Not Many Should Teach | James 3:1-12

When James turns to the subject of the tongue in chapter 3, he begins with a striking command. This is not an isolated proverb. It comes after James has already laid out four marks of a true believer: steadfastness in trials, resistance in temptation, obedience to truth, and impartiality toward others. Each of those marks is outwardly observable, but each flows from an inward reality: the heart.

Now James pivots to the realm of words, and specifically to those who would presume to speak for God. He warns that teaching is not a platform to be seized lightly. Teaching is a ministry of speech, and words are never neutral. They reveal the heart, they shape communities, and they will be judged with great weight by the Lord Himself.


The Ministry of Speech
Jesus Himself said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). He also warned, “On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36). That is staggering. Every word—spoken in private or public, whispered or shouted—will be measured before the throne of Christ.

James builds directly on that teaching. He sees the quarrels breaking out among the dispersed Jewish Christians (James 4:1), everyone clamoring to be a teacher, everyone convinced their version of Christianity is the right one. In that environment, he calls for restraint.

“Not many” should presume to be teachers. Why? Because teaching is not simply sharing opinions. It is representing the King. In the ancient world, a herald carried the king’s words to his people. He was not allowed to add to them, subtract from them, soften them, or exaggerate them. He had to deliver them as if the king himself were speaking. So it is with the teacher of God’s Word.

Isaiah 40 describes the forerunner who cries, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Moses stood as mediator and mouthpiece for Yahweh. Prophets stood under the strictest accountability for how they declared, “Thus says the Lord.” That is what it means to handle the Word of God.


Judged with Greater Strictness
Teachers are judged by two courts.

First, by Christ. At the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), every believer will give account for deeds done in the body. For teachers, there is an additional weight: how faithfully did we handle the Word? Did we preach our own ideas, or did we deliver God’s unchanging truth? Did we seek our own platform, or did we point to Christ alone?

Second, by people. Those who sit under teaching are right to measure it against Scripture (Acts 17:11). The Bereans were commended because they examined the Scriptures daily to see if Paul’s teaching was true. But it’s not only the words that are scrutinized. The life of the teacher is examined as well.

A man who preaches holiness but lives in hypocrisy is quickly exposed. Jesus called the Pharisees “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27)—clean on the outside, but dead within. If a preacher’s life contradicts his words, his ministry becomes a stumbling block. That is why James insists on greater strictness. Teachers are not only delivering information; they are embodying the message they proclaim.


Scripture Never Changes
There is another reason for strictness: the Word of God does not change.

Every generation faces the temptation to innovate—to find a new message, a new angle, a new revelation. But the Bible does not evolve. The doctrines declared by James are the same truths preached by Augustine, by Calvin, by Spurgeon, by Lloyd-Jones, by MacArthur. True teaching stands in continuity with the saints who have gone before, because the Word itself is fixed.

As John Calvin wrote in his commentary on James, “The office of teaching is not a license for novelty, but a stewardship of divine truth.” The teacher’s task is not creativity but fidelity. We interpret Scripture with Scripture, we labor to get the text right, and we deliver it with gravity and clarity.


The Sobriety of Teaching
This is why James begins with such a sharp warning. Teaching is necessary for the church—Romans 10:14 reminds us that faith comes by hearing—but not everyone should aspire to it. Better to have one spiritually mature teacher faithfully handling the Word than a dozen immature voices contradicting each other and confusing the sheep.

Words carry weight. A careless tongue in the pulpit can wound deeply. A self-promoting spirit can fracture a church. On the other hand, a Christ-centered voice, rooted in Scripture, can build up the saints, strengthen weary believers, and guard the gospel for the next generation.


Application: How Should We Respond?
James’ warning is not meant to discourage all teaching, but to shape how we approach it.

Here are several applications:

1. For those aspiring to teach: Examine your motives. Do you desire the platform, or do you desire to serve God’s people with His Word? Do you crave recognition, or do you crave holiness? Remember Paul’s charge: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
2. For those already teaching: Pursue integrity. Your life must match your doctrine. Shepherd the flock not only with sermons, but with your example (1 Timothy 4:12). Remember that your hearers will scrutinize not just your words but your conduct, your family, your decisions.
3. For the congregation: Listen like Bereans (Acts 17:11). Test everything against Scripture. Hold teachers accountable—not with a critical spirit, but with a hunger for truth. And pray for your pastors and teachers, because their responsibility is heavy.

James is about to launch into a broader discussion of the tongue’s power—its ability to steer the whole body like a rudder steers a ship, its potential to ignite destruction like a spark in a forest. But he begins with teaching because it is the most visible, consequential use of words in the church.

Preaching, teaching, exhorting—this is how God grows His people. Romans 10:14–15 asks, “How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Speech is the primary vehicle of the gospel. That is why teachers face a higher judgment. They traffic in words that can either point to Christ or distort Him.


A Call to Humility
James’ words should not scare us away from speaking truth. They should drive us to humility. Teachers are not perfect; James admits, “We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). The point is not perfectionism, but dependence. Teachers must lean on the Holy Spirit, saturate themselves with Scripture, and guard both their lips and their lives.

The church needs faithful teachers, but not many teachers. It needs men who tremble at the Word (Isaiah 66:2), who refuse to tickle ears (2 Timothy 4:3), who labor not for applause but for accuracy.

And for all of us, whether we ever stand behind a pulpit or not, James’ words remind us that our speech is spiritually weighty. Every word we speak will be judged. Every careless sentence reveals something about our hearts. The solution is not silence, but surrender. We must surrender our tongues to Christ, who alone can bridle them for good.


Conclusion
The tongue is small, but it carries eternal consequences. Teachers especially must recognize that they speak as heralds of the King. Their words shape lives, steer churches, and will be judged with greater strictness.

Let us take James’ caution to heart. Let us not rush to be teachers, but let us all strive to be faithful in how we use our words. Let us test teaching against Scripture, live lives consistent with our message, and remember that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

As William Perkins put it, “Let the tongue be ruled by Christ and it shall become a servant of heaven.” May God grant that our words—whether from the pulpit, in the pew, or around the dinner table—be ruled by Christ for His glory and the good of His church.