James–Part 15
James 3:1–12 offers invaluable counsel on a subject all of us get in trouble with from time to time: our words. It is said the average person speaks enough words in one year to fill sixty-six 800 page books. That’s a lot of talking, and with that many words, it’s easy to get ourselves in trouble. James introduces the subject with a warning:
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways, and anyone who does not stumble in speaking is perfect, able also to bridle the whole body.
James 3:1–2
Teachers are used as an example because they work primarily with words, and it’s especially easy for their words to lead others astray. James says teachers (and this would include parents, friends, and other advice givers) must practice what they preach. Otherwise, they are hypocrites. “Do as I say, not as I do” won’t cut it. We must live out the faith we claim to possess, and nothing has a bigger impact on that than the way we speak to others.