Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.  We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

James 3:1-2

As the third chapter begins, James abruptly changes the subject from faith and deeds to taming the tongue; to the extent that there is any transition at all, this is it.

So, you want to teach, do you? Teaching God’s Word is a very high calling, but I wouldn’t advise that you do it just because you want to be “up front”.

As James clearly states, those who teach will be held to a higher standing. I must add that with this in mind, I would have expected that some of our “teachers” would be more careful about what they teach!

Teaching the Word is a calling, and it is not to be taken lightly. It seems to me that we all need to realize when we know something and when we think we know something and be willing to disclose the difference. All too often, Christian teachers present their systematic theology as an established fact when it really reflects an opinion… and this causes no end of trouble. The opinion may or may not be correct, you see. Other times, teachers are more concerned about being right than they are about making disciples, preferring to take the “my way or the highway” approach to everything. Careful, we are held to a higher standard!

Yes, we all stumble sometimes, for we are not perfect. In my case, I have no problem admitting that I am rather far from it. I am quite fallible; I make mistakes all the time. In fact, my dear readers have been known to let me know when I’ve messed up, or at least when they believe that I have. .. and that is fine by me, since we are all in this journey together. So, let’s continue in our journey, giving God all of the glory while accepting none for ourselves, so that many may come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior, that they can join His family, and live in His love as we journey along the road of life in unity.