Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.  For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

1) What is the context of this passage?
The entire book of James is a walking example of how we should live in our daily life. James is encouraging and admonishing believers throughout his letter to let works show our faith in God. It reads as a how-to do life and deal with the daily struggles book.

2) Who is James speaking to in this passage?
In order to find this answer, you have to go back to chapter 1 where he explains that he is writing to “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” (James 1:1) This group of people would have been dispersed Jews who were believers. They were dispersed from Rome where the rulers at the time were persecuting and killing Christians, so in turn they dispersed into other far reaching areas of the Roman Empire.

3) Why are teachers held to a stricter judgment?
The reader must complete the whole chapter to really understand what James is saying in these verses. A teacher uses their persuasive speech and knowledge and gives information to their students. A teacher of the Word, a teacher of the gospel, or a teacher who simply is stating facts about God must be aware their students are listening and are guided by their teacher. A teacher is held to a higher standard because they are leaders within a community, planting seeds and can easily lead people astray with false teaching, or can help sustain and encourage a strong faith with right teaching.

1) What is the context of this passage?
Here in chapter 3, James does a good job of talking about the power of the tongue. A leader has the ability to lead towards the truth or lead astray simply based on the words they are saying. We must be mindful of our speech and what we are teaching about the gospel. We always have listeners whether they are little ears of our children, a friend who is asking questions, or even just our curious neighbor. In those moments, you become the teacher of the gospel. Our tongue becomes the tool that God uses to bring one more person into saving knowledge of Him.

2) Who is James speaking to in this passage?
The most interesting part of the Dispersion was the persecution that was meant to destroy the Christian and their faith, pushed and spread the gospel outside of Rome to areas it would have never reached if not for Christians leaving the city fearing for their life. James writes this letter to those persecuted Christians so that they will remember, despite their circumstances, to hold fast and seek the wisdom that comes only from above. They must live a life that boldly proclaims the gospel they say they believe in and put their faith into action.

3) Why are teachers held to a stricter judgment?
This is a warning for those who are called out to be teachers and leaders within the church. Life in the body of Christ will flourish under the truth of the gospel. We must not take lightly the call to put our faith into action and for some that means teaching the truth of the gospel. The tongue utilized by God as the salt and light in someone’s life!

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, Life In The Body!
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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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