James: Week 6 |

James: Week 6

If you are a teacher of God’s word (Sunday School teacher, AWANA leader, small group leader, mentor, parent), how do you react to James 3:1 that says you will be judged with greater strictness?
How does what we say cause great destruction?
Have you ever stopped to think of the complete absurdity that we can worship God with our words on Sunday morning and then speak caustically against someone who has been made in the image of God? Why do think James was so concerned that brothers and sisters in Christ would act in this way?
Verses 11 and 12 begin to move us to a solution. A spring does not pour out both fresh and salt water. Can a salt pond yield fresh water?
- James is calling us to live out of our gospel identity. As believers, we are new people and we need to live out our new identity in Christ. When we correctly live out our gospel identity, our words will match!
  - How can we cultivate our gospel identity? How can we cultivate desires and goals that are consistent with our gospel identity?

The basis of good speech is being able to live out our new self that has been given to us in Christ and is being renewed in us by Christ.
Therefore, Paul says, we must put off the old speech patterns of our former life and put on the behavior consistent with our new selves which leads to positive speech.
We will not be able to control our tongue through mere self-effort. We must rely on our gospel identity.

Some commentators think that this Psalm was almost used as an oath of office when David became King of Israel.
Notice how David commits himself to integrity and how he commits to eradicate slander and lies from Israel.
Part of learning to tame the tongue is to encourage and even admonish those around us who are misusing their tongue against others.

Jesus clearly teaches that our behavior and our words spring from our hearts.
So when we lose control of our tongues it is a heart issue that needs to be dealt with. The problem is much deeper than our words.