A Stricter Judgment – James 3:1

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 23, 2012 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group; May 23, 2012

James 2:1-7

James emphasizes the dangers of the tongue more than any other New Testament writer (James 1:19, 26; 3:1-12; 4:11-12; 5:12). The fact of his frequent mention of its dangers is a signal to us, from the Holy Spirit, of how crucial it is that we be on our guard against it. The old saying is, “Talk is cheap”. But you wouldn’t think so from what Jesus said: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37). And nowhere is the tongue’s danger stressed more than in chapter three of his letter (3:1-12).

James begins his discourse on the dangers of the tongue by pointing to the accountability of those who assume a “teacher” role in the church. He warns us that words are terribly consequential; and that because of the great accountability we’ll all bear for our words before the Lord—and because of the dangerous potential of our tongues—we shouldn’t be too eager to stand up before the people of God and use our tongues before them. We should embrace that role only if it is genuinely God’s call on our life; and then, only very carefully.

Note how James tells us that . . .

I. IT’S TEMPTING TO BECOME A ‘TEACHER’ IN THE THINGS OF GOD (v. 1a).

A. James begins by saying, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers . . .”. Many people today feel free to say so many things on so many different subject through so many different lines of communication. Our day is very much like what the Bible said about the people of the ancient city of Athens; when people would “spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new” (Acts 17:21). The temptation for many people is to become “many teachers”. James’ use of this word, of course, does not necessarily mean that folks are qualified to be what they desire to be. Rather, the word “teachers” is a figure of speech describing an attitude that says, “My ideas are worthy to be heard simply because I desire to speak them. My ideas are as valid as those of anyone else. Therefore, I too will ‘teach’”.

B. Note that James calls the people to whom he writes “my brethren”. His great concern is how this temptation—quite common among the unbelieving world—will manifest itself among the people of God within the church. God Himself blesses the church by gifting it with “teachers” (see Ephesians 4:11), and appointing them to that role (1 Corinthians 12:28). God commands that those who who teach well in the church are worthy of “double honor” (1 Timothy 5:17). The writer of Hebrews even recognized that, as Christians advance in the faith, they should come to a point in their maturity where they themselves “ought to be teachers” (Hebrews 5:12). But the danger is that someone would try to rush into that role in the church apart from God’s call—and for such wrongful reasons as to be honored by men (Matthew 23:6-7), or to have a platform from which to talk about their own spins on doctrine and theology (1 Timothy 1:3-7), or even for financial gain (Titus 1:11).

C. It’s precisely because of such temptations—in addition to the fact that we live in an information-saturated age—that we need to be very discerning. You and I can’t read the hearts of other people and know their true motives; but we can examine their teaching. “Examine everything carefully,” Paul wrote; “hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). We must do this because, just as Peter warned pointed out that false prophets arose among the people of the Old Testament, so also, “there will also be false teachers among you” (2 Peter 2:1).

II. THE HAZARDS OF BEING A ‘TEACHER’ IN THE THINGS OF GOD ARE GREAT (v. 1b).

A. Praise God for those ‘teachers’ who, out of a genuine love for God and compassion for

His people, carefully teach from the Bible and accurately interpret and apply the Word of God for us. Praise Him for those who do battle on the front-lines and work to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). But still, no one should ever rush into that role recklessly. James warns that we are not to be many teachers, “knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” He doesn’t say “any”, but “many”. There is a legitimate call for some to be teachers in the church. But even in the case of those who are legitimately in the role of ‘teacher’ in the things of God, the hazards are serious! Consider how the Bible teaches us that a teacher could incur guilt before God for such things as

1. Not saying what God wanted said (Ezekiel 33:7-8; Acts 20:26-27).

2. Telling people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

3. Compromising the truth—that is, emphasizing certain aspects of the truth and minimize others (Matthew 5:18-19).

4. Living inconsistently with what he teaches (Romans 2:21-23; 1 Timothy 4:16)

5. Being careless in his work (2 Timothy 3:15).

B. Those hazards can put someone in danger of a “stricter judgment” from God. The judgment upon a genuine believer would not be for the condemnation of sin, because Jesus already took that on Himself on the cross (Romans 8:1). Rather, it will be for unfaithfulness in conduct and in belief as the people of God (2 Corinthians 5:10; see also 1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Those in the body of Christ who presume to be teachers of the things of God in a careless, reckless way—not being certain that God has, indeed, called them into that role, or not fulfilling that role with all diligence and earnestness and with full reliance on God’s strength and guidance, or not doing so in a way that recognizes the authority of the appointed leadership of the church, or daring to use the church as a platform from which to present their own personal views—put themselves at risk of the judgment of God for their careless words; and for the harm those words might cause to others.

* * * * * * * * * *

A great Greek philosopher once said, “Either be silent, or say something that is better than silence.” Someone who has been truly called into the honored role of a ‘teacher’ in the church—someone truly qualified to do so, and who carefully presents people with the eternal truths of God’s word—most certainly has something better than silence to say. And for that reason, it’s worth their every effort to fulfill that role in a way that pleases God and truly serves God’s people.

So then, let’s watch diligently our ambition and motives. Let’s watch our use of words. Let’s be sure that what we have to say is ‘better than silence.’ Let’s watch that we speak carefully the truth from God’s word to our fellow believers.