He said, "It's not really that which goes into a man that defiles a man, but that which comes out of a man that defiles him. It could refer to the partiality condemned in James 2:1-13. This is put, first of all, - JFB, pure -- The term hagnos has the same Greek root as holy (hagios). Consequently there is a word for those of them that were clearly not born of God, as well as for those who were. Here is brought in another essential point of the epistle. James is not for a moment saying that silence is better than speech. Well is he that is defended from it, and has not passed through the venom thereof; who hath not drawn, the yoke thereof, nor hath been bound in her bands. If you bring this or any other preconception to the word of God, no wonder His word leaves you outside its divine and holy scope. They are perfectly harmonious; but then it is a different way of looking at the matter; and the reason is obvious, because what Paul treats of in Romans 7:1-25, which is the scripture I refer to, is not the conduct but the nature. When the question is concerning Christ, there come three things in question, Whether he be, who he is, and what he is. Long before, Aristotle had used this same picture when he was talking about the science of mechanics: "A rudder is small and it is attached to the very end of the ship, but it has such power that by this little rudder, and by the power of one man--and that a power gently exerted--the great bulk of ships can be moved." He says first that it is pure; by which term he excludes hypocrisy and ambition. Zechariah speaks of "a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves" ( Zechariah 12:6). The picture was one the Jews of Palestine knew well. (ii) He is under the temptation to bitterness. He proves that the least things are often those which govern other bodies incomparably larger. Far from being theoretical and speculative, Jamess concept of wisdom is thoroughly practical. It seems to me that what was stated at the beginning of the present discourse is an important key for interpreting expressions. You see at once that we have an exhortation founded on, first, the spiritual anatomy, if I may so say, of our nature, and then we are given to know the wondrous character of the new life that we have received by faith of Jesus Christ, and know to be ours, because we are "begotten by the word of truth." How, if it be the Spirit of God, can He be put in such a connection here? In the dry season the scanty grass and low-growing thorn bushes and scrub were as dry as tinder. What kind of wisdom comes forth from you? Rather are we encouraged to ask why it was according to the wisdom of God that such words as these should be presented to Israel, and especially to such of the twelve tribes as had the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. (ii) Any particular point in the wheel is always moving up or down. It is reasonable, that is, open to reason and willing to yield to reasonable requests. Had this behavior been allowed to continue, the wall between Jew and Gentile might never have been torn down. Observe here, True wisdom is God's gift. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It springs from earthly principles, acts upon earthly motives, and is intent upon serving earthly purposes. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. For this end there is not a more precious thought nor a mightier word in all the New Testament. This bitter and arrogant wisdom, so-called, is very different from real wisdom. In its own province there is nothing better, plainer, or more striking. It has not been unknown for a man to utter the most pious sentiments one day and to repeat the most questionable stories the next. It is said to be "from above," indicating it comes from God. You must take what the Bible gives, and thus seek to form a just judgment according to God. An arrow kills at forty or fifty paces, but of the tongue it is said ( Psalms 73:9), 'They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.' Not from the new nature of which God is the blessed source, but from the old. "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed." I then feel the necessity of somehow explaining away those scriptures. WebSupplements to Commentaries Chapter 17: 2.1 New Testament Introductions Chapter 18: 2.2 New Testament Theologies Chapter 19: 3. (ii) There is no sin into which it is easier to fall and none which has graver consequences than the sin of the tongue. Himself a wise man in his ordinary ways, there was divine wisdom given him by the Holy Ghost in thus dealing so directly with the snares of the twelve tribes, and even of that portion which professed the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. or a more evident token of the blindness of unbelief in him who made it? let him demonstrate it by his manner of life, by his works, with the meekness of wisdom. Then it came to mean the kind of work done solely for what could be got out of it. But this would be judging their actions apart from God, because of whose will they were done, and apart from faith, which alone gave these works their life and character. WebMatthew Henry's Concise Commentary 3:13-18 These verses show the difference between men's pretending to be wise, and their being really so. But I am supposing now that a person is required in the name of God to declare what he believes to be the truth in a matter of which he is a witness, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Still he is careful in this place to show that the word deals inwardly with the man, that it is this implanted word, as he calls it, and not an external law, that is able to save the soul. Ben Sirach began his book with the sentence, "All wisdom cometh from the Lord, and is with him for ever" ( Sir_1:1 ); and he makes Wisdom say, "I came out of the mouth of the Most High" ( Sir_24:3 ). James 2. The first point therefore in the mind of the Holy Ghost here is to vindicate God. This wisdom is gentle: The man who is epieikes is the man who knows when it is actually wrong to apply the strict letter of the law. But the wisdom that is from above: Gods wisdom also has fruit. 7. Thus evidently not only does James's doctrine set forth clearly the blessed truth of a new nature, as already shown, but his exhortation supposes just the same openness among Christians in the exercise of ministerial gift as was found, e.g. It was a time of general cruelty and unconcern for the unfortunate. As the sins before condemned arise from an affectation of being thought more wise than others, and being endued with more knowledge than they, so the apostle in these verses shows the difference between men's pretending to be wise and their being really so, and between the wisdom which is from beneath (from earth or hell) and that which is from above. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." I present it to you as-is. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. Here the idea is that wisdom acts consistently. Instead, he must recognize the feelings of others and, at times, sacrifice his own rights (1 Corinthians 8). Particular pains are taken to guard from this prevalent idea. Thus the break is by no means so marked, but on the contrary natural and easily understood; for, in point of fact, James coalesces with the state of things that we find in the churches of Judea, and notably in the church at Jerusalem. Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking. This means that it is not wavering and vacillating; it knows its own mind, chooses its course and abides by it. We can see the need, value, and wisdom of what has been said, but we may find here the occasion of it: with Israel there was peculiar danger of taking up the doctrines of Christianity as a system. There were no people so prone to ordinary swearing as the Jews. And then, lastly, true wisdom will go on to sow the fruits of righteousness in peace, and thus, if it may be, to make peace in the world, James 3:18; James 3:18. Our business is to gather what He has to teach us. These things, said James, should not be. Proverbs 17:6: , So don't be many masters knowing that we will receive the greater condemnation. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. It measures success in worldly terms; and its aims are worldly aims. a. 2. WebVerses 1-18. Then the chapter closes with giving us a sample of what pure and undefiled religion is, but chiefly as we observe in a practical way the main object and never lost sight of. "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass." Worldly wisdom might well wish to escape God's sight; the true wisdom is able to bear his very scrutiny. Their field was the whole Church; and they did not stay long in any one congregation. Now we come to the other side. We have translated this peaceable but it has a very special meaning. There is not a man of exercised soul in this building, or any other, who has not proved the truth of what I am now saying. The true wisdom is not rigid but is willing to listen and skilled in knowing when wisely to yield. He is the man who uses pleasure as a rider guides a horse or a steersman directs a ship, and so directs them wherever he wishes." "My brethren," says he, "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh patience. In Psalms 12:6, David says, "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." WebMatthew Henry :: Commentary on James 3 Chapter 3 The apostle here reproves ambition, and an arrogant magisterial tongue; and shows the duty and advantage of bridling it because of its power to do mischief. However, nothing can be simpler than that which the apostle here describes and recommends to us, and nothing more certain. (cf. WebSupplements to Commentaries Chapter 17: 2.1 New Testament Introductions Chapter 18: 2.2 New Testament Theologies Chapter 19: 3. It is impossible to find an English word to translate this quality. No, but as the hand kills, so the tongue. (c)Without strife, from diakrino, to contend. The apostles even lived with the potential of living hypocritical lives. It is, finally, without hypocrisy, namely, true to appearances. Philo called the mind the charioteer and steersman of man's life; it is when the mind controls every word and it itself is controlled by Christ that life is safe. It is the habit of many, if they find the same expression, to give it always the same meaning. There is no room for pride in human life, for there is not a man upon earth who has not some blot of which to be ashamed. It does not change according to the circumstance but remains constant. On the mount He says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). A truly wise man is a very knowing man: he will not set up for the reputation of being wise without laying in a good stock of knowledge; and he will not value himself merely upon knowing things, if he has not wisdom to make a right application and use of that knowledge. Of all Jewish writers, Jesus ben Sirach, the writer of Ecclesiasticus, was most impressed with the terrifying potentialities of the tongue. Man should also strive to have peace within himself (Philippians 4:7). Yet the remarkable feature we have also to weigh here is that when works are thus introduced, attention is directed to what would be perfectly valueless if they were not the result of faith, nay, worse than valueless, positively evil, and entailing the severest punishment. It's not Godly wisdom, it's earthly, it's sensual, it's devilish. How can a man have evidence that he is a true Christian, who is not such? Assuredly not in talking much, which usually tends to talking ill. "Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." Web1. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. "It is the nature of man to sin both in private and in public life," said Thucydides (3: 45). It cannot fall in with those managements which the world counts wise, which are crafty and guileful; but it is sincere and open, steady and uniform, and consistent with itself. The word here used ( epieikes) is rendered moderation in Philippians 4:5; patient in 1 Timothy 3:3; and gentle in Titus 3:2; James 3:17, and 1 Peter 2:18. On the other hand, the effect of forgetting to whom the words are addressed, and of assuming that the epistle contemplates none but such as are born of God, is that you are obliged to explain away the strength of the divine word. let him sing psalms." Two constant demands of a child of God are a positive attitude and appropriate action. It was desperately easy for a Rabbi to become the kind of person whom Jesus depicted, a spiritual tyrant, an ostentatious ornament of piety, a lover of the highest place at any function, a person who gloried in the almost subservient respect showed to him in public ( Matthew 23:4-7). For the yoke, thereof is a yoke of iron and the bands thereof are bands of, brass. ", On the other hand, one may and should be "blessed." Let us then endeavour to profit by the warning, and above all by the precious lesson in the word of our God. It isnt just the inner power to think and talk about things the right way; it is full of good fruits. It is doubtless put in a general form. He now mentions the effects of celestial wisdom which are wholly contrary to the former effects. Wait upon God. I don't think that we should meddle or tamper with the Word of God. People may come to it with the thought that all the epistles were addressed to Christians, but this is simply wrong. Oh, how true is this, and how admirably drawn to the life! Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." It supposes only that there may be circumstances in which the spirit of peace, though possessed, cannot be exercised, except in meek submission to wrong for conscience sake; never can it turn traitor to truth, or make any compromise with error. (See Luke 16:1-31) Accordingly their hatred grew until it resulted in the cross of the Lord; and hence this is one of the elements, though of course not the only one, which calls down the judgment of God; and the Spirit of God so treats it here: "Ye have killed the just." But ye have despised them." James enters upon this expressly in the next chapter. Even the tongues of the apostles could say very different things. (ii) A rudder is very small in comparison with the size of a ship; and yet, by exerting pressure on that little rudder, the steersman can alter the course of the ship and direct it to safety. Christian pity is the reflection of God's pity; and that went out to men, not only when they were suffering unjustly, but when they were suffering through their own fault. It is pure, meaning free of the defilements mentioned. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . O that you and I may always be guided by such wisdom as this! Stainless in His holiness, and invariable in His light, God is active in His love; and as the fruit of this energetic sovereign love He does not bless merely, sweet as it is from Him. Where good fruit is found, wisdom will be found close by. Amplified If we set bits in the horses mouths to make them obey Jesus mentions that a good tree brings forth good fruit and that one can know a man by the fruit (works) he produces (Matthew 7:16). But the true wisdom at all times brings men closer to one another and to God. There were teachers who lived out nothing of the truth which they taught, whose life was a contradiction of their instruction and who did nothing but bring dishonour on the faith they represented ( Romans 2:17-29). This trait is first because the other characteristics come from it. The apostle here reproves ambition, and an arrogant magisterial tongue; and shows the duty and advantage of bridling it because of its power to do mischief. Your gold and silver are cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. And so James warns that if we take upon ourselves that position of teacher just know that along with that position goes that awesome responsibility and that one day we will have to give an account before God of how straight forward we were in handling His Word.Now the Bible warns of those who handle the Word of God deceitfully, and I have met so many people who handled the Word of God deceitfully.Now James is gonna talk to us about something of which we all have a problem now or then, and that's our tongue. WebJames 3:17 - Gary Hampton Commentaries THE FRUITS OF HEAVENLY WISDOM In contrast to the wisdom from the devil, James presents the wisdom from heaven. in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou here, or sit here under my footstool; are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? His actions and His motives were freed from the stain of sin. Waco | 92 views, 3 likes, 1 loves, 3 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Waco First Assembly of God: We are studying Genesis chapters 18-21 this evening. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. In Phil. It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away, instead of your saying, If the Lord will, and we live, we will also do this, or that. Let not such a one, therefore, expect anything of the Lord. This universality of sin runs all through the Bible. "None is righteous, no not one," quotes Paul. I press, then, that the word "sinners" here clearly to my mind shows that the Spirit of God in this epistle takes in a larger range than most allow. There are two reasons why the damage which the tongue can do is like a fire. we find in James 4:1-17 the contrary of this wars and fightings, "whence come they?" Coming as it does after epieikes ( G1933) , it probably bears this second meaning here. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. L'eau du rocher ( Exode 17:1 )_ 2. We shall find this by and by, inJames 4:1-17; James 4:1-17; but here he simply looks on man's nature, and then he raises his eyes to God. Le conflit avec Amalek ( Exode 17:8 ) De Sin, ils sont alls Dophkah et Alush avant d'arriver Rephidim ( Nombres 33:12 ). Whatever they may know to be their own proper place as Christians who never were in such a position, and, so far from being led into it, guarded from it. "Variance," the rendition here, means without inconsistency, vacillation or erratic changes. Thus we see it is only, to say the least of it, a very great want of perception, and a dulness that certainly is unworthy nay, worthy of any person that sets up to judge the word of God a shameful position for a creature for a man above all for a Christian to take. A faith that is unproductive has no living link with God. James points out this wisdom from above is "first pure, then peaceable." People who were ill slept in the temples of Aesculapius at night, and if one of these tame serpents glided over them, that was supposed to be the healing touch of the god. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle. He who thinks well, or he who talks Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. Under this impression I read, "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. How I wished I could have taken them back. The wisdom which has a heavenly origin, or which is from God. It is the power of the Spirit of God alone that can grave these things on the heart. It cannot refer to things which are in themselves wrong. The ancients divided man into three parts--body, soul and spirit. "And lie not against the truth." He must never get into the position when his scholars and students cannot hear what he says for listening to what he is. And it is devilish, such wisdom being the wisdom of devils (to create uneasiness and to do hurt), and being inspired by devils, whose condemnation is pride (1 Timothy 3:6), and who are noted in other places of scripture for their wrath, and their accusing the brethren. Read full chapter. ( Sir_19:15 ). It produces the kind of situation which the devil delights in, not God. "And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." It is blowing hot and blowing cold; it is appearing to ask God, when in point of fact you have no confidence in Him. I am not aware of any part of the word of God in which a believer, save perhaps in a transitional state, is ever referred to as a sinner. Why there was nothing but evil: he had shown this immediately before. The false teacher eventually goes public with his teaching and can be pointed out. Web2 Pierre 3:17. True wisdom may be known by the meekness of the spirit and temper: Let him show with meekness, c. It is a great instance of wisdom prudently to bridle our own anger, and patiently to bear the anger of others. There were some who tried to teach before they themselves knew anything ( 1 Timothy 1:6-7); and others who pandered to the false desires of the crowd ( 2 Timothy 4:3). It is not all that the Corinthian was vain in his speculations, but the Jew not less, who thus spoke and acted. James and John he surnamed Boanerges This word, says Dr. Hammond, is the corruption of the Hebrew , benei ragnash, sons of earthquake, tempest, or any other commotion, such as is here styled, , thunder. In this the theologian and the sceptic come to the same conclusion, and from the same source a lack of seeing and appreciating Jesus. Envying and strife are opposed to the meekness of wisdom. James 3:1-12 Who Can Tame the Tongue? The truth it holds is held with unbalanced violence rather than with reasoned conviction. Next, he gives the reason; "for," says he, "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.". This we know was an old custom. The Greek mind might speculate and theorize about it, but the Jew would make a quasi-Talmud of it in its way. Thus, the wisdom "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. There is no more fruitful source of error than such a course. Undeserved! For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work. There was no miracle in their part of the business, as far as they were concerned. Oh, if ever there was a work of faith since the world began, it was that work for which Abraham was ready yea, did put his hand to. 3:5b-6 See how great a forest how little a fire can set alight. word occurs only here in the NT and denotes a consistent, unwavering person who is undivided in his commitment and conviction and does not make unfair distinctions. Surely the one stream from the same cleft in the rock does not gush forth fresh and salt water? The body (soma, G4983) is our physical flesh and blood; the soul (psuche, G5590) is the physical life which we share with the beasts; the spirit (pneuma, G4151) is that which man alone possesses, which differentiates him from the beasts, which makes him a rational creature and kin to God. We see at once that he who could despise such an epistle as this is a man not to be despised indeed, for God would not have us despise any as He despises none Himself; but certainly to call forth pain and sorrow that such thoughts should ever have been allowed in a soul born of God and withal a servant of Jesus Christ. There is a temptation which comes from the devil as truly as there is a temptation that comes from God, and is good for man. The word carries with it the idea of being considerate toward others. "[41] This is the very opposite of the cold, haughty and unyielding hardness of some religious teachers. vi. Gentleness may thus be opposed to all these. The seed, as ever, must produce its own proper fruit. WebVoir aussi Exode 17:3 dans d'autres commentaires bibliques: Bible annote par A.C. Gaebelein. The word epiekes means sweet reasonableness or forbearance. It does not push its own rights or opinions without listening to others and respecting others (cf. The picture of the tongue as a fire is also a common Jewish picture. Or, according to the original word, psychike, it is animal of human--the mere working of natural reason, without any supernatural light. To James there was something unnatural about this; it was as unnatural as for a stream to gush out both fresh and salt water or a bush to bear opposite kinds of fruit. A backbiting tongue hath cast out virtuous women and, deprived them of their labours. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. Surely we are not to take Paul's object in order to interpret James by. Such an oath I do not think that a Christian man would he at liberty to take. The first of the apostle does not indicate even preference of the pure spirit to the peaceful spirit, but only the order in which they are to be exercised. Christians must distinguish between spiritual wisdom and worldly wisdom. But if you have bitter envying or strife in your hearts, that's not wise, don't glory in it, and lie not against the truth. Such is the law of liberty. It is not only that the nature of man expresses itself in the tongue, but in the feelings of the heart; and alas! Most of the persecutions in the church have grown out of this maxim. It is honest; it never pretends to be what it is not; and it never acts a part to gain its own ends. Evidently, if he sin, he must go athwart his new nature and position, and the blessed deliverance which God has given him in Christ. Paul admonishes Christians, on the other hand, to be honest and sincere at all times (Romans 12:17). full of mercy and good fruits: "Full of mercy" (meste eleous) and "good fruits" (karpon agathon) continue the characteristics of true wisdom. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor desires. Speech is apt to be the expression of our nature of ourselves. How often one hears people in the habit of quoting from this verse for what they call practice, who dwell on the first part to the exclusion of the last. Those And the only people who can sow these seeds and reap the reward are those whose life work it has been to produce such right relationships.". Web3. James 3:17-18 (Smarty Pants / Heavenly Wisdom) May 8, 2021 / Jeff Stott. (i) The true wisdom is pure. A chance word dropped at one end of the country or the town can finish up by bringing grief and hurt at the other. And good fruits - The fruits of good living; just, benevolent, and kind actions. He who thinks well, or he who talks well, is not wise in the sense of the Scripture, if he does not live and act well. In the next place he proceeds to show too how this works practically: "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich in that he is made low:" such are the ways of God "because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away." Whenever the name of God was mentioned, a Jew must respond: "Blessed be he!" Just as the Hebrew scriptures are not without this exception, so in the New Testament you have another exception. "Do not err, beloved brethren. This could in no wise satisfy God's nature, and so scripture reveals a time coming when all will be according to God. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Which has God for its author; which is infused into the soul by the Spirit of God; and leads into the knowledge of things that are above, of heavenly things; and which only is true wisdom and knowledge; and those who are possessed of it are the only true Gnostics; for which. These things should not be so, my brothers. that with Paul we may be able to say, Not with fleshly wisdom, but in simplicity and godly sincerity, by the grace of God, we have our conversation. There is a kind of cruel wisdom which takes a delight in hurting others with clever, but cutting, words. CHAPITRE 17 A REPHIDIM _1. He "straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." It means what is free from taint or pollution: the kind of taint must be learnt from the passage. So, too, the tongue is a little member of the body, but it makes arrogant claims for itself. It is psuchikos ( G5591) , which comes from psuche ( G5590) . It means, properly, not to be distinguished. Here it may mean either of the following things: (a)Not open to distinction or doubt; that is, unambiguous, so that there shall be no doubt about its origin or nature; (b)Making no distinction, that is, in the treatment of others, or impartial towards them; or. This wisdom is willing to yield: Not stubborn nor obstinate; of a yielding disposition in all indifferent things; obsequious, docile. (Clarke) Conciliatory (only here in N.T.) 3:7-8 Every kind of beast and bird, and reptile and fish, is and has been tamed for the service of mankind; but no man can tame the tongue. Then, let it be repeated, it is not merely good we see here, but a communication of His own spiritual nature; and this He is doing by the word of truth. The traditions of Protestants and Evangelicals are no better than those of Roman Catholics, any more than of Jews who were before them all. _MURMEURS_ Les gens ont murmur. This will be, as far as government is concerned, in the millennium; but, being only government, evil will remain to be controlled and kept down to His own glory.

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