The Power of Words

Who was James?

James was the oldest half-brother of Jesus (; ).

He initially did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God (), but Jesus later appeared to James after his resurrection and this caused James to believe ().

He is present at Pentecost () and emerged as the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, especially during and after the Jerusalem Council ().

Church tradition describes James as the bishop of the church in Jerusalem (primarily due to his leadership and respect given to him by those in the book of Acts and the Pauline epistles of 1 Corinthians and Galatians.

James wrote this letter from Jerusalem some time before his martyrdom in 62 A.D. and it is believed that his audience was primarily a group of Jewish Christians due to the multiple Jewish references in the letter, though we do not know their exact location.

Outline of the Letter

How to Face Trials with faith and endurance (1:1–18)

Responding to God’s Word: Listen and Do (1:19–27)

Avoiding Partiality and Prejudice (2:1–13)

Producing Good Works as a Result of Saving Faith (2:14–26)

Controlling the Tongue (3:1–12)

False and True Wisdom (3:13–18)

Renouncing Worldliness (4:1–12)

Renouncing Arrogance (4:13–5:6)

Demonstrating Endurance (5:7–20)

Outline of Passage

In the previous section (), James teaches us the importance of our works. If we have received the Word, we are doers of the Word (). It would follow then that any example he would give would be extremely significant. James chooses to address how we speak...our words.

Words are important. Throughout history, men and women have been inspired and encouraged by words. The words of Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 at Gettysburg have inspired those across the world seeking freedom. Franklin D. Roosevelt inspired America in the depth of the Great Depression when he said “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” John F. Kennedy inspired American volunteerism in his 1961 inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired the dreams of American Civil Rights Movement when he said, “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Difficulty of controlling the tongue (vv. 1-2)

Difficulty of controlling the tongue (vv. 1-2)

Those who teach the truth of the gospel must be careful what they say (v. 1).

If you can control your tongue, you are perfect (Greek = τέλειος = mature) (v. 2).

Illustrations of the power of the tongue (vv. 3-8)

Potential for evil (vv. 3-6)

bit in a horse’s mouth (v.3)

rudder of a ship (v. 4)

fire and world of unrighteousness (v.6)

poison (v.8)

Despite humanity’s dominion over all God’s creation, man cannot tame the tongue (vv. 7-8)

Man’s tongue is inconsistent (vv. 9-12)

Today, we have gathered together to praise and worship God. We use many words to articulate God’s goodness. Yet, by the end of the day, we will use the same mouth to speak ill of others, to tear them down, to dehumanize others, if not to their face, behind their backs.

Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013), .

We reveal ourselves to the world by our words. We either reveal our faithfulness or our hypocrisy. Do we speak truthfully, with love, in a holy manner, or with bitterness and negativity, tearing down others created in the image of God?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), . James is echoing Jesus’ interaction with the fig tree (; ). This should cause us concern: judgment comes to the hypocritically unfruitful.

James closes this passage (vv. 11-12) looking at how nature, which is governed by God’s natural laws, is not this inconsistent. Our personal choice separates us from the rest of nature. We must choose to follow Jesus and his example.

Jesus used words to praise. The Lord praised the widow who contributed to the collection only a few pennies, but it was all she had for her livelihood (). He congratulated Mary of Bethany for her wisdom in choosing to sit at his feet and listen to his words ().

Jesus used words to console the widow of Nain () and to bring hope to the centurion whose servant was sick (; ) and to the blind man at Jericho ().

Jesus used words to forgive the penitent thief, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (), and the woman caught in the act of adultery: “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again” ().

Christ also used words when appropriate to challenge and speak truth to power, such as his parable of the Good Samaritan () challenged Jewish officials on who they considered their neighbor.

He used strong language, even to the point of losing a part of our body (; ), to suggest that nothing must interfere with our relationship with God. Jesus even used rather harsh words to speak of the future and the division his reign would bring (; ).

This whole passage can be summed up in his earlier remark in : “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless” (NLT). James is echoing Jesus’ interaction with the fig tree (; ). This should cause us concern: judgment comes to the hypocritically unfruitful. As the body of Christ, let us speak words of love, healing, power, peace, joy, peace, and salvation.