For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So all the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. [James 3:2-5a, ESV]
In the first verse of James 3, we read the warning that James gives to all those who wish to become teachers of the Word. The more responsibility that we have, the more strictly we will be judged. In this essay, we will examine James 3:2 through James 3:5a, and we will understand the way the tongue controls the rest of the body.
When I first read this passage (long before I began to write these essays), I thought that the passage was talking solely about the way our tongues are powerful, and how we must be careful of what we say to others. While my original understanding of this passage is correct, I have come to understand the passage in another way. My new understanding of this passage began to form as I read through Charles Erdman’s exposition of the book of James. Regarding the passage that we are covering in this essay, Erdman writes about how the ability to control the tongue proves that one has Christian maturity.
Let us examine this passage and understand what it means.
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
As James says, we all stumble, and we stumble in many ways. If we do not stumble in the things that we say, we must be perfect, and we must be able to control the rest of the body. I know that I am imperfect, I sin, and I will always fall short of the glory of God. How could I ever be perfect?
We cannot be perfect. None is righteous, no, not one [Romans 3:10, ESV], we have all sinned, and we all fall short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23, ESV]. How could we be perfect if none of us are righteous, if we have all sinned, and if we all fall short of God’s glory? In order to answer that question, we must examine what the word “perfect” means.
When we think of the word “perfect”, we think of something that is without any blemish or defect. Only Jesus was perfect, and even if we were able to go our whole lives without sinning, we are made imperfect when we are born into a world that has already been corrupted by sin.
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. [Matthew 5:48, ESV]
But Jesus tells us that we are to be perfect, does He not? It would be silly for us to assume that Jesus was mistaken, or that He expects too much from us. Jesus is God, and God is omnipotent, so He knows everything. How can we make sense of all of this?
If we look at the word that has been translated as “perfect”, the meaning of the word becomes incredibly easy to understand. The word in question is teleios (τέλειος), which refers to something that is complete, Christian maturity, and the perfection of God. Teleios is used to describe the will of God [Romans 12:2], it is used to describe the gifts that come from God [James 1:17], and it is used in James 1:4, where we read about the effect of steadfastness. James uses teleios in several parts of his letter, and James 3:2 is one of those parts.
Understanding the word that James uses, we are able to understand that, if we do not stumble in what we say, we must have Christian maturity. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, so in order to actually control the tongue, we must be perfect, just as our Father is perfect. We seek God, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, we become more like Christ, making us “perfect”.
The end of verse 2 tells us that, if we can control our tongues, then we can control the rest of our bodies.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.
James provides us with an analogy to his previous statement about the way that, if we can control our tongues, we can control the rest of our bodies as well. In order to guide a horse, the rider will put a bit into the mouth of the horse. Using the bit, the rider can direct the horse, pointing the horse toward one thing and away from another. The direction of the eyes determines where the feet will walk. If the rider points the horse toward a wall, the horse will walk into the wall. If the rider points the horse toward a stream, the horse will walk to the stream.
We are led by our tongues, and our tongues profess that which is in our hearts.
…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. [Matthew 12:34, ESV]
If our hearts are set on Christ, our speech will bring glory to God, and our actions will bring glory to God also. If our hearts are set on sin, our speech will be tainted with sin, and our actions will be sinful. Our hearts control our tongues, and our tongues have the power to control the rest of our bodies.
Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
James gives us another analogy, so that we can better understand the way the tongue controls the rest of the body. No matter what anybody wants, if the person in control of the rudder wants to go one way, the rest of the ship will go that way. If the person in control of the rudder wants to sail to a wonderful place to take a vacation, the ship will sail to that place. If the person in control of the rudder wishes to sail right into another ship, the ship will sail into another ship and both will be destroyed.
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
Just as the rudder controls the ship, just as the bit controls the horse, so does the tongue control the body. The tongue has the ability to build up or tear down, to encourage or discourage, to create peace or to create unrest, to unite or to polarize. The way we speak has a profound impact upon the way we act.
In conclusion, this passage tells us two things. First, it tells us that the ability to control the tongue shows Christian maturity. Only when we are walking with the Lord can we control our tongues. The only way that we can go without stumbling in what we say is to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit, to be in constant pursuit of Christ, and to be in constant pursuit of His righteousness. The second thing that this passage tells us is that our tongues may be small, but they are more powerful than any other part of our bodies. Knowing the power that our tongues have, we must pursue the righteousness of Christ with every ounce of strength that we can muster. If we are left to our own devices, we will be led by the wickedness of our tongues, and our tongues will be led by the wickedness of our hearts.
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