16 September 2012
Steve Grant
James 3:1-12
While continuing to unpack the idea of what authentic Christian faith looks like, in this passage, James returns to a subject he touched on earlier in 1:26 - controlling one’s tongue. His objective here is to impress upon his audience that one of the ways in which true faith manifests itself is through controlled speech. Of course, the purpose of James’ writing isn’t really to condemn his audience’s loose speech in the past, but to prevent them from continuing it. The same applies to us as well.
As children of God, we need to discipline ourselves so that our speech reflects our new nature in Christ. Sure, we will stumble; however, that ought to be the exception rather than the rule. And by confession, we can continue our walk as children of God, using our speech to honour Him with our worship and praise.