NOT MANY SHOULD TEACH

Our speech has the potential to do great good or great harm. Our passage today talks about the “tongue”, but we understand that our “tongue” is driven by our character. Jesus made this clear on the Day of Rejection when He rebuked the Pharisees.

Matthew 12:34 ESV

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Your Speech Reveals Your Character.

If you want to know a person’s character, listen to their speech, over time and in various circumstances. Your speech reveals your character, particularly when you are angry, hurt, or afraid. Those to whom James wrote had a chronic problem with their speech. Though they were Jewish Christians they had a significant problem with their mouths. We have already seen James confront their troublesome tongues in chapter one.

James 1:19–20 ESV

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

In verse 26 of chapter 1, James rebukes those with unbridled tongues.

James 1:26 ESV

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

Later, in chapter 4, James calls them out for speaking evil of one another.

James 4:11 ESV

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

His readers had a problem with their speech which really indicated they had a problem with their character.

A Speech Problem Is A Character Problem

They possessed justification salvation. They were indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But many continued to live according to the flesh. They were carnal and it came out in their speech. They needed to be saved from their carnality!

Previously, in 2:14-26, James was concerned they not be mislead by the idea that faith alone is sufficient for the Christian life. James knew that if they believed that lie, the sanctification process would come to a halt. Only through faith in action will their character be transformed to become “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”.

Likewise, James knows that God’s Word is absolutely necessary for their sanctification. James insists only spiritually mature men be allowed to teach in their churches. Their spiritual growth and transformation depends upon it.

But how do you practically determine if a man is spiritually mature?

By his speech.

A Temperate Tongue Reveals A Mature Character

James 3:1–2 ESV

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

A man’s speech reveals his character. In their small fellowships, James’ readers should look to those men who are slow to speak, quick to hear and slow to anger. They should look to those men whose tongues are bridled and under control. They should look to those men who do not speak evil of others. A man whose speech does not stumble in these and many other ways, is a man who has made tremendous progress in sanctification. He is the one who has listened carefully to the Scriptures and applied them to his life. A man righteous in speech is a man righteous in character. He is the one you want teaching and influencing the church.

This is one of the reasons we believe it best to disciple and raise up staff pastors from within our church family. It gives us the ability to thoroughly vet a brother’s speech in a variety of settings and situations over time in order to verify his character. It is also one of the reasons why we do not rush to put people new to the family, into positions of leadership.

Why is this so important for the church?

Words Have Great Power for Good and for Evil.

Words have great power for good and for evil.

In verses 3-6, James illustrates the power of words for good and for evil.

James 3:3–5 (ESV)

If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

Words have impact out of proportion to their size. A small bit can control a powerful horse. A large ship is safely guided through stormy seas by a small rudder. Our words, our speech, have the ability to do great good.

But our words also have the ability to do great evil.

James 3:5–6 (ESV)

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Words can do great evil. The words of Hitler ignited a world war that killed 70 to 85 million people worldwide. Words have ripped apart innumerable marriages, families and churches. Words cut our Cuyunon brother MIchael’s heart so deep, he never recovered.

Because words are powerful, the church needs to be very careful to evaluate potential teachers.

Those Who Teach Must First Be Those Transformed

Only men who have first been transformed by God’s Word should be considered as potential teachers of God’s Word. How is our speech transformed? Not from the outside, but from the inside. Our hearts must be changed. Our character must be transformed. Then, our speech will follow. These are the points James makes in verses 7-12.

James 3:7–12 ESV

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

The only way to “tame” the tongue, that is, the only way to clean up your speech is to clean up your heart. Change your heart and your mouth will follow.

Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, we rip into another person and say some really hurtful things. Later, after cooling down, we may come to them and offer an apology: “I didn’t mean those things I said about you, I was just really angry. I’m not the kind of person who says things like that.” But you did say those hateful things; those hateful things were first in your heart and mind before they came out your mouth! And you certainly are the kind of person who says hurtful, hateful things to others! Your speech reveals you have a critical, hateful heart that needs changing. Along with the fresh water God has given you in the Spirit, you still have the salt water of your flesh. You need to drain the bog and enlarge the spring - then your speech will be transformed.

Many people think authenticity is king. Among other things, being authentic means you say whatever you feel like saying in the way you feel like saying it. Be true to yourself. If you’re angry and upset with your children and you think they’re stupid, worthless, morons; you tell ‘em. Be authentic. Be true to yourself. That’s the most important thing. Some Christian speakers have gained notoriety by being “authentic”, seasoning their presentations with profanity and the occasional off color story. And people love it; both Christians and non-Christians. It feels more “honest”, more “real”. “Authenticity” serves to prove the point of this passage - your speech reveals your character. It also implies the Christian life is about hiding our carnal character when in fact, it is dying to our carnal character and replacing it with the character of Christ. It is becoming a person for whom love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control are authentic.

For the mature believer, love is king, not “authenticity’ so called.

The process of sanctification depends upon the teaching of God’s Word. Therefore, when considering a brother or sister for a teaching role in one of our ministries here at Grace, we need to pay attention to their speech. Their speech is a window into their character; a temperate tongue reveals a mature character.

What Does Your Speech Say About Your Character?

This passage is not only about teachers, but applies to all of us. What does your speech say about your character? Is your speech at church significantly different than at home or work? If so, you have a heart problem. If your speech is vulgar, critical, angry, sarcastic, manipulative, condescending, threatening, boastful etc., these indicate you have serious heart problems. You need to be honest about your condition and serious about addressing these issues with the help of the Word, the Spirit, prayer and your loving brothers and sisters in the church.