Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Teacher
- Teacher: One who holds forth the truth and is excited by it. The teacher looks for ways to explain, enlighten, and apply truth. A teacher's authority doesn't come from how smart they are but from the Word of God and the power of a transformed life.
I love how
James connects the ideas of the teacher and the tongue. Of course, he begins with the thought that
not many should become teachers. Yes, he
is right. Only those with wisdom should
teach. Only those who bear fruit
comparable to their teaching should teach.
Nobody will follow a hypocrite.
So only those who can live without being blatantly hypocritical should
even think about teaching.
But then
James talks about the tongue. The tongue
needs tamed, but we are not capable of doing so. This is another great thought to consider
when we talk about teachers. How do
teachers teach? They teach with their
tongues. They teach with their words and
their thoughts. If a teacher does not
have their tongue under control, how will they be able to teach? If a teacher cannot be relied upon to say what
is true all the time, how can they be trusted any of the time?
Teachers need
to be in control of their tongue. If
teachers want to be a part of helping others bear good fruit, then they need to
make sure that their tongue only speaks that which can produce good fruit. Outside of faith, which is given by God
anyways, the tongue is the most important tool in the arsenal of the
teacher. It needs to be tamed and
fine-tuned.
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