As in the previous two chapters, James introduced a new subject with a command (cf. 1:2; 2:1).
Every Christian is responsible to teach others what God has revealed in His Word (Matt. 28:19; Heb. 5:12). However, James was evidently speaking of becoming teachers as the rabbis in his day were, namely, "professional"teachers. He may have been cautioning those who were considering teaching in the church and suggesting that some who were ministering in this capacity unworthily should step down.131
The Jews regarded teachers (rabbis) with great awe and gave them much honor in James' day (cf. Matt. 23:8). The synagogue service allowed opportunity for men in the congregation to rise and address the rest of the assembly (cf. Acts 13:15). The Christians carried this opportunity over into the meetings of the early church (cf. 1 Cor. 14:26-33). Consequently there were many in James' audience who, though not qualified with ability, aspired to teach others publicly for the sake of prestige. James warned that God will judge a teacher more strictly than a non-teacher because he presumably knows the truth and claims to live by it.
"This is not an attack upon the office of the teacher or the teaching function, for James at once identifies himself as a teacher. Rather, he is seeking to restrain the rush to teach on the part of those not qualified."132
