Outline
Greetings (1:1)Trials and Temptations (1:2-18)Listening and Doing (1:19-27)Favoritism Forbidden (2:1-13)Faith and Deeds (2:14-26)- Taming the Tongue (3:1-12)
- Two Kinds of Wisdom (3:13-18)
Warning against Worldliness (ch. 4)Warning to Rich Oppressors (5:1-6)Miscellaneous Exhortations (5:7-20)
James 3 NLT
1 Dear brothers and sisters, not many
of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged
more strictly.
2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes.
For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control
ourselves in every other way.
3 We can make a large horse go wherever
we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.
4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship
turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.
5 In the same way, the tongue is a
small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest
on fire.
6 And among all the parts of the body,
the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting
your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by
hell itself.
7 People can tame all kinds of animals,
birds, reptiles, and fish,
8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is
restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and
Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of
God.
10 And so blessing and cursing come
pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not
right!
11 Does a spring of water bubble out
with both fresh water and bitter water?
12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a
grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty
spring.
13 If you are wise and understand God’s
ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility
that comes from wisdom.
14 But if you are bitterly jealous and
there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting
and lying.
15 For jealousy and selfishness are not
God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.
16 For wherever there is jealousy and
selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
17 But the wisdom from above is first of
all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to
others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism
and is always sincere.
18 And those who are
peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
