Our words reveal a core part of who we are on the inside. Scripture is very clear that our words come directly from our hearts: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

James 3 and Our Words

In this new series, we’re exploring the power of our words. In James 3:1-12, James gives us several graphic examples of the evil we can do with our tongues and he exhorts Christians to speak righteously.

Let’s look at the first verse of this passage to help us understand the gravity of our words.

Let Not Many of You Become Teachers

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1)

James is going to delve into the topic of our words by first talking about teachers. He starts this passage with a very sober warning.  When speaking to his “brothers”—those who are believers in Christ, he says, Not many of you should become teachers.

Now, he’s not talking about general teaching. He’s not saying, “Let not many of you become preschool teachers” or “Let not many of you become piano teachers.” He’s talking about teaching the Bible.

The word he uses for “teacher” was used of rabbis or anyone in an official teaching role.

In James’ day, righteous men who were part of a synagogue could speak up during the service. (For example, Jesus and Paul would speak in synagogues where they were not officially recognized as rabbis.)

In our day, we have people who are not pastors teaching Sunday school, Bible study, etc. Overall, teaching God’s Word is a great thing.

However, some may want to teach for the wrong reasons. There are some who may be interested in teaching because of pride or prestige. They want to be viewed as knowledgeable and to be looked up to by people. Some may get into it for financial reasons—like those preaching the prosperity gospel who have private jets. All throughout the New Testament, we see examples of false teachers teaching heresy or error.

Teachers who are unqualified, not gifted, or are pursuing a teaching role for the wrong reasons can cause great damage in the church. They can distort the truth of God’s word and also bring dishonor to Christ through hypocrisy.

We Will Give Account for Every Word We Speak

Based on Scripture, we know that, in general, we will all have to give account to our words. Our words reveal a core part of who we are on the inside. Scripture is very clear that our words come directly from our hearts:

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