Limitless Word

James 3

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📖 James introduction

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1Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. ✦ 2Indeed, 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. ✦ 3We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. ✦ 4And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. ✦ 5In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ✦ 6And 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. ✦ 7People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ✦ 8but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ✦ 9Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ✦ 10And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! ✦ 11Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring. ✦ 13If 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. ✦ 14But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. ✦ 15For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. ✦ 16For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. ✦ 17But 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. ✦ 18And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Where this chapter connects

Jas 1 ·9Jas 3 ·8Gal 5 ·71 Pet 3 ·5Matt 5 ·51 Cor 3 ·51 Pet 2 ·41 Jn 3 ·4

Christ at the center

The wisdom from above and the royal law of love are the life of those who belong to 'our glorious Lord Jesus Christ' — faith in him made visible in works.

How James 3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

Pastoral

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — James videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on James 3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and chapter teaching from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — James 3David Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Readable, verse-by-verse exposition of the whole chapter.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JamesMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceBlue Letter Bible — James 3Blue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Interlinear, lexicon, and study tools across the chapter.

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