A Warning for Those Who Teach
James 3:1-2
There’s an Old Persian proverb that says: “If the teacher be corrupt, the whole world will be corrupt.”
If this is true of teachers in general, how much more is this true of teachers of God’s Word? Joseph Joubert said, “To teach is to learn twice.” That’s so true. Everything a teacher hopes to impart to someone else requires that he learn more than if he were merely teaching himself. To teach at the biblical level is to be able to break everything down into its individual parts (using context, history, and grammar) and then reconstruct it piece by piece in the mind of the hearers. A good communicator does this in such a way that the difficult becomes do-able… and the complicated becomes clear. A person can’t teach what they don’t understand.
That’s why our passage in James chapter three is so important. It’s important to all of us because it has to do with those who teach in the church. For… if the teacher be corrupt, the whole church will be corrupt.
Turn to James 3:1-2. James has been talking about temptation in chapter 1, and then justification by faith as demonstrated by works in chapter 2, and now he seems to abruptly change subjects to talk about teaching and the tongue. But there is consistency in this logic when we look closely at the details. James 3:1-2. In honor of God and His Word, let’s stand for the reading of Scripture…
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 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. [NKJV]
[Prayer] In these two verses, James warns teachers of God’s Word in terms of what they say and how they live. Verse 2 will make clear that all teachers are from a class of sinners who stumble in many ways and because this is true, he tells them in verse 1…
I. Few are called to teach in the church and their judgment is exacting (3:1).
Throughout the previous chapter, James has been making the case for faith demonstrated by works. But in chapter three he reminds Christians that our words are part of our works. In fact, our words (our speech) may be the most abundant of our works… because they show up every time we talk. Controlling and bridling the tongue is a spiritual imperative for all who belong to Jesus Christ. This is what James already addressed in chapter one. In 1:26 he said: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Then in verse 27 he adds: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
In these three marks of a genuine Christian, James has just given us the outline of his whole letter. He takes point two and deals with visiting widows and orphans in their trouble in chapter two. Then he takes point one and deals with bridling the tongue in chapter three. And finally he addresses keeping ourselves unspotted from the world from the end of chapter three to the end of the letter. So these are not random thoughts on unrelated subjects. James has a template in mind. Faith is tested in our actions, in our words, and in our response to sin in our lives.
So this is the section on our speech… and the people most prone to sinning with the mouth are those who speak professionally, namely teachers. They didn’t deal with this verse much in seminary. But we’re going to deal with it here. This warning to teachers is relevant to every member of the Body of Christ. There’s an accountability relationship that exists between the teachers and the taught within the church. A preacher in a genuine, Bible believing church is not at liberty to teach anything he pleases; if the sermon is not a legitimate proclamation of God’s Word to His people, then it falls under the category of “vain babbling”.
James is talking here to Christians. He calls them “my brethren”. And of these Christian brethren he says, “Let not many of you become teachers.” I’m glad he didn’t say, “Let not any of you become teachers…” There will always be some that God has called and chosen to teach in the church. But those who are called to that service in the church should never think that because their service is more prominent in the church that it is therefore more important. No… every member of the Body needs every other member of the Body. What if everybody became a teacher in the church? The church would split into as many pieces as there are opinions and it would produce a cacophony resulting in greater ignorance instead of greater wisdom. There are no great teachers who are not great students first. Teachers must be perpetual learners. John Wesley once told his preaching students, “If a man will not read books, he should get out of the ministry!”
There’s a great insight about the power of God in verse one. When James tells the church, “Let not many of you become teachers,” he’s also reminding the church that God is not wringing His hands in desperation looking for a few good men. God never lowers His standard to get more teachers into the church. He stands against swelling the ranks with a disqualified or lazy group of teachers! God is constantly thinning the ranks and raising the bar for those who would be His followers. God is never short-handed! You see, God is never at the mercy of our volunteerism; we are always at His mercy. The church may seem short-handed; the church may appear in need of more volunteers, but God knows what He’s about. When His people pray and seek His face, He always provides in His time and for His glory. We should be praying that God would make us the kind of people fit to be used in His service. The honor is ours to be used by so great and infinite a Creator! We should ache to invest our brief time on the earth into a mission that cannot fail.
So, relatively few are called to the teaching position in the Body of Christ. But he ups the ante even further. “Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” Notice this thinning of the ranks. He raises the bar even higher! So not only does the teaching office require intense labor and continual learning, even when a man qualifies for the teaching office, he will still incur a stricter judgment on himself. It’s like James is posting a job listing with more work for less pay – and the implication is that God’s called and chosen for that task will still yearn to have it… at any cost.
What kind of judgment does this involve? I see two kinds of judgment for teachers in this context. First is the most prominent form of judgment and that’s the ultimate judgment of God. This comes in the form of chastening in this life which all believers experience when they continually stray from righteousness. This is an internal convicting form of judgment by the Spirit. But the judgment of God for believers also involves the accounting rendered at the Bema seat of Christ at the end of the age. This will determine, not salvation, but rewards for deeds done on earth. To whom much is given, much will be required.
But I think there’s another valid form of immediate judgment that’s included here. That’s the judgment that comes from the gathered Body of believers who hear the teacher or preacher week after week. When a Spirit-filled gathering of believers hears error or false doctrine from a teacher in the church, there should be a discernment that demands an accounting. Preaching is always a two way street. It takes a biblical preacher teaching God’s Word in the power of the Spirit; and it also takes a Spirit-filled gathering of believers who test that Word to make sure it comes from the Good Shepherd of the sheep. If it doesn’t, there needs to be an accounting. It’s a stricter judgment for the teacher – and within the Body of Christ, it’s immediate.
I’ve heard stories of preachers who taught strange doctrines from the pulpit and the discerning Body of believers addressed it head-on. When one pastor refused to admit he was wrong and wouldn’t correct it, he was fired. He didn’t need to wait for the bema seat judgment – there was an immediate form of judgment when God’s Spirit-filled people rightly discerned truth from error.
So is James teaching that moral perfection is required of those who teach in the church? By no means! Look at verse two: “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.” Here’s the point…
II. Moral failure is universal and the tongue is the greatest threat of all (3:2).
James includes himself among those who stumble in many things. He says “we all stumble”. James was a great teacher in the early church… and yet he stumbled in many things. The Bible admits no doctrine of Christian perfection on this side of glory. There isn’t a special class of Christians who are morally superior and are therefore able to teach in the church. That’s not the way it works. We all stumble in many things. A man who thinks he’s morally superior to the people he teaches will not be a Spirit-filled teacher… and he may well be insane. A good teacher is among those who confess with James that we all stumble in many things. A “stumble” has to do with any moral lapse or a failure to do what is right, by passive neglect or by active disregard.
But the tongue is the greatest proving ground of spiritual maturity. He’s talking about our speech. He’s talking about the kind of words that come from our mouths when we’re tired and frustrated after a long, hard day. James grew up in the same house with Jesus as a young boy. So he knows what it’s like to have a perfect older brother! Mark Twain said, “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” James could relate to that! But for those of us who are Christians, we are held to a higher standard because we have a greater enablement.
When a person is saved by Christ, they are filled with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables a believing man or woman to follow Christ in the details of life. That means the Christian life is living every moment, day or night, in the presence of Jesus Christ – and with His power. Being a Christian means He is always with you all the time and He knows your every thought, He hears your every word. The most prominent place for your sanctification to show up is in your moments of unguarded speech. All of us have said things we wish we hadn’t said… things that make us cringe with embarrassment when we call them to mind. We have all stumbled, especially in our speech. James says it so plainly: “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
James is reminding us how easy it is to sin with our speech… and how difficult it is to control our speech. But James is also teaching that we can control our tongue by restraining what we say; and by controlling our tongue, we demonstrate an amazing discipline we can exercise over every member of our body. It doesn’t say anything about being easy… but it’s possible. Since we all stumble in word and deed, there’s no reason to expect perfection. But perfection isn’t even our goal in this life. Our goal should be holy maturity. Holy maturity means there’s a growth trajectory with measurable goals.
For James, the bottom line is this: your speech (which is your words) will be the first proving ground of the genuineness of your faith. Since no one is perfect, we don’t expect flawless obedience. But we do expect—and must require—Christian maturity and growth in the area of our speech. We are to speak as one governed and constrained by the Holy Spirit. We are to speak as those who understand that Jesus is present at all times, which is a cherished comfort to the redeemed. So the test from James this week is to make every word and every thought subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To accomplish this without exasperation and futility and frustration, you must be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Yield all that you know about yourself to all that you know about Him and ask Him to govern your speech by changing your heart.
Let’s pray…
(c) Charles Kevin Grant
February 2, 2006