounds a similar note: "To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.". Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 5. (Ibid). To curse man is to curse the likeness of God in man." He asked, Are these the best singers in your school? Reprinted by permission. All too often, when we speak we remind everyone of our brokenness as human beings. Gossip, like other sins, is like ''dainty morsels" (Pr26:22). "Lying lips are an abomination to Jehovah" :12:22). This is a sobering thought which we all do well to pause and ponder. uh, yes, honey, I suppose He did., Then, Daddy, she said, which one did God believe? (Swindoll's Living Insights). | GotQuestions.org, James 3:13-18 Wisdom for Harmonious Relationships, Discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NTcommands, Filled with His Spirit/Richly Indwelt with His Word, Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. You can tame a tiger, but only by prayer and watchfulness can you control your tongue. No good tongue yields both words of blessing and words of cursing. The psalmist describes this hypocritical "forked tongue".. He wrote, It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison (3:8). Bitterness on the inside will eventually manifest itself on the outside. Our old sinful nature opposes our new life in Christ. According to this division, the soul comprehends only those energies and capacities of mind and heart which have to do with the world known by our bodily senses,mans mental and emotional nature in so far merely as he is the highest of the animalsan animal able to buy and sell, as the beaver can build a hut and a dam; the spirit is that highest power of a rational being by which it can apprehend the idea of God, and hold communion with Him,by which through faith it can live under the influences of an unseen world. Everything they say has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes (aspis). In a single day, Adrian Rogers -Watch the words of your mouth. The tongue can only reflect one nature at a time. So too, though the tongue is a small organ, it can do great harm. He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. 1:5; Jas. (James 3:15, 16) (Lectures Exegetical and Practical on the Epistle of James)(Bold added). "The rod and reproof give wisdom" (Proverbs 29:15). One day she went to another village and followed some girls into a mission school. It is controlled by either the fleshby the old, fallen Adamic nature (ED: SEE "OLD MAN")or the indwelling Spirit of God. We are wise because we have Him who is wise, and only in that sense can we answer James affirmatively. Amplified But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. (The Interpretation of The Epistle to the Hebrews and The Epistle of James), Augustine -He does not say no one can tame the tongue, but no one of men: so that when it is tamed we confess that this is brought about by the pity, the help, and the grace of God. The root source of earthy, natural wisdom is the Devil and his hordes of demons. peaceable, gentle, willing to yield . He tells us to be kind and compassionate instead of fault-finding and vindictive (Ephesians 4:31-32). It is just as impossible for a spring to give fresh and salt water at the same time. Amplified Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine figs? 1 Peter (Ibid), Wiersbe -The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly, and then kills. As persons we can communicate with one another with words -- something animals cannot do. J D Branon(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. James said, Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. i. Are you watching shows and listening to talk radiothat regurgitates the same mindless gibberish? Hagnos is in the list of virtues ("whatever is pure")on which Paul commands believers to continuallydwell (present imperative- continually = need the Holy Spirit to obey). All rights reserved). He made many more vessels, but each was crushed in the same way. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light the fire. (Ps 52:2-4), Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, From the tumult of those who do iniquity, 3 Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. He will conclude his discussion of true wisdom in James 3:17-18. Instead of helping, his well-meaning companion only served to undermine his friend with his words (v. 27). May my lips be so full of praise for You and encouragement for others that they have no opportunity to do any harm. He who comes from heaven is above all." We prefer to blame the worlds problems on religious or political differences. James' teaching seemed to contradict Paul's teaching on the subject. "The legs of the lame hang loose; So is a parable in the mouth of fools" (Proverbs 26:7). NAB James 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species. Isa 5:20Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! The tendency of fallen man is now away from God, to go his own way. To Jesus Christ, wisdom was that practical understanding of the mind of God, that entire sympathy with His will and purpose, which enabled men to walk in His ways and do His will "on earth as it is in heaven."" The same can be said of its use in 1 Corinthians (e.g., 15:40; at the same time, the contrast is developed to highlight the superiority of the heavenly; cf. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above- This wisdom is the "counterfeit" wisdom. "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver" (Proverbs 10:20). John Calvinwrote that "True wisdom consists principally of two parts: the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves! Phillips Blessing and curses come out of the same mouth - surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that never ought to happen! Worse, what if we were seeking God and their disgruntled opinions had driven us away? 9:45; Mk. For since there is jealousy (zelos] and strife [eris] among you."). On Listening The tongue is contained in a cage of teeth and lips, but it still escapes. . C. H. Spurgeon, Whatever moves the heart wags the tongue. When our words are right, they can be a powerful force for good. All rights reserved, A memoir of the life and labors of the Rev. James 3:9. Instead of boasting, trust God (James 4:13-16). "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. And thus the tongue can be used for both good and evil (James 3:9). Contemporary wisdom says that people should assert themselves and say what they really feel; speak out, rather than stifle. 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