Results 1 - 2 of 2
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Please explain James 3:2 | James | bosox | 87740 | ||
I don't understand James 3:2, We (humans) can't be perfect can we? On;y Jesus Christ was perfect and sinless but became sin for us because we are not perfect, we are sinners. Can someone explain this verse to me? Thanks | ||||||
2 | Please explain James 3:2 | James | Emmaus | 87741 | ||
James is talking more about striving with God's grace "to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect" rather than sinlessness. He says that "if" we can control our tongues we are well on our way to contolling our other impulses. He doesn't say any mere mere man has succeeded so far, but should strive toward that goal. "We have all heard it said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While this phrase is learned as a child, the opposite is realized at every stage of life. The truth is that words can hurt, even kill if not used responsibly. Sirach 28:17 says, “The blow of a whip raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones.” James illustrates the power of the tongue by drawing on two analogies: the horse’s bit and the ship’s rudder. In both images we learn that the direction of a horse and ship are determined by steering a small bit and rudder. James teaches us an important principle, if you control what you say, you can control the rest of what you do, hence the direction of your entire life. James warns us that the tongue is a fire capable of far reaching destruction. Unlike an ax or chainsaw, the tongue can land one blow that’s destructive repercussions spread beyond the initial act. The whole course of ones’ life can be effected by one statement. Teachers should take special care as they will be judged with greater strictness. As a result, James admonishes us to be disciplined and consistent in the area of our speech. We must not allow both blessings and curses to flow from our mouth... 4. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” What does this text say about the power of words? 5. The word that James uses for “hell” is gehenna. Gehenna is the Greek form for the Hebrew word Hinnom. The Hinnom Valley was just south of Jerusalem where they first sacrificed children to Molech; and later used the valley for the burning of garbage and trash. The New Testament writers came to use the Hinnom Valley as the place where the devil resided. How can we avoid our churches becoming a garbage pit of gossip where lives are sacrificed? 6. Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, that it’s “not what goes into the mouth [that] defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” He went on to explain that “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 12:34). How does St. Paul help us in Philippines 4:8 to determine what goes into our heart? 7. Because of its enormous power, James sees peculiar danger in the tongue and warns us of it in the most strenuous terms. James 3:6-8 calls it "a fire", "an unrighteous world among our members", and tells us it is "set on fire by hell." Can you think of ways in which the tongue has done the work of hell in our world? 8. Sometimes we flatter people with our speech for the purpose of personal gain. The Church teaches us (CCC No. 2480) that “every word or attitude is forbidden which by flattery, adulation, or complaisance encourages and confirms another in malicious acts and perverse conduct. Adulation is a grave fault if it makes one an accomplice in another’s vices or grave sins. Neither the desire to be of service nor friendship justifies duplicitous speech. Adulation is a venial sin when it only seeks to be agreeable, to avoid evil, to meet a need, or to obtain legitimate advantages.” How will these understandings of flattery or adulation change the way you relate to others? 9. There are times when we need to simply speak the truth. What does St. Paul say in Ephesians 4:15 about they way we should speak the truth? 10. Just as he insists that "faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26), so James insists that the same tongue cannot praise God and "curse men, who were made in the likeness of God." Like John, James believes that, "He who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20). How can we use our tongues to love God in our neighbor? 11. James 3:12 asks, "Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs?" That is, James implies, like the rest of the New Testament, that to change what we do we must first change what we are. It is not the nature of the fig tree to yield olives. Only olive trees do that. Likewise, it is not the nature of fallen man or woman to produce holy speech. But it is the nature of man and woman filled with the Holy Spirit. How can we seek the help of the Holy Spirit in our weakness in order to change, first who we are, and then the way we act? 12. James 3:8 speaks of the tongue as a "restless evil". Have you ever found yourself talking restlessly simply to fill up silence? What happens if you face the silence without talking?" Catholic Scripture Study, The Book of James Coptyright www.catholicexchange.com |
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