James 3:2 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.
James is basically saying that “no one is perfect.” The question is, what will we do with our imperfections? James is also preparing here for his illustration in verse 3 about bridling the tongue like bridling a horse. We will save that reflection for tomorrow. Disciplining our words takes a life time of practice, and we will get it wrong sometimes. Good speaking takes a good heart. A good heart takes the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will grow fruit within us that will become evident on the outside. If our speech is poor because of anger, bitterness, selfishness, swearing, gossip, or other ills of the flesh, the Holy Spirit can help us overcome these. It is interesting that Paul writes about grieving the Holy Spirit in the midst of the topic of talking, gossip, and anger in Ephesians 4:25-32. Another issue is what we will do once we stumble in our speech, realizing that we will indeed do this on occasion? The easy thing to do from the worldly perspective is to go on in life and not change our habits. The more challenging thing that will require the help of the Holy Spirit is to change our talking. This will require the faith and obedience about which James has been writing so far in his letter. The faith part is learning to listen and rely on the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit. The obedience part is choosing to obey this conviction and make changes in how we talk. The Holy Spirit will build new memories in our mind so that the next time we are tempted to say something bad, our memories will flash and we have the opportunity to choose a different path. The Holy Spirit will also help us develop new ways of talking that are wholesome and helpful to others. This will come about because of the inner transformation that is taking place as our faith grows.
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