16 James 3:1-5a - Unqualified Teachers Part 1

February 26, 2023

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: “Unqualified Teachers” Part 1 Text: James 3:1-5a FCF: We often struggle with desiring to be teachers but lacking self-control. Prop: Because teachers face a stricter judgment on their words, we must not flippantly become teachers of God’s word. Scripture Intro: LSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to James chapter 3. Last week we finally finished up what is the core of James’ letter. Unfortunately we had to look at it in three parts, so we could see it deep enough without keeping us here for 3 hours. Today James will shift the discussion again, but the point he makes next is another that we will have to divide up. I hope that we will be able to see it all in only 2 parts, but no guarantees. What is a teacher? And when you find that answer – who is qualified to teach? Is it the person with the most degrees? The highest IQ? The oldest? The youngest? Does it matter what the teacher is teaching? This is where James will take us next. I am reading in James 3. I’m reading from the LSB today but you can follow along in your pew bible starting on page 1361 or whatever version you prefer. Transition: There is much to get to today concluding with a look at what this passage did to me this week. We best not waste time. I.) All believers fail the Lord but teachers will be judged more strictly, so we must not flippantly become teachers of God’s Word. (1-2a) a. [Slide 2] 1 - Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers, i. James’ telltale shift in theme occurs again here in verse 1 of chapter 3. 1. Going back to the beginning of the book we have seen him move us along in this way several times. a. 1:2 – Consider it all joy my brothers b. 1:16 – Do not be deceived my beloved brothers c. 2:1 – My brothers do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. d. 2:5 – Listen my beloved brothers e. 2:14 – What use is it my brothers 2. And again, here in verse 1 of chapter 3. ii. Part of the reason that the progression of the book of James is so difficult to map, has to do with these shifts accomplishing so many things all at once. 1. Chapter 3 does begin a new lack that his audience may have, for which the Lord is giving them trials in order to purge from them. That new lack is self-control and specifically, the control of one’s tongue. 2. As I stated several weeks ago, all of James flows into and out of his discussion of faith and works. Just because we have left that particular lack, does not mean we have left behind its teaching. Which colors our discussion of the lack of control of the tongue. More on that in a bit. 3. But this is also connected to the other two foundational lacks James has already mentioned. The lack of wisdom, of a godly perspective, AND of a faith that works - are all contributory lacks to the rest of the letter, and nearer to us, to this particular lack. 4. In addition to this, the theme he brings to bear in chapter 3 has already been mentioned in seed form. 5. So, what passages in James have a direct connection to the teaching on how we should speak? It connects to chapter 1:2. It connects to chapter 1:5. It connects to 1:12 and 1:13; 1:19 and 1:24 and 25; Also, to 1:26 and 27. Surely it would connect to Chapter 2:1-4; 10; 12 and 13; and 14-26. How do you outline something like this? It is a spider web of connected thoughts that cannot be unwound from each other. 6. But to keep us from losing the forest for the trees, what is James saying here in verse 1? iii. James gives a command to his brothers. And that command is… sobering. iv. Do not become teachers. v. Of course, the command is softened by the addition of the words “many of you.” vi. In other words, this is not a prohibition of any of his audience becoming teachers. This is not a prohibition of any of his future readers becoming teachers. vii. But it is a recognition that becoming a teacher is not something that all or even many are wise to pursue. viii. But what does James mean by becoming a teacher? Mathematics, Science, poetry? Do not the scriptures say that we are to teach one another? Are only some to teach one another? Are not Fathers to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Are not older men supposed to teach younger men and older women younger women? Are we not to teach one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? ix. [Slide 3] James’ definition of a teacher must be interpreted to mean an authoritative expositor of the scriptures to the church. Each word in this definition is important. x. With every word, we can surmise that James is not precluding scriptural discussion, discipleship, or parenting. Certainly, we all should, in some capacity, be teaching others the scriptures. xi. Indeed, Timothy’s mother and grandmother were commended by Paul for teaching Timothy the scriptures from his youth. xii. Very clearly James refers to those drawing out the true meaning of a passage of scriptures and applying it to a church body in an authoritative way. xiii. Certainly, it would be an Elder, but really anyone who stands before the church to teach the scriptures and expect people to hear and heed the Word. xiv. [Slide 4] James’ command then, is that not many of you should become these kinds of teachers. xv. Two questions, both of them starting with why. xvi. Why is James issuing this command? 1. Although we could see the language in this text translated as “Stop becoming teachers” the almost unanimous consensus of translations is as the LSB has translated this. Do not, many of you, become teachers, my brothers. 2. What does that mean? 3. It means that James sees a problem forming before it actually happens. And where he goes in the next two chapters helps to flesh out the need for his command. 4. Becoming a teacher, particularly a teacher as we have described, brings with it some measure of authority, power, and prestige. Such a position of honor would be sought after by many… for the wrong reasons. xvii. The second why question though, is why must they listen to James’ command? 1. There are some serious problems in the churches to which James writes his letter. 2. Chapter 3 and 4 will note some of those problems. I don’t have time this morning to read ahead and point some out to you but even a quick perusal of these two chapters would show us a church, that if it had a bunch of teachers living this way, it would not end well. 3. James sees the writing on the wall and as a concerned pastor – he commands many of them to rethink their desire for a teaching role. Why? b. [Slide 5] Knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment. i. James’ command has become a warning. ii. To those who are considering becoming a teacher… they should know… they will receive, or they will experience a harsher or as the LSB says, stricter judgment. iii. Confirming our case for interpreting “teacher” in the way we did, James includes himself in this warning. He too will be judged more strictly. iv. Who is judging these teachers? Of course, we must say the Lord Jesus. For it is His teachings that are being given. His life that is being taught to be observed and obeyed. He is the Great Shepherd and he will judge… strictly… those who care for His sheep. v. But what should we say about this stricter judgment. Is it more severe? Is James saying that offenses of a teacher will be punished more harshly than those of a student? Or is James saying that the lives of a teacher are judged more rigorously than those of a student? vi. It seems best, as we look throughout the New Testament to assume the latter. That the stricter judgment given to teachers is not harsher for failure but is instead more difficult to pass. vii. Think twice, maybe three times, before becoming a teacher of the Word of God. For teachers will be judged to a stricter standard than the students. viii. Although false teachers and their students are both condemned in scripture, it is only to the teachers that Paul says – let them be accursed. ix. But where is the sharpness in this warning? Teachers are judged by a stricter standard… so what? What have we to fear? We have been declared righteous in Christ have we not? x. Indeed, but are we not yet, still sinners? c. [Slide 6] 2 – For we all stumble in many ways, i. James said earlier that to violate the law in one point is to violate the whole law. ii. To transgress God’s commands in one area is to transgress all God’s commands. iii. In a similar idea, James reveals why many should not become teachers. Yes, they will be judged more harshly. But all men stumble in many ways. iv. James uses the concept of stumbling to speak of sin or of transgressing the law of God. Perhaps we could say, transgressing unintentionally. v. And James includes himself in this statement. He too is not immune to being led off course from following after the Lord’s commands. vi. Putting these two concepts together 1. Everyone has difficulty staying on the path that God has laid out for us. 2. Teachers will be judged by a higher standard than the students. 3. James is, in essence, saying exactly what Paul said in I Timothy and Titus. People who are to authoritatively preach the word of God to the church, must be those who are above reproach and blameless. 4. Not perfect… but certainly holy and godly. Their character is such that for some to claim they had major and pervasive sin problems that are controlling their lives… would be unthinkable and must be investigated to be believed. 5. This is what it means to be blameless. And they must be blameless. 6. For, as James says, they will be judged by a harsher standard. d. [Slide 7] Passage Truth: James’ point is that all of us trespass against the Lord’s law – but teachers are held to a more rigid standard than students. e. Passage Application: Knowing this, there are many among them that would make terrible teachers. Incurring judgment on themselves. f. [Slide 8] Broader Biblical Truth: Do we see this point made in the rest of scripture? There are two components of the statement but both of them are verified throughout the scriptures. Not only do all believers continue to unintentionally sin, but also, teachers of God’s word are held to a higher standard than others. Having gone through some of the Old Testament prophets, including Isaiah and Hosea, we have seen the indictment upon the priests for their continued mockery of God and misleading of God’s people. And certainly, we’ve seen in our dives into individuals like Abraham and Rahab, that even though they were declared to be righteous by God for their faith – they were not perfect. They still doubted, sinned, and acted unwisely. So, we see both these truths verified in the whole account of God’s Word. g. Broader Biblical Application: So, what does this mean for us CBC? It is a call for us to consider the weight that is borne by those who teach the Word of God to the church. What a great burden it is to bear. To know that all of us still stumble and fail the Lord’s holy standard – yet to also know that teachers of God’s Word will be judged by a stricter standard… It seems obvious to caution any who would flippantly approach the desire to teach God’s Word. Aspiring to hold the office or title of teacher within the body of Christ is a glorious and noble task – but with it comes great responsibility as well. While not required to be perfect, those who are called to teach His Word, must be blameless. They must be mature believers. And so, CBC, pray for your teachers, that they would continue to hold up under the scrutiny of Christ. And do not be hasty in thinking you might be a good teacher of the Word. Knowledge of doctrine is only part of the equation, and it seems that it is a good deal less important than a godly life. Transition: [Slide 9(blank)] As if to answer the question, “In what areas will a teacher be judged more strictly than others?”, James carries on through to what becomes his primary concern for his audience. II.) All believers fail with their speech but teachers must control their tongues, so we must not flippantly become teachers of God’s Word. (2b-5a) a. [Slide 10] If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, i. As a case study and subpoint from his statement about men stumbling in many ways, James looks to the tongue. ii. James’ seems to overstate his case. Is a man truly perfect if he does not stumble in what he says? In some ways this is a build on statement of what he said before. 1. Those who keep the whole law but fail in one point are guilty of all the law. 2. Therefore, what follows logically, is that James is saying that sins of speech are found among every single human that has ever existed save the God-Man Jesus Christ. 3. I believe that theologically and experientially – we can all attest to that being true. 4. That if it were possible to be perfect in the whole law yet fail in one point – that one point would be in our speech. 5. Whether uttering lies, hatred, blasphemies, gossip, slander, boasts, or all manner of other abuses of speech – we have all done it. iii. But our interpretation of this expression must first be governed internally by the book of James. iv. This is not the first time James has mentioned the tongue. He states that we should be slow to speak in chapter 1. He also says that if anyone thinks he is devout yet cannot control his tongue, his devotion, his holiness is worthless. v. This calls to mind Jesus’ teaching when He spoke about the relationship between the heart and what we say. He said that out of the heart the mouth speaks. vi. Jesus’ point was that we sin with our speech because of corruption within. Likewise, we control our tongues because there is holiness within. vii. James is saying that if a man does not unintentionally sin with his mouth – then he is perfect. viii. This is the same word he uses from chapter 1 where he speaks of the design of God in trials to produce an enduring faith lacking in nothing… a faith that is perfect. A faith that is complete. A faith that is mature. ix. There are two prevailing interpretations of James’ statement. At first, I was led to believe that James was using hyperbole. That he was saying that if you can control your tongue, you are in no need of salvation. An overstatement to emphasize the difficulty of controlling the tongue. x. But looking at the rest of James, it seems that James is not overstating anything. xi. He is simply saying, that a man that has the ability to control his tongue is a person who is mature in Christ. Their faith is lacking nothing in regard to their speech. xii. In other words, James doesn’t put the control of the tongue outside the reach of true believers. Because if a person truly can’t bridle his tongue, then his holiness is worthless. xiii. But he most certainly puts the control of the tongue as the standard of a mature believer. That a man that has reached the place that he is able to control his tongue, is a mature believer indeed. He is… someone who SHOULD be a teacher. xiv. This is the interpretation that I want to press here. For James to say that none can truly ever control their speech, while coming out of a section in which he said that true faith works – would be to undermine himself. xv. So, let’s continue with this interpretation and see where James goes with it. b. [Slide 11] Able to bridle the entire body as well. i. James juxtaposes the difficulty of controlling our speech next to the great potential that controlled speech offers. ii. But here again we face an interesting dilemma of interpretation. What is the “body” that can be controlled, bridled, or guided, by the person who can control his speech? iii. There are two prevailing interpretations. 1. That the body is his own body. It is his behaviors, his lusts, his passions, his baser instincts. a. This is favored by several commentators who see verse 1 as a spring board to talk about matters within the church. b. They do not see the rest of chapter 3 as particularly applying to teachers or would be teachers, but instead toward the body as a whole. c. The strength of this view is that the word body naturally correlates to the tongue as a part of the whole. d. The difficulty of this view is discovering the exact correlation between the control of your speech and the control of the rest of your body. e. There is no direct correlation between one’s ability to control what he says and that enabling him to control the rest of his behavior. Certainly, someone can be a kind and gentle idolater or a soft-spoken fornicator. f. The best correlation is one relating to difficulty. g. Our speech is so difficult to control that if a man is able to control his speech – the rest of his passions, his lusts, his slothfulness, his baser instincts – are a sinch by comparison. h. But as we move forward into the illustrations that James gives – we have to wonder if it is truly the degree of difficulty that he has in mind. 2. The second interpretation casts this in a different light. The body refers to the church. a. This is favored by several commentators who see verse 1 as permeating the intent of the rest of the passage extending even through chapter 4. b. That teachers and would be teachers are the emphasis and that James is trying his best to prove to them that many of them are not qualified to be teachers. c. The strength of this view relies on the specific words that James uses. d. Here in verse 2 he does not say “control of the tongue” but rather, control of speech. Thus the imagery of a body and its members, like fingers, toes, and tongues, has not actually been introduced. e. There is also no possession indicated in the text. James does not say he is able to control HIS entire body. He simply says the body. f. If James means that a teacher with pure speech is able to bridle and guide the church, we will also see a strong fit with the illustrations that are to come. g. But there are some challenges to this view. h. First, the word for body is used by James 4 other times besides this and in three of those 4 it is clearly talking about a corporeal body. Although the 4th is in this same context and is clearly referring to the church. i. Second, although the church is sometimes spoken of in nautical imagery, the church is never compared to a horse. So, for James to expect his audience readily pick up on the comparison is asking a good deal from them. 3. Of late, I have attempted to eliminate such discussions from my sermons. Some of you were no doubt profoundly interested in understanding these two interpretations – but for most, you are probably thinking – ok Chris just tell me what it means. 4. Well, that is the reason I included it. I don’t know. I definitely lean more toward the second interpretation, probably about 75% sure – but I have flip flopped at least 3 times on that conclusion. 5. Therefore, as we go forward, we are forced to consider both as viable interpretations. c. [Slide 12] 3 – Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. i. James launches into two illustrations that would have been quite common in wisdom literature and connect readily with the common man. ii. The emphasis through these examples is the smallness of the item that controls the whole larger thing. iii. A bit in a horse’s mouth is but a fraction of the weight and size of the animal itself. Indeed to think that such a large animal could be guided, directed, and manipulated by one small piece, is quite astounding. iv. If we have concluded that James is only talking to believers about their ability for their tongue to control their behavior, the illustration makes sense… sort of. 1. It is far more difficult to control a horse without a bit than with one. 2. However, this doesn’t seem to be James’ point. He doesn’t directly compare a horse with or without a bit. 3. He simply states the illustration in a matter-of-fact kind of way. We put bits to cause them to obey and so we can guide them. 4. It is not the difficulty without the bit or even the difficulty of controlling the horses mouth that is in focus. Instead, it is how a small part controls the larger. v. If we have concluded that James is talking to all would be teachers about how their ability to control their speech can help to guide the church… the illustration crystalizes perfectly. 1. A bit, being something small and insignificant, placed in the mouth, a seemingly unrelated part to guiding a horse, can guide the whole horse. 2. In the same way, through the foolishness of preaching, a teacher can steer and guide the entire church, when his speech is used rightly. d. [Slide 13] 4 – Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot wills. i. Certainly, ships take a good deal of wind in order to drive them forward. ii. But to direct a ship – one only needs a much smaller rudder in order to guide the ship to where it needs to go. iii. Indeed, the pilot of the ship can guide it to wherever he wants it to go by such a small part of the ship being used. iv. Again, if we have concluded that our speech is so difficult to control that if we can control it we can control our behaviors as well, this illustration only kind of makes sense. 1. Although we can see obviously the difficulty of steering a ship in strong winds on the open water… James does not overtly compare doing this with or without a rudder. 2. Thus, the control of speech being difficult would be compared to what? Installing the rudder? Turning the rudder? None of these seem particularly difficult. v. But if we think James speaks to would be teachers of how controlled speech can guide the ship, things make complete sense. 1. God drives the church with the wind of His Spirit. 2. But the pilot, governed by his will, guides the ship safely to its destination. 3. He does this by something as simple as a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the ship. 4. So the teacher with something as simple as controlled speech, guides the people of God. vi. James interrupts himself because he has a point to draw out before he mentions another illustration and actually changes topics. e. [Slide 14] 5a – So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. i. Does body here refer to the church? Well, the simple answer is no. Why? Because the phrase “of the body” is not in the original Greek. It has been supplied by several translations. ii. We should probably read this as, “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” iii. What is meant by this last phrase and what is James’ point? iv. To boast of great things does not necessarily imply sin nor does it imply lying. v. In fact, in taking what James has been saying and what he will say – I believe what he means when he says this is, essentially, the tongue though small, can have a HUGE impact. It can do great or terrible things. vi. But we must ask how does this correlate to what James is saying? vii. A ship is such a large thing and a horse such a large animal yet they can be subdued and guided by such a small thing. viii. But which interpretation is it? Is the large thing the church or our behavior. ix. Maybe we can combine them? Let me try