Lesson for September 23, 2026 — The Book of James

Chapter 3:1-6

Verse 1

When James said to stop becoming teachers, this was a warning to those who teach doctrine in the local church. The pastor is the teacher of the congregation and is held accountable by God for his teaching. The local church is the classroom for learning Bible doctrine, and the pastor is the ultimate spiritual authority, which he establishes through the teaching of accurate Bible doctrine. This does not negate the spiritual gift of teaching, which is a different spiritual gift than pastor-teacher. And all who teach doctrine will be held to a higher standard.

Anyone trying to teach something contrary to their pastor sets themselves up as a teacher. A believer being critical or trying to tell the pastor what to teach and how to teach manifests lack of spiritual maturity. A believer in reversionism can reject the teaching and authority of their pastor and set up themselves as the biblical authority.

Incur a stricter judgment indicates double discipline. When you attempt to take on the authority of a pastor-teacher, you are setting yourself up to receive the same discipline of a pastor-teacher who teaches false doctrine, which is double. So, when you seek to usurp the authority of the pastor-teacher you demonstrate reversionism, spiritual immaturity, and all of the accompanying misery of life.

Verse 2

The Greek word for stumble is “ptaio,” which means to fall or to sin. The principle recognizes the fact that all believers still sin after salvation. The point is that after salvation your sin nature is not eradicated.

A perfect man refers to a believer who is spiritually mature. This does not mean that a mature believer never commits a sin of the tongue, but it is spiritual growth that can keep a believer from committing this particular sin. The Greek word for able is “dunatos,” referring to inherent power. The inherent power comes from Bible doctrine in the soul and the filling of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for bridle is “chalinagogeo,” which is a compound word: “chalinos” is a horse bridle and “agoeo,” means to guide or to lead. To bridle the whole body means to be in control of your whole body.

Verse 3

Now, we have some illustrations designed to help us understand the principle of how the tongue controls the entire body. First, we have the illustration of the horse. Bits are bridles which control the horse. The horse is a very powerful animal and yet he has a certain spot by which he can be controlled, the mouth. With the bit in the mouth all of his strength is actually under control.

Obey is the Greek word “metago,” meaning to turn. The principle is this big strong animal has a mind of its own, and yet it can be very easily controlled. The analogy is twofold; first analogy is that just as the bridle controls the entire body of the horse, so doctrine and the filling of the Holy Spirit control the entire body of a believer. The second analogy is that the horse has more strength in his neck than a person has in their entire body, and yet by using a bridle, a person is able to control the strength of the horse. The body of the horse with all of his great strength will follow, based on where the bit makes contact.

Verse 4

The ship is an object of great size which has a cargo and a purpose just as the horse is a large animal having strength and speed. The horse is used for transportation on the land and the ship for transportation on the sea. Both are controlled by a very small thing.

The power of a believer is useless without Bible doctrine (rudder). The cargo and the purpose of the ship are useless without the rudder. The rudder is comparatively small, with regard to the size of the ship.

The rudder controls the direction of a sailing ship. The winds exert a powerful influence in propelling the ship, but it is the rudder that actually controls the direction. In the analogy of this illustration, we have the ship representing the body. The winds are the influences of Satan’s world system. So, the rudder handles the direction, and by analogy the soul expresses the direction of a believer. The body may be strong and controlled by great muscles, but what controls the body? The answer is the soul. The rudder controls the direction of a ship just as the soul controls the direction of the individual. Bible doctrine in the soul controls the direction of a believer.

The rudder is analogous to the tongue of the believer. The pilot represents the believer’s soul. The ship is the body of the believer. The winds that propel the ship are a picture of the influences of Satan’s world system. The mature believer controls the tongue through doctrine in the soul and the function of the edification complex.

Verse 5

The tongue is small; the body is large. The tongue can be a source of great blessing, or it can be a source of great destruction. It all depends on what you have in your soul; because what you have in your soul is going to be manifested through the tongue.

The Greek word for boasts is “auche,” which means a noisy braggart or a person who is bragging to impress someone. The Greek word for great things is “megalos,” which means greatly. The tongue is a small part of the body but keeps on boasting great things. Stirring up great trouble is the concept.

Now we go to the third illustration: a small flame. The sins of the tongue can destroy a congregation. The sins of the tongue can destroy personal love and impersonal love. The sins of the tongue can ruin any family, any organization, any business, any society, or any group.

Verse 6

And the tongue is a fire explains the previous verse. The tongue is small. Just like a little fire can burn down a whole forest, the tongue is a small object that determines the course of action of a person. The same tongue that under the conditions of reversionism is a monster of destruction, is the same tongue that brings joy and blessing under the filling of the Holy Spirit.

The world of iniquity means injustice, deceitfulness, wrongdoing, or wickedness. A believer in reversionism uses their tongue to practice evil. A spiritually mature believer uses their tongue to express the wonderful glories of God. The tongue is linked to the mentality of the soul. The tongue is that little member which expresses the content of the soul.

The Greek word for Hell is “Gehenna,” referring to the Valley of Hinnom, which was south of Jerusalem. This is where the Jews dumped their garbage and burned it. Being a garbage dump for several centuries means that there was always a fire in this Valley of Hinnom. Therefore, the name Valley of Hinnom became a popular word for Hell in the Jewish language. (Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33) Gehenna is equivalent to the Lake of Fire in Revelation 19:20; 20:10.

The Lake of Fire or Gehenna (Hell) is not a place of annihilation since both the beast, and the false prophet are going to live there for a thousand years without being annihilated. Comparing this phrase “set on fire by Hell” with Matthew 25:41, it is concluded that the evil of the tongue has its source from Satan himself. (Luke 4:5-7, 16:19-31; John 12:31; 13:30; 16:11)