James 3:2-5a - The Small Member That Makes Great Boasts

Review: Last week we considered James 3:1 which says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” From this verse let me make an observation.

We ought to be grateful that God has called certain individuals to serve God’s people as elders, overseers, and shepherds. These men are to be like Ezra who is described in this way, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10) Therefore, ministers are to fulfill their ministry by studying the Word, by obeying God’s Word, and then by teaching God’s Word to others.

One of the reasons that they are to do this is so that every Christian will grow up into salvation and so that God’s people will be built up together in Christ. Peter speaks of these things in 1 Peter 2:1-5 when he says, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, and crave pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come (present tense) to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up (present tense) as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

As a people who have been chosen, brought forth by the Word of Truth so that we might be a new creation (1:18), we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. This is done as we daily seek to love our eternal King with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all of our strength. (2:5) One of the most visible evidences that this is being done is when we display a heart of thankfulness for His many blessings. (Colossians 3:12-17) This heart of gratitude will inevitably find its expression in the way that we speak.

Consider that if God did not powerfully intervene in this world to save sinners no one would speak this way. The very first sin committed after the Fall was when Adam and Eve spoke with their mouths. Immediately after they fell Adam blamed God for giving him his wife and Eve blamed the devil for causing her to eat of the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3:12-13)

Ever since then the world has been filled with sinners who speak evil all the time. Paul describes this when he says in Romans 3:12-14, “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

Ray Haas has often reminded us that we live in a world that contains 8 billion sinners! As a result, we all speak this way unless Christ saves us. Because we live in a world that is filled with such godless and faithless conversations it is nice to read Psalm 19 and be reminded that God always speaks to all people in two powerful ways.

First, God speaks to us through His creation. The psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day by day pours out speech, and night to night reveals His knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voices goes out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” (19:1-4a)

Second, God speaks to us through His Word. Listen to how the psalmist describes this, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes, the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether.” (19:7-9)

It is no surprise then that the psalmist says, “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (10-11)

The person who looks at nature and responds rightly will see God’s eternal power and divine nature. And having seen these things they will honor God and give thanks to Him. (Romans 1) Those who respond in saving faith to the Word of God in the Scriptures will pray as the psalmist does at the end of Psalm 19, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Having been redeemed by Christ the meditation of our hearts and the words of our mouths are both to be lived out in a manner that is acceptable to God.

Having reviewed James 3:1 let us now let us consider James 3:2-5a where James writes these words, “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. 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.”

We have already seen in James 3:1 that James, who was an elder and apostle, had a very high view of the teaching ministry that was to be practiced among God’s people. We have also stated over the last couple weeks that James also expected that the church would share this same high view of these things and respond appropriately. This is why James writes in James 3:1 and says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know...”.

Notice that James can humbly confess that in his flesh he is just as prone to sin as anyone else. We see this when he says, ‘For we all stumble in many ways’. James is a good example for us of a man who has bridled his tongue and it can now speak with great meekness and humility. If his tongue were not bridled his tongue would pridefully boast of great things apart from God. James will speak of this in James 3:5a- “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” James’ tongue does not boast in things that would be contrary to the truth; rather, his boast is in the LORD. (3:14) In James 3:2 James boasts in his own weakness so that the grace of God can be perfected in him. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

As I considered these things it really stood out to me that even though James confesses the weakness of his own flesh he still maintains a high view regarding the standard that a teaching elder should have within the church. James is not like so many others who will try to lower the standard rather than learn to depend upon God’s grace through faith. (Galatians 2:20)

Therefore, James maintains this high view regarding these things for two reasons.

• First, he holds this view because one day he knows that the teachers in God’s church will be judged more strictly by God. (3:1)

• Secondly, James holds this high view because he knows how powerful the work of sanctification is in the life of every believer.

  • The LORD begins this process and He will bring it to completion. (Philippians 1:6)

  • We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

  • Those who are in Christ have become a new creation. The old has gone. Behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17; James 1:18)

  • It is God who purifies His people to be zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14)

  • Therefore, we can now walk worthy of the LORD in every way. (Colossians 1:10)

James shows us that it is a safeguard for a minister to have such a high view of these things because it will guard him against sin and compromise. Not only is this true for the pastor, but this is true for every Christian. Every believer needs to have the same view of these things so that they will be drawn to faithful churches where the Word of God is preached and they will not be easily deceived and led astray to listen to false teachers.

We see these two things regarding a pastor and the people when Paul addresses a young pastor named Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-5. He writes to Timothy and says, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” We see here that Paul shared the same theology regarding a ministers priority in ministry and a future judgment that James had.

Paul also exhorts everyone in the church to have a high view of these things because of what Paul knew would happen among so many people in the future. Paul writes, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” Therefore Paul gives Timothy, and all other pastors, this command, “But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

James says at the beginning of verse 2, “For we all stumble in many ways.” The word ‘stumble’ is a synonym for ‘sin’. We all sin in many ways: in our thoughts, our deeds, and in our words. Among these three things our sin is most often seen in the way that we speak. We do not always have an occasion to sin with our actions but we have plenty of opportunities to sin with our mouth throughout the day.

John Flavel spoke of this when he wrote these words, “Friends, Providence oftentimes confines many of you together...and if your hearts were sanctified, you would have many moments to edifying one another. O what transcendent subjects does Providence daily present you with, to take up your discourses. O what heavenly employments is here for your tongues!” We do indeed have countless opportunities throughout our day to speak of the LORD and to praise Him for the countless blessings that He provides. However, we often miss these opportunities because we are not obeying Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Therefore, Flavel goes on to write these words which should convict us all, “But tell me, Sirs, should a man come to you and ask you as Christ did those two disciples going to Emmaus, ‘What manner of communication is this that you have by the way?’, O what a sad account would he have from most of you! It may be he should find one jesting, another swearing, and another reviling godliness, and the professors of it. So that it would be a little hell for a serious Christian to be confined to your society.”

As we continue to read James 3:2 we read find these words, ‘If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.’

Many commentators have read these words and then encouraged believers that we would do well to make the sanctification of our mouths a priority. This seems to be confirmed by what James said earlier in James 1:26 when he wrote, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” What a vicious cycle that James speaks of here. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, then as the mouth utters these things a person is deceived even more! (Luke 6:45) This process is decisively broken when our natures are changed at salvation. (1:18; 3:11-12; Romans 6:1-14)

It seems to make sense that if we control our tongue we will also have success in other areas of life. For example, when we engage in sinful talk we stir up our hearts to sin. Not only this, but we also stir up those around us towards sin. Can we not think of so many times when we began to speak about something that was a minor irritation but by the time we were done speaking about it we were enraged. As we discuss these things we often speak in such a way that all those who hear us take up the offense as well.

We see this played out in Psalm 2 where we read, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’” To keep ourselves from the danger of these things we ought to heed the instruction of Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.”

The Puritan John Flavel warned against the sins of our tongues when he said, “How long does an idle word, or foolish jest, stick in men’s minds, and become an occasion for much sin to them? The froth and vanity of your spirit, which your tongue so freely vents among your vain companions, may be working in their minds when you are in the dust, and so be transmitted from one to another...And thus may you be sinning in the persons of your companions, when you are turned into dust.” That is a scary thought!

If you are like me you might want to argue with James when he says that we should pay particular attention to our tongues. We might not so easily believe that if we win the battle for sanctification of our tongues then the battle regarding our sanctification in other areas will also be won. It seems that James understands that his readers may feel this way so he will give two powerful illustrations in James 3:3-4 to prove his point.

The tongue is small but it is a powerful instrument for good and ill so it must be tamed. Therefore, the first illustration in verse 3 is regarding a powerful horse that can be controlled by a very small bit in their mouth.  James says, “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.”

I am not a professional horse trainer but I read a story about a man who goes into very wilderness mountain places with a horse to go hunting. He wrote about how dangerous the terrain can be in these places and how the rider has to trust that the horse will obey him at all times under any circumstances. If the horse cannot be controlled it will probably mean the death of both of them.

This man wrote about the time when he went to look at a horse to purchase that would eventually be taken on these trips. When he was looking at the horse the seller mentioned that the horse had never had a bit in his mouth. The buyer told the man bluntly, “Any horse that I buy and ride would wear a bit or he would not buy that horse.” The man then asked the seller, “Have you ever ridden a horse out on a mountain trail where he could be spooked by a snake? The man argued that if you used a face harness you would be powerless to stop a scared horse.”

The seller of the horse admitted that the trials where he rode this horse allowed him to use a halter bit that controlled the horses head but it did not put a bit into the horses mouth. The buyer then told him that without a bit that went into the horses mouth there would be no way to stop that horse from running away and putting both of their lives in danger. But if he used a bit the rider would be able to control a spooked horse and get him to stop running wildly so that they would both saved from harm.

It is amazing that the power of a 1,2,00 pound horse can be controlled by a tiny bit that is place in its mouth. James understands this very well and so he says, “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.” This, therefore, is a powerful illustration for James to use regarding the need to bridle our mouths and the benefits that would follow that would impact every area of our lives. Recently, I started drinking more water and that one decision has caused me to make many other good decisions regarding my health. In a similar way, a Christian with a bridled mouth will make many other good decisions regarding their thoughts, their words and their actions.

Next in verse 4 James uses a second illustration when he writes, “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.” Again, this is a great illustration that shows how large ships that are driven across the sea by strong winds are still steered by very small rudders wherever the captain wants it to go.

The psalms are full of good examples of how we are to guide our hearts when we encounter the storms of life that come in many shapes and sizes. Let’s consider just one with the time we have remaining in Psalm 32. In the opening verses (1-2) David talks about the blessedness of the man whose sin has been forgiven. Initially David did not experience this blessedness because he did not confess his sins and stayed quiet. (3-4) But then he opened his mouth and acknowledged his sin and did not cover his iniquity. Then he experienced the blessedness of having his sin forgiven.

After this David instructs us with these words, “Let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surly in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.” (6) Then he says in verses 8-11, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like the horse or the a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”

Application: Let us turn our hearts to the LORD and pray to Him. No matter the circumstance let us trust in Him and stay close to Him. Let us avoid many sorrows and with our mouths let us rejoice and shout for joy.